Month: March 2020

You may have heard that sports are canceled. Sure, there’s still iRacing and marble racing and horses occasionally casting off the chains of servitude, but the big name professional sports are on hold for the good of humanity and it’s a weird time for pretty much everyone out there.

As folks hunker down and try their best to stay safe and protect others through social distancing, movies have become a very reliable way to disconnect from reality and spend a few hours. Streaming services make this incredibly easy if you have the means and high-speed internet to make it happen, but for us in the sports department it was time to get nostalgic and talk about our favorite sports movies growing up.

If you’re looking for the best sports movies ever or the best available on Netflix, this list may not be for you. Not all of these are winners that stand the test of time, but they’re all winners in our hearts.

The Sandlot

The thing I like best about The Sandlot is that it is, at heart, a movie about unsupervised rascals on bicycles. It is a sports movie, sure, there’s no denying that. Everything that happens, all of the action, revolves around a never ending baseball game. But it’s not really about that. It’s about the other stuff. It’s about being a kid.

Look at the scene with Phillips and the rich kids, with all the name-calling and subsequent baseball beatdown. Look at the scene where they’re chomping tobacco and puking at the carnival. Look at the scene where they all stop their game for a moment to stare up at July 4th fireworks in awe as the Ray Charles version of “America the Beautiful” plays. That’s what being a kid is, that combination of mischief and wonder, being unsupervised on a bicycle. It’s one of the reasons I like Stranger Things, too. Maybe it’s because I was a rascal on a bicycle at that age, too.

Good sports movies usually make you feel good. The good guys win, the underdogs take out the jerks, the schlubs get their moment. There’s a formula to it all. But, like, formulas can work. Sometimes you just have to stick to them. That’s the whole point of chemistry. And baking. I’ve gotten off-topic. This paragraph is very much the “a scene about puking at a carnival in the middle of a baseball movie” of my blurb. I stand by it. The Sandlot rules. — Brian Grubb

Space Jam

OK so, here’s the thing: Space Jam is a terrible movie. By any objective measure, it is extremely bad. Michael Jordan’s tenure as a baseball player (in which he hit .202 and had 88 hits to 114 strikeouts) was exponentially better than his attempt at being an actor, most of the voice acting was just a little off, the plot had more inexplicable nonsense in it than I can remember off the top of my head — the one that sticks out above all else is that Michael Jordan get sucked down a portal to hell and his friends keep golfing — it is essentially an 88-minute long ad for brands that sponsored Jordan, and a whole host of other things. Having said that, if you saw Space Jam around the time it came out and liked basketball, you just inherently have a certain emotional connection to it that no other movie can match. It is delightful, it is perfect, and I love it with my whole heart. Soundtrack is aces, too. — Bill DiFilippo

Like Mike

I would not go so far as to call Like Mike the best movie on this list. In fact, I would reckon it’s probably the worst. A young Shad Moss (Lil Bow Wow) in a sports comedy is already a bad idea in concept and in execution it’s even worse, but little kid me did not care because this movie had two things. Basketball and a young kid putting on a pair of magical Jordans that made him dominate the NBA. Is this not the dream of every eight year old kid growing up as they play NBA Live 03, watch Tracy McGrady, and dream of dominating the NBA themselves despite admittedly being pretty chunky.

OK, so maybe that’s a little too narrow, but I’m willing to bet multiple children watched this movie and thought to themselves that they could absolutely do that if they had a magical pair of shoes. I know after watching it I wanted to go buy a pair right at that moment but my Mom, the intelligent woman she was, told me they were too expensive and that never happened.

The movie itself is not really worth watching as an adult, but I do suggest going on YouTube and looking up the cameos. Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, and Dirk Nowitzki all make appearances as well as a handful of other NBA stars. What will never not be funny to me, though, is while there’s a representation for almost all 29 teams at the time, the Clippers have been replaced by the Los Angeles Knights. They are clearly supposed to be a Clippers stand in with the color scheme and playing in Staples Center, but at no point are they mentioned in the movie. Probably for the best, because back in 2002 it was way more believable that a kid wearing a pair of magical shoes would dominate the NBA than the Clippers actually winning games. — Chris Barnewall

Varsity Blues

Is this a children’s movie? Absolutely not. Is it a movie that is important to me from my youth? Absolutely. Everyone always tells me I need to watch Friday Night Lights, but to be honest, I refuse to believe it can stack up to the original cinematic portrayal of Texas high school football that Varsity Blues provided. First, let’s talk about the cast. James Van Der Beek at the peak of his powers as backup QB turned star Jon Moxon, Paul Walker as starter whose gruesome knee injury might cost him a scholarship to Florida State Lance Harbor (an elite fake Texas QB name, I must add), and Jon goddamn Voight as Bud Kilmer in my personal favorite portrayal of an overly aggressive coach that cares too much about winning and not enough about his players. It’s a familiar trope in sports movies but one that has never been executed this well.

It manages to mix fun with serious topics without feeling like an afterschool special, pointing out the issues of concussions in football (in 1999!) and the rampant use of painkillers to get players back on the field too quickly. They also delve into racism (like Kilmer refusing to let his workhorse running back get touches once close to the end zone), battles between fathers and sons over the future (if you’ve never said, “I don’t want your life” like Mox then we just can’t relate), and the fleeting nature of fame (Harbor’s girlfriend suddenly throwing herself at Mox who is dating Harbor’s sister). They do all of this while being able to have a sequence where the team is too hungover on game day because they were at the strip club all night to cheer up Lance and found out their teacher strips there in the evenings resulting in this, a truly spectacular scene featuring Scott Caan and Ron Lester.

It also has reasonably good actual football sequences, which helps its case against other sports movies where the actual sports action tends to be, let’s just say, lacking. It all ends with Paul Walker taking over as coach after the player’s orchestrate a coup against Kilmer in the playoffs, running the “Oopty Oop,” where they sent five wide receivers onto the field to run a spread offense, quite literally, breaking the brain of one fan who begins counting the receivers on his fingers in the stands in one of my favorite moments in movie history.

Basically, Varsity Blues predicted the rise of the spread offense and brought to light issues of concussions and painkillers in football while also being a highly entertaining movie about high school hijinks. It should have won Oscars. — Robby Kalland

Rookie Of The Year

Two words: funky buttlovin.

Okay, here are more than two words. Until the Cubs actually won the World Series, this was the only realistic way the Cubs were ever going to win the World Series. A kid, who slips on a baseball and messes up his shoulder, finds his tendons have been fused together to make him now able to throw a fastball 100 miles an hour. After hurling one from the outfield right to the catcher, the Cubs — owned by the same dude who had that big toy store in Home Alone 2 — sign the guy, but some shady room deals have a coup brewing in the front office as one exec is focused on money and the original owner cares more about family. All the while, the kid is being groomed by Gary Busey and Marv from the Wet/Sticky Bandits who uses the term “hot ice” at one point.

If you aren’t already hooked please enjoy the fact that a gigantic steroid goon yells “MOMMY” a bunch in a climactic scene and later strikes out when our hero throws a slow pitch softball pitch at him. Ray Charles makes an appearance for a Pepsi ad. And the hidden ball trick is utilized to perfection. Also, Gary Busey’s character’s name is Chet Steadman and he communicates mostly through grunts in this film.

Five stars, you’ll love it. — Martin Rickman

Johnny Tsunami

The entire Disney Channel Original Sports Movie slate has been catalogued by this writer on this very website, and you may notice something amiss here: Brink is ranked above Johnny Tsunami and yet it doesn’t appear on this list. That’s because this about favorite movies, not best, and I will not be taking any more questions at this time.

Johnny Tsunami is a personal favorite in a lot of ways, including the fact that a rewatch of the movie as an adult makes it approximately 300 times funnier and more ridiculous. Budding surfer bro Johnny is ripped from Hawaii on a transcontinental move apparently planned in a matter of days. A bunch of prep school kids immediately try to murder him on a mountain that very clearly does not exist in New England. The rest of the movie plays out fairly predictably, and the action sequences are hilariously bad. Johnny, a small boy, yet his jacked as hell stunt double rides his surfboard to glory in his name. The ski/snowboard rivalry is inexplicable until loosely explained at the end, but the logistics just never really make any sense.

But here’s the thing: the show did a very good job of establishing villains and making the snowboarders actually seem cool. The public school kids are clearly the dudes you wanted to be friends with, and as a kid who made an awkward transition from public to parochial school (sans tropical shirt collection, mind you) I definitely identified with Johnny in a few ways. The child in me hates that I learned how to ski, but the rest of me understands that life isn’t black and white and everyone should get to ride the mountain together. — Ryan Nagelhout

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe and the US expands its testing, new cases are being accounted for daily. Legendary songwriter John Prine is, unfortunately, one of many Americans who have contracted the virus. Prine became infected by the virus and was hospitalized due to prior health conditions. But the singer’s wife, who also tested positive for the virus, shared a hopeful message to fans Monday.

Fiona Prine took to social media to share an update about her and her husband’s health status. Prine announced that she has in fact recovered from the sickness after contracting it. “I have recovered from Covid-19,” she wrote. “We are humbled by the outpouring of love for me and John and our precious family. He is [stable]. Please continue to send your amazing Love and prayers.”

The tweet is the latest update about Prine’s condition since his family said his health had worsened on Sunday. Prine was rushed to the hospital Thursday where he remains on a ventilator. Prine has miraculously beat cancer twice, which unfortunately puts him at greater risk with the virus.

After news of Prine’s condition broke, fans came together to show support. Most recently, Joan Baez dedicated a cover of Prine’s “Hello In There” to the singer in order to send her “best wishes and prayers” from afar.

Read more of Uproxx’s coverage on the coronavirus here.

It’s been almost a year since Brodie Lee, then known as Luke Harper, requested his release from WWE. It didn’t work out well for him, with WWE adding time to his contract, and aside from one brief return last year, keeping him from wrestling at all. But finally WWE’s position on releasing talent changed, and once his non-compete agreement ran out, Brodie Lee was able to debut on AEW the week before last, revealing himself as the Exalted One behind the Dark Order.

Now, as is becoming the custom for workers who leave WWE for AEW, he’s gone on Talk Is Jericho to discuss his problems in WWE, and what’s different about All Elite Wrestling.

First of all, that thing you’ve heard about how Vince didn’t like Luke Harper because he didn’t have a Southern accent? Turns out that’s true.

So I think the way I do talk, Vince doesn’t see a person that looks like me talking like me. And I don’t think he could get over that. He saw a backwoods hillbilly who talked in a southern drawl, and being from Rochester, New York and being somewhat eloquent, he didn’t understand, and it just didn’t compute with him.

He had his own ideas for things he could do in WWE, but none of them ever got approved:

I wanted to be a collector of some sort, almost like, I’m very into serial killers, and stuff like that, so I wanted to collect something from each person I would beat, and then the problem just become that I wasn’t beating anybody, so it’s hard to collect from people to do that. I also wanted to be maybe a smart monster, a very intelligent monster, where I can speak like I do in a very intelligent way and break my opponents down in a certain way that I wasn’t doing in the Wyatt Family, and then just have the same matches I was having, and look the same exact way, so be this slovenly character but just very also intelligent, almost like a Bruiser Brody, and again, I just don’t think he could see that way of talking.

After all those years of doing what he was told and often being told to do nothing, AEW was a whole different world, where the workers have control over their characters.

So then I would start doubting myself, too, like maybe I don’t have it. This happened actually last week with AEW, where it’s like, “Hey, go do this promo.” And coming from WWE, it’s like, “OK, well what do you want me to talk about?” And it’s like, “Well, whatever you want, it’s your promo.” So then it’s like, the stress was like, holy shit. So now I have no one to blame, so if it’s not good, it’s on me, and it’s like, can I do this? So then it became that whole thing too. Even Cody came in the room and he’s like, “Well, what do you got?” And I read it to him and I totally stumbled over everything I was gonna say to him, just I don’t even know, and he goes, “OK, go ahead, good luck” and he just left. And I was like, well, here we go.

The day of his AEW debut, Brodie was incredibly nervous, but once he’d done it he felt much better.

It just didn’t feel right all day, I guess. I was very stressed out about it. More than I thought I would be, and not, I think, as excited or pumped up as I should have been. And then it came on like super fast. They’re like, “Well, the tag match is in the ring, you guys are next.” And I was like, “Holy shit, it’s time to go.” And then that’s when it got keyed up and I was all pumped up. And like doing the promo and the way it came out, I felt really good about everything.

In fact, AEW President Tony Khan had given him the option to delay his debut for a show with a live audience, but Brodie couldn’t wait any longer to be back in the ring.

Tony very specifically texted me and said, “Hey man, if you don’t want to do this, we won’t do this.” And I wrote back, I was like, “No man, I’m all in for Wednesday, just let me know what you need me to do.” And that’s the thing, I had a way out if I wanted it, but I just didn’t think, I’ve been cooped up for so long, and I think I told you this last week, I want to get out, I want to do something, I need to be creative, I need to just fly a little bit, so even that little bit last week was something.

It’s great to see a talent like Brodie Lee in a company that appreciates what he can do, and wants to let him do it. I’m interested to see where the Exalted One goes from here.

(Transcipts from Talk is Jericho courtesy of 411Mania.)

Netflix’s new docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness couldn’t have timed its release better. With large swaths of the globe trapped indoors, audiences are devouring streaming content, and the wild true crime series practically has everything. Tigers, murder-for-hire, courtroom drama, missing husbands, did we mention tigers?

Thanks to the perfect conditions of social-distancing and the series’ insane subject matter, it quickly became a viral hit that’s led to celebrities fighting each other over the movie adaptation, and musical artists like Cardi B launching a GoFundMe to get series star Joe Exotic out of prison. But Cardi can take her time because, to the surprise of no one, Joe is absolutely reveling in his newfound fame, and the opportunity to show off his piercings to the prison population, according to E! News:

Rebecca Chaiklin, co-director of Tiger King, said, “You can hardly talk to [Joe Exotic] without him mentioning the amount of press he’s getting.”

“He says people are asking to see his Prince Albert and girls are sending him sexy bikini pictures even though he’s gay. He’s over the moon. Having kept in pretty close touch with him while he’s been in a horrible county prison, this has raised his spirits. Joe definitely did some horrible things to his animals. He was very abusive to them and he shot five tigers, no question about it. But what has happened to him has also been hard,” Chaiklin said.

While Joe is remorseful about about abusing the tigers and wants to dedicate himself to criminal reform, co-director Eric Goode cautioned the Los Angeles Times about taking the eccentric trainer at his word. “He is in a cage and of course he’s gonna say that he now recognizes what he did to these animals,” Goode said. “With Joe, we have empathy for him, but at the same time, he’s someone who really knows what to say at the right moment. I take it with a big grain of salt when he says he is now apologetic for keeping animals.”

(Via E! News)

We usually share lists of the upcoming concerts scheduled for New York City and Los Angeles, but there haven’t been too many of those lately since the coronavirus outbreak has forced artists to cancel shows. That said, there’s still live music, it’s just different than it usually is: Several artists have started performing live stream concerts from their homes, allowing fans to tune in to free shows online and pass the time with these virtual gigs.

These newly popular types of performances yielded some memorable moments lately and will likely continue to do so. Below, check out a list of the best upcoming live stream performances, and below that, find our recap of the finest shows that have already happened.

Updated: March 30, 2020

Coming up

• Aminé: Tuesday, March 31 at 5:10 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Ben Gibbard: Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on YouTube.
• Big Freedia: Fridays at 9 p.m. EST on Facebook and Instagram.
• Charli XCX: Vocal coaching with Tove Lo on Monday, March 30 at 3 p.m. EST; life drawing with Lucas David on Tuesday, March 31 at 3 p.m. EST; yoga with Ashnikko on Wednesday, April 1 at 3 p.m. EST; psychopath test with Rina Sawayama on Thursday, April 2 at 3 p.m. EST; horoscope reading with Orville Peck on Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m. EST; and make up tutorial with Zara Larsson on Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m. EST; all on Instagram.
• Christine And The Queens: Daily at 1 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Diet Cig (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Monday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Diplo: Sundays at 4 p.m. EST, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST, Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST, Fridays at 10 EST, Saturdays at 11 p.m. EST; on YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram.
• DJ Shadow: Tuesday, March 31 at 11:10 a.m. EST via The Fader.
• Dogleg: Tuesday, March 31 at 2:10 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Earthgang: Tuesday, March 31 at 5:50 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Field Medic (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Monday, March 30 at 4:30 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Finneas: Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• G Herbo: Tuesday, March 31 at 1:30 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Girlpool: Tuesday, March 31 at 1:50 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Half Waif: Tuesday, March 31 at 1:10 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Hinds: Tuesday, March 31 at 11:50 a.m. EST via The Fader.
• Hozier: Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. EST on Facebook.
• Jessie Reyez: Tuesday, March 31 at 2 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Kesha: Tuesday, March 31 at 4 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Mark Twang (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Monday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Miley Cyrus: Weekdays at 2:30 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Moaning (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Wednesday, April 1 at 3 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Neil Young: Semi-regularly, TBA.
• Porches: Tuesday, March 31 at 12:50 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Smino: Tuesday, March 31 at 3:30 p.m. EST via The Fader.
• Talker (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Monday, March 30 at 3 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Tayla Parx: Monday, March 30 at 3 p.m. EST on Instagram.
• Third Man Public Access: Daily at 1 p.m. EST on YouTube.
• Young Guv (Indie Mixtape Sessions): Monday, April 6 at 3 p.m. EST on Instagram.

—

Ben Gibbard

March 29: Death Cab For Cutie leader Ben Gibbard has so far led the charge when it comes to quarantine live streams, but on Sunday, he hosted the last one and sent the series off with covers of Neil Young, R.E.M., and others. No need to fret, though: While the daily series is going away, Gibbard has promised live streams once a week for “every week into the foreseeable future as long as people are quarantined.”

The-Dream and Sean Garrett

March 28: Following his beat battle with Timbaland, Swizz Beats decided to give songwriters a moment to shine, so he hosted a face-off between two of today’s finest. The main takeaway from the songwriter battle between The-Dream and Sean Garrett is that those two have had their hands in a lot of big songs from artists like Kanye West, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, Usher, and others.

Twitch Stream Aid

March 28: Twitch is set-up to shine in a time when live streams are as popular as ever, and they delivered this weekend. Their “Twitch Stream Aid” benefit show had a huge lineup that featured Diplo, Lauv, Charlie Puth, Die Antwoord, Barry Gibb, Kevin Gates, Jordin Sparks, Michael McDonald, Steve Aoki, Scotty McCreery, MonstaX, and Mxmtoon, as well as members of Cage The Elephant, The Chainsmokers, Bastille, The Head And The Heart, Silversun Pickups, The Lumineers, OneRepublic, Mt. Joy, Empire Of The Sun, X Ambassadors, and Young The Giant.

TikTok #HappyAtHome: Sound Check

March 27: TikTok has been keeping shortform video viewers entertained with a packed week of programming, but Friday was for the music fans. The lineup for the “Sound Check” day of #HappyAtHome included Alicia Keys, Jason Derulo, Megan Thee Stallion, Hailee Steinfeld, Troye Sivan, Meghan Trainor, DJ Khaled, Lauv, Yungblud, and Kelsea Ballerini.

Boi-1da And Hit-Boy

March 27: Hit-Boy and Boi-1da are two terrific producers to have square off in an Instagram beat battle, and that’s partially because of their willingness to show off their works in progress. Aside from their hits, the livestream also teased new material from Drake, Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, and others.

Dirty Projectors

March 27: Dirty Projectors dropped a new EP, Windows Open, on Friday, so band members Dave Longstreth and Maia Friedman decided to celebrate with a live stream. Although the pair was in separate cities for the broadcast, it went off without a hitch as the two performed a set featuring the four new tracks, as well as some covers and tracks from the band’s catalog.

