đź‘€ Trump Suspends $175M In Funding For UPenn

PLUS AP Women’s All-America Team, AP’s Men All-Americans, The Headliners For “Quarterback”

March 20, 2025

Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • AP Women’s All-America Team

  • Trump Suspends $175M In Funding For UPenn

  • March Madness Is HEATING UP!

  • AP’s Men All-Americans

  • The Headliners For “Quarterback”

🏀 AP Women’s All-America Team

The AP Women's All-America teams just dropped, and it's packed with absolute BALLERS heading into March Madness!

UConn's Paige Bueckers, USC's JuJu Watkins, and UCLA's Lauren Betts headline the First Team as unanimