Screen Shots: September 26th-October 2nd, 2024

Welcome to Screen Shots! This is where I tell you what sporting events you should watch on TV every week! Make sure you subscribe so it comes straight to your inbox! Have your own suggestions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

As always, you should watch my show, “Beyond The Arc with Brandon Silvers.” BIG NEWS: episode release day is moving from Monday mornings to Sunday mornings! A whole extra day for you to watch that should also allow me to expand my NFL coverage. Last week’s episode was a detailed look at the WNBA playoff picture! Spoiler alert: my vision is already coming to fruition. Check it out!

Now, to the sports!

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

• Track and Field: Athlos NYC at 7:30 pm (ET) on Twitter and YouTube

A one-night event featuring some of the best women in track AND a Megan The Stallion performance? Sign me up! The brainchild of Reddit co-founder/Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian, Athlos NYC was able to secure Olympic gold medalists such as Gabby Thomas, Faith Kipyegon, Marileidy Paulino, and Masai Russell with the largest purse in women’s track history. They basically called the Diamond League broke, offering winners twice as much prize money as the Diamond League champ earns. The Diamond League has responded by upping their prize money starting next year. Tune in to see the 100m hurdles, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m.

Friday, September 27th, 2024

• NWSL: Washington Spirit @ Angel City FC at 10:00 pm (ET) on Prime Video

Oh, look, another thing owned by Alexis Ohanian. He was a part of a star-studded ownership group led by actress Natalie Portman who helped found Angel City FC back in 2020. They added even more people you know this summer when former NBA Inside Stuff co-host Willow Bay and her husband, Disney CEO Bob Iger, became controlling owners thanks to an investment that placed the club’s valuation at $250 million. This is the highest valuation ever for a women’s professional sports team. For context, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces are valued at $140 million.

You better believe I’ll be doing a “Beyond The Arc” episode comparing and contrasting how the most prominent women’s sports leagues in this country operate. You’re going to want to watch that. For now, watch this one to see if Angel City F Alyssa Thompson can score her 6th goal in 6 matches as ACFC tries to finish the last month of the season on a high note.

Saturday, September 28th, 2024

• College Football: Fresno State Bulldogs @ UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at 3:30 pm (ET) on FS1

What a week for UNLV. They upset Kansas on the road last Saturday to move to 3-0 and then found themselves in the middle of big-time realignment talks as they decide whether or not to head to the Undertaker Pac-12 in a move that would effectively end the Mountain West Conference. That’s more than enough excitement right there, but then it was announced that starting QB Matthew Sluka would be leaving the team and entering the transfer portal ASAP. What the hell happened?

Word on the street (allegedly!) is that Sluka got himself an NIL agent after the Kansas game. This agent advised him to head to Coach Barry Odom’s office on Monday and ask for $300k to stay. Coach Odom told him that wasn’t going to happen, and Sluka decided to leave the school. The streets are even saying that he believes he has an offer from another school in hand. Now, the other side of the streets is claiming UNLV hasn’t paid him the NIL money promised to him when he transferred in from Holy Cross and that’s why he’s done for the year.

I’m all for players getting paid, but we’ve unsurprisingly gone too far. Sluka will get his share of criticism, rightfully so, but don’t forget that there’s plenty of blame to go around. From the NCAA, who didn’t bother planning for any of this, to the coaches who are taking full advantage of the NCAA not planning for any of this, to whoever is in Sluka’s ear. I hope it all works out for the kid, but imagine thinking you can strong-arm a football program whose most famous alum is this guy. Tune in to see if UNLV made the right decision by not negotiating.

• College Football: #2 Georgia Bulldogs @ #4 Alabama Crimson Tide at 7:30 pm (ET) on ABC

The more things (college football) change, the more they stay the same (UGA and Bama still dominate). New Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer might not even be here if Moneyball came out before 1998. Born and raised in the birthplace of American Legion Baseball, DeBoer followed up a standout college career on the diamond and the gridiron at the University of Sioux Falls by playing a summer of Independent League baseball for the Canton Crocodiles. During his 24 games, he finished with an impressive on-base percentage of .396. However, anybody who cared was more focused on DeBoer’s struggles to adjust to the speed of professional fastballs so his contract wasn’t renewed. Instead, he returned to South Dakota to pursue a career as a wide receiver in the Indoor Football League, and here we are.