300 Entertainment “Unplugged”

March 26: 300 Entertainment is one of the biggest labels in music, and now they’re hoping to similarly position themselves in the new world of live stream concerts with their virtual “Unplugged” show. The series “[originated] from live stripped-down, spontaneous sessions at 300 Entertainment co-founder and CEO Kevin Liles’ hotel lobbies throughout the years,” and the first one was led by singer/songwriter Cobi. 300 has a stacked artist roster, so keep an eye on this series.

Swizz Beats and Timbaland

March 24: Two of hip-hop’s biggest production titans hopped on an Instagram Live session to face off and remind fans how great their respective discographies are. Between Swizz and Timbaland, they played songs like Ginuwine’s “Pony,” Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love,” Ne-Yo’s “Make Me Better,” Drake’s “Fancy,” DMX’s “Party (Up In Here),” Jay-Z’s “On To The Next One,” and so many more.

Orville Peck

March 23: Masked singer Orville Peck let viewers into his home during his live stream, but he wasn’t about to pull the curtain back on the mystery that is him. The live stream was in celebration of the one-year anniversary of his latest album, Pony, and highlights from the set included a new song called “Summertime” and a tribute to the recently deceased Kenny Rogers via a cover of “Islands In The Stream.”

Courtney Barnett

March 22 and 23: “Courtney Barnett And Lucius & Friends” took place all around the world, and Barnett wrangled some great guests for the two days of program. Stopping by the shows were Sheryl Crow, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lukas Nelson, Fred Armisen, Emily King, Sharon Van Etten, Bedouine, Jonathan Wilson, Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby, and Kurt Vile.

Charli XCX

March 18 to 22: Charli has taken a different path with her livestreams: Instead of music performances, she has brought on a number of guests for a variety of programming. For example, last week, she hosted an art class with Clairo, played “Would You Rather” with Kim Petras, and had “An Emo Chat” with Christine And The Queens.

Ben Gibbard

March 15 to 21: The Death Cab For Cutie leader has been one of the most active livestreamers so far, as he is in the midst of a series of daily performances. This past week saw Gibbard cover Radiohead and New Order, as well as perform some material from his other most notable musical endeavor, The Postal Service.

Erykah Badu

March 19: Badu hosted an “interactive live stream experience” this past weekend, which allowed fans (who paid the $1 entry fee) to not only watch Badu perform from her bedrom, but also help build the setlist.

D-Nice

March 18: The hip-hop icon hosted “Club Quarantine” editions of his weekly “Home School” live stream this weekend, and the list of celebrities who popped in during the show speaks for itself: Michelle Obama, Alicia Keys, Diddy, Oprah, Will Smith, Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, Common, John Legend, Big Daddy Kane, Mariah Carey, Spike Lee, Donnie Wahlberg, Brandy, Quincy Jones, Timbaland, Usher, Questlove, Jadakiss, and Raekwon, among many others.

Charlie Puth

March 18: Charlie Puth was one of the artists who carried on the Chris Martin-launched “Together At Home” series. Puth sat at his home piano and busted out a number of songs, including “Attention,” “One Call Away,” and “See You Again.”

Jeff Rosenstock and more

March 17: Record label/shop Specialist Subject hosted a night of music from a jam-packed indie lineup, with was led by Jeff Rosenstock and also featured AJJ, RVIVR’s Erica Freas, and others.

Chris Martin of Coldplay

March 16: Martin is the one who kicked off the “Together At Home” live stream concert series, which has gone on to feature performances from artists like Charlie Puth and John Legend. For Martin’s performance, he busted out some Coldplay favorites and a David Bowie cover, and also answered questions from Instagram Live viewers.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The sports world is on hiatus right now due to the global pandemic that is COVID-19 and the far-reaching impact it’s had just about everywhere, from China and southeast Asia to Iran to Italy and central Europe to the United States where the outbreak has reached record levels. Most sports leagues have accepted their fate that they will not be playing games for some time — the latest federal push of CDC guidelines banning gatherings of more than 10 people through April 30 indicates it wouldn’t be until the summer at the earliest before leagues get back.

UFC has been insistent that their big UFC 249 event would still take place on April 18, however, in a venue outside the United States and without fans. The main event for the card was set to be the highly anticipated matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, but that appears to be unlikely to take place due to travel restrictions placed on Russia, where Khabib recently returned to and now is stuck.

Nurmagomedov updated fans on his status on an Instagram Live on Monday morning, saying he was not able to travel due to the recent restrictions placed on the country by the prime minister. He also explained he was told the fight was likely to happen in the UAE, but when he left camp in the U.S. and traveled there earlier in March, he was told he had to return to Russia due to restrictions that were set to be enforced there. A snippet of the translation of his IG Live is below, via RT Sport.

“After talking to the UFC we decided to fly over to the Emirates a month before the fight. I don’t remember the exact date, it was 19th or 20th, I’ll have to check. But when we landed in Emirates we learned that they are going to close borders. And no one will be able to leave or fly in, with exception for residents.

“So we had to fly back to Russia. Currently I am in Dagestan and I am training and preparing every day. Although I don’t know what am I preparing for. Because after we came to Russia we also learned that the borders are going to be locked. Same like in the States, same like in Europe, Emirates, everywhere. The whole world is in quarantine right now.

“So now I am hearing that they are looking to organize it with or without me. OK, go ahead.”