Sunday, September 29th, 2024

• WNBA Playoffs: Las Vegas Aces @ New York Liberty at TBD on TBD

I wish I had more information for you on time and place, but blame Cathy Englebert. A rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals. The Liberty are out for revenge and have looked better this entire season. The Aces have started to look more like themselves recently though. Is there such a thing as a must-win game 1 for both teams?

• NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 pm (ET) on CBS

I love short horror stories, and one of my favorites is “The Monkey’s Paw,” which is about a magic monkey’s paw that will grant your wishes with an evil twist. Mike Tomlin coaches like his wish was to win every game he ever coached and the evil twist was that he could only do it with the ugliest offense known to man.

The Steelers are 1 of 3 undefeated teams despite scoring just 3 touchdowns all season. In their season opener, they beat the Falcons using only field goals. They’re the ultimate bend but don’t break offense. This is all made possible by a defense that’s allowed the fewest points and fewest yards so far. I expect more of the same against a 1-2 Colts team that isn’t exactly the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams. The monkey’s paw curls tighter.

• College Volleyball: Pittsburgh Panthers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 1:30 pm (ET) on ACC Network

I like to space the events out, but you’re going to need a break from watching the game. To another Pittsburgh team, we go! Scheduling in other college sports I watch is typically program-dependent. Some like to challenge themselves, while others prefer facing cupcakes. In college volleyball, it feels like every program is out to find the toughest opponents possible.

This season, there has been no team tougher than Pitt. Not only are they undefeated, but, at the time of my writing this, they haven’t even lost a set (game?). I don’t know a lot about volleyball yet, but I know that’s an accomplishment and a half. AVCA poll voters agree as they are ranked #1 for the first time in their program’s history. They’ve made the Final Four in each of the past 3 seasons. Is this the year they finally break through and win it all?

Monday, September 30th, 2024

On this date in 1972, Pittsburgh Pirates RF Roberto Clemente hit a double to join the prestigious 3000-hit club. It was the final hit of his career as he tragically died in a plane crash in December of that year. It’s common knowledge, for baseball fans at least, that Clemente was on that flight to help deliver aid packages to victims of an earthquake in Guatemala. However, I only recently learned that this was the 4th flight Clemente had arranged for this purpose. The previous 3 never reached the victims due to government corruption. Clemente decided to be on the plane for the 4th delivery to ensure the supplies arrived at the intended destination. Unfortunately, there were a whole host of issues that essentially doomed the flight from the start and it crashed shortly after take off.

Following his death, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America waived the Hall of Fame waiting period and voted to induct Clemente into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you know anything about the BBWA, you will not be shocked to learn that 31 of the 424 voters did NOT vote for him. Reading about Clemente, I’m not sure if that would have even mattered to him. He was certainly a great player, but, by all accounts, an even better human. Go do something nice for someone else today.

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

• Halloween Movie of the Week: Hocus Pocus at 8:50 pm (ET) on Freeform

Every October for the past couple of years, I’ve tried to watch as many Halloween movies as possible. Some are scary, and some, like this 1993 classic, remind me of some of the best parts of my childhood. Back when Freeform was ABC Family, I had to go to my grandaddy’s house to watch anything on cable. He was a huge college football fan so we’d watch a lot of games, but he also made time for Hocus Pocus. He’d fix me his go-to meal of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (with a lot of jelly and cut diagonally), a side of Cheese Nips, and a can of Wal-Mart brand white grape soda that I’d tear through while sitting way too close to the SpongeBob-shaped big screen TV. 

Grandaddy passed in 2015, I can safely light the Black Flame Candle, and I can watch it from the couch thanks to contact lenses, but this is still my favorite way to kick off the month of October.

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

• MLB Wild Card: Multiple games TBD

Let’s blame Cathy Englebert for not knowing more about this, too. There will be 4 Game 2s taking place, which means 4 teams fighting to stay alive in these best-of-3 series. Since the Wild Card expanded in 2022, all 4 teams that made the NLCS in those 2 seasons were Wild Card teams. The AL has only had 1 Wild Card team make it that far, but it was last year’s World Series-winning Texas Rangers. You’re going to want to pay attention.

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