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, UFC is aware of the situation and is now moving forward with looking for alternatives, including a possible replacement fight for Ferguson, as well as seeking a new location for the event.

Ferguson, per sources, has been offered a fight against top contender Justin Gaethje. However, that fight has not been agreed upon nor finalized. Neither has a location for the event.

Given increased travel restrictions facing just about everyone around the world right now it is hard to see how UFC pulls off getting all of their fighters to a central location outside the United States for this event. As more restrictions get placed in more places, Dana White and company will be hard pressed to find a location that can accommodate them, but there’s no doubt they certainly will try to make it happen.

After the disbandment of his indie rock outfit Cymbals Eat Guitars, Joseph D’Agostino pivoted towards solo music. The change birthed D’Agostino’s new project Empty Country, and he shared his eponymous debut solo album last week. D’Agostino celebrated the release of his debut record while stuck at home in quarantine. So the singer decided to grace his fans with three live versions of songs off Empty Country.

While home in his own studio, D’Agostino managed to perform energetic versions of the tracks “Diamond,” “Clearing,” and “Becca.” Along with his wife, D’Agostino said in a statement that they “hope this provides a distraction from the constant, crushing anxiety we’re all enduring.”

D’Agostino wrote about the theme of the song “Diamond” in a statement, saying it was written about the hardest year of his life:

“I began writing ‘Diamond’ for my wife Rachel in October 2017, on our foreshortened honeymoon in Upstate New York. Rachel’s aunt had passed away after a long battle with leukemia the day before our wedding, so we would have to head back south for the funeral only a few days later. Rachel’s cousin had succumbed to bone cancer just three years prior. The days Rachel and I spent in the Catskills after our wedding were slow and unreal, suspended in amber. We walked on the rails of the derelict Ulster & Delaware like twin gymnasts on parallel balance beams, Esopus Creek slipping by beside us. We relished in having no cell service. Though we were less than a year into the Trump era, we were already exhausted and full of dread. We fell deeply in love with the region and made plans to move there from Philadelphia as soon as we could. On the morning we left NY, the weather shifted. The leaves took on the queasy dull luster that prefigures thunderstorms. But for two gold days, we postponed encroaching reality. It is now 2020. The sh*t is fully hitting the fan, and we haven’t yet left Philadelphia. The advance I mention waiting for in the song— the one we planned to use as a downpayment on a house— would never come. In January 2019, within 24 hours of handing in the Empty Country masters, I was promptly dropped by my manager, publisher and booking agent. This professional disaster kicked off what would prove to be one of the most challenging years of my life, one that I seriously doubt I would have made it through alive without Rachel. So this song is for her… but you can listen too if you’d like.”

Watch Empty Country perform “Diamond,” “Clearing,” and “Becca” from his living room above.

Empty Country is out now via Get Better Records. Get it here

The United States of America now leads the world in the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases — surpassing Wuhan, China, the origin of the virus, and Italy, the epicenter of the European outbreak. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (and America’s expert on all things coronavirus), has said that it’s “entirely conceivable” that over 1 million people will contract COVID-19, which would likely amount to roughly 100,000 deaths. As such, it’s a very real possibility that you or someone you know will contract COVID-19, which probably has you more than a little freaked out. We’re right there with you!

Let’s remember the facts though, as of Sunday evening, March 29th, there were 722,289 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 33,984 deaths, and over 151,901 recovered cases, with many more hundreds of thousands on their way to recovery. This disease is certainly scary, but we will beat it and every day we’re finding out a little more about the virus. The more we know, the safer we’ll be. So turn off the TV, stop watching the insane daily press conferences, and beef up your coronavirus knowledge by listening to an expert.

No, we don’t mean us. We’re talking about the expertise of Dr. David Price of the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Dave is an ICU doctor who is on the frontlines at the center of the U.S. outbreak, at a hospital where 20% of New York state’s coronavirus cases are being treated.

Late last week, Dr. Dave shared everything he knows about the deadly virus in a recent online Q&A posted on Vimeo, and his wealth of firsthand knowledge will make even the most frightened amongst us breathe a sigh of relief. To put it in his words, “when you know that the only way you’re going to get this disease is if your hands are dirty, and if you touch your face, and if you’re way too close to that person, that becomes incredibly liberating. All of a sudden the person at the store isn’t your enemy, they’re someone who is going through this with you.”

The full hour-long interview is worth a watch, but we gathered the most essential points so you could get back to binge-watching ten-year-old television shows. Here is everything you need to know about coronavirus, from how people are getting it and how you can keep you and your loved ones safe, to what to do if you already have it.

If you don’t have time for the whole video, we broke out some key moments below:

What are the symptoms for COVID-19?

This is one of the most common coronavirus-related questions and one of the most difficult to answer. Searching “what are the symptoms of the coronavirus?” might as well direct you to a GIF of someone shrugging. According to Dr. Dave, “What commonly people have is fever, cough, and then sore throat… Your lungs will primarily be affected. 80% of people just don’t feel good, mild cough maybe a little headache.”

So while your paranoia and your stuffy nose and sudden diarrhea is alarming, take a breath, it’s probably not the coronavirus.

How do you get COVID-19?

“The overwhelming majority of people are getting this from physically touching someone who has this disease, or will develop it in the next one to two days, and then touching their face.” Dr. Dave repeatedly stresses in his video that we must all become “hand nazis.” Under no circumstance should we be touching our face if we’re out in public, so do whatever you have to do to make this your new favorite habit.

“The vast vast vast majority of COVID-19 transmission is droplet… A droplet — something that comes from the mouth — either goes onto your hand or falls onto a surface and then is very quickly taken up, touched, and then put on your face.”

So… you can’t get it from the air?

While it’s certainly possible, “The thought at this point is that you actually have to have very long sustained contact with someone… I’m talking about over fifteen to thirty minutes in an unprotected environment, meaning you’re in a very closed room without any type of mask.” This will likely put a lot of us at ease. It’s highly unlikely that we’re going to get this thing from picking up food from our favorite restaurant, or by saying “hi” to whoever is delivering your food.

How do we keep ourselves safe in public?

Again, don’t touch your face. “Know where your hands are and know that they’re clean at all times… Walk around with Purell… when I leave my apartment, everything that I see that I’m going to touch, I make sure I Purell first. When I leave my apartment door and I go to the elevator, it’s okay if I touch it with my hand, but then I Purell,” says Dr. Dave, stressing, “This is not a disease that we’re getting because someone is sick and then touched something, and then an entire community of 10 people get it because they touched it… it’s mostly from sustained contact with people who have COVID-19… keep your hands clean and you will not get this disease.”

But just because you have good hand discipline, doesn’t mean you’re above smart social distancing, “If you’re going to go to the grocery store, if you’re going to touch the cart — just clean the handle. If you go into the store and you see people around, don’t touch them… distance yourself. You don’t have to wait directly in line with somebody, you can stand a couple of feet back.”

Should I be wearing a mask?

Dr. Dave is all for wearing masks, but mostly because having a mask on your face is an easy way to train yourself now to touch it. So don’t hoard medical masks, donate your supply to your local hospital and tie a bandana around your face, bandit-style.

“You don’t need a medical mask. These masks that people are wearing are not preventing them from getting the disease… the general community has zero need for N95 masks.”

I’m still hanging out with my friends on the weekend…

What is wrong with you. Stop doing that. Please. Do you want us to be quarantined longer than April?!

“You have to shrink your social circle,” says Dr. Dave, “Find your isolation group, find your group of three people, four people, your family — and set boundaries. The people who are going to get this are people who maintain large social circles at this point.”

I’m a great social distancer… but what if my less responsible housemate gets it?

Despite the fact that a large majority of this virus’ spread comes from family transmission, according to Dr. Dave, “Simply being in the home with someone who has COVID-19 will not get you that disease.” However, please understand that even if you feel fine, you’ll essentially have to be quarantined for as long as the infected person in the event you’re an asymptomatic spreader.

“Isolate yourself from your family… if you’re able, have the person in a separate room… have the person who is sick have their own bathroom… if the person has to come out and interact with the family, this is the perfect indication for one medical mask for the person who is sick.”

What if I just have a cold?

Might as well play it safe, just so long as we’re all in quarantine. “I think if you have something that feels like a cold or you feel like you’re getting sick, take the precautions like you have COVID-19 for one to two days. If in one to two days you’re feeling much better and this is like the thousand other colds you’ve had in the past year… you don’t have COVID-19.”

How safe is interacting with take-out or grocery delivery people?

“I think it’s a reasonable idea to have the delivery person leave the food that they’re delivering to you outside your door. You can probably pick it up with a glove and open the bag and all the inside contents are fine. That’s an overabundance of caution, but it think it’s reasonable,” says Dr. Dave, adding, “What you don’t want to do is high-five the delivery man, you don’t want to shake the delivery man’s hand, you don’t want to pick up the plastic bag you’re getting… and have a huge long interaction with that bag… but if you follow the rules and everything you touch you just clean your hands, you will not get it.”

So it’s not just old people getting it?

No, so it’s time to stop acting like this is someone else’s problem. The way we beat this is by being responsible. “This disease affects everyone… 23-year-olds, 35-year-olds, 45-year-olds with zero medical problems are getting this disease, people like that are coming to the hospital, people like that are going on ventilators. There is a very evil narrative early in this disease that said that this is only a disease of old people and people that have hypertension and diabetes, that is not true… it hits the entire spectrum of ages.”

Okay, I have it, how do I keep the people isolating with me safe?

Keep your distance, from everyone. “If you have a vulnerable population in your family… you need to find another living arrangement for that patient or practice incredibly strict isolation of that family member.” It’s also not a bad idea to contact everyone you’ve seen up to two days before you first developed symptoms (see why social distancing is important?). Dr. Dave explains, “It’s likely that people who get this disease are shedding the disease one to two days before they have a fever… If you develop COVID-19 and have a fever, know who the people are in your life who you interact with over the prior 2-3 days and let them know.”

Should I get tested?

Look, we all want to get tested, especially those of us who still have to go to work or those of us who live with a vulnerable population. Unfortunately, even on a state level, we’re not really where we need to be in terms of testing availability. “It depends on the availability of testing in your community. If you have symptoms like the flu, it’s likely you have COVID-19,” but Dr. Dave is quick to clarify that even if you did get tested, when it comes to your treatment, “not a lot would change by knowing that test result.”

Should I go to the hospital?

Depends. If you think you might have COVID-19, absolutely don’t go to the hospital — you might be putting people at risk. Instead, call your health care provider (or your county’s public health office if you don’t have insurance) and await the next steps. In all likelihood, you’ll be able to self-treat at home, only those who are having trouble breathing should consider treatment at a hospital.

“If you’re feeling short of breath come to the hospital… it’s not, ‘I have a fever,’ it’s not ‘I think I have COVID-19,’ it’s not, “I can’t stop having these body aches,” it’s ‘I feel short of breath when I get up to go to the bathroom,’ those are the people who should come to the hospital and be evaluated.”

What’s this I’m hearing about Ibuprofen making symptoms worse?

This is a weird one, but it would appear that some early data suggests Ibuprofen is not an effective treatment — no one can say why yet. “There is really good data from Germany that there are worse outcomes and more inflammation from people who are using Ibuprofen. If you have a fever take acetaminophen.”

What are my chances of needing to go to the emergency room?

If you’re generally healthy and not an at-risk population, you’re likely going to get through this with little more than a handful of awful days. “Of the entire population of people who get COVID-19, about 10% need to go to the hospital because they get short of breath. Of the 10% who are coming to the hospital, about one to two to three percent of those are requiring admission to the ICU and should be put on a ventilator.”

What if I need to be put on a ventilator?

Don’t panic — it’s not the end. “The vast majority of people come off the ventilator… usually seven to ten days later. Going to the hospital is not a death sentence, it’s a safe place to be.”

Is there a chance of the coronavirus weakening?

It’s too soon to tell if warmer weather will have a strong effect on the coronavirus, but time is guaranteed to have an effect on this virus. It won’t be tomorrow, it won’t be next year, but according to Dr. Dave, “as it mutates it’s going to get milder and milder, five years from now you’re going to get coronavirus, this exact COVID-19, and it’s going to feel like a cold.”

With the news cycle running nonstop coronavirus pandemic coverage, we could all use some uplifting content right now.

Sharing good news is Upworthy’s jam (especially on our Instagram page, which is dedicated only to positive stories) so we’re always happy to see new outlets highlighting the best of humanity. We’re also fans of The Office, so we’re also always happy to see John Krasinski.

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John Krasinski plus good news almost seems like too much to hope for, but dreams really do come true, friends. Krasinski asked his Twitter followers to share any good news stories they’d come across and then launched a YouTube channel, “Some Good News,” where he reports the stories from his home.

It’s uplifting. It’s funny. It includes Steve Carell. And it’s just what we need to remind us to look for the bright spots when the world starts to feel dark.

Enjoy Episode 1 of Some Good News:

Some Good News with John Krasinski

youtu.be

A dog in Colorado is doing his part to help during the coronavirus pandemic. Sunny, a golden retriever, has been delivering groceries to his neighbor, Renee, while she self-isolates.

Sunny’s owner, Eveleth, and Renee have lived next to each other for over a decade.

Renee has respiratory problems so she uses an oxygen tank. The COVID-19 virus is especially deadly for people with respiratory problems because it creates inflammation and fluid build-up in the lungs.

People with chronic respiratory issues have some of the highest mortality rates from the COVID-19 virus.

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The delivery process is simple: Eveleth sends Sunny over to Renee’s house to get her shopping list. After Eveleth returns from the store, she gives Sunny the grocery bag and he delivers it next door to Renee.

“She got the list, she gave it to Sunny, Sunny brought it to me,” Eveleth told KKTV. “I went to the store, got her her groceries, and he delivered them all to her.”

Sunny has been making deliveries to Renee since the virus began to spread in the U.S. a few weeks ago.

“What a wonderful thing, just a sweet thing,” Renee said. “So he started doing the schlepping, back and forth. It’s been fun, it’s been a real treat.” Sunny seems to enjoy it, too. Renee gives him the equivalent of a doggy tip after each successful delivery by asking, “Who’s a good boy?” and giving him a rub down.

Golden retrievers are bred to be bird dogs so they are great at fetching and returning items to people. The breed is eager to please so they are popular service dogs and often used on search and rescue teams. So delivering groceries comes naturally to dogs like Sunny.

Sunny’s regular visits are also a great pick me up for Renee, who lives alone. “Little things like Sunny coming over to visit is nice and it makes you feel good,” Renee said. “It’s a way of communicating.”

Plus, Sunny is safe for Renee to be around because dogs can’t get COVID-19 or pass it to humans.

“There is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19,” the World Health Organization said in a statement. “COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.”

Eveleth hopes that the story of Sunny and Renee gives people something to smile about in these trying times.

“Anybody can do something small, that can be so helpful,” she said.

The story of Renee and Sunny is a great example of neighbors helping each other in a crisis. It goes to show that even when people practice social isolation they can also help each other if they get a little creative. It also helps to have an amazing golden retriever like Sunny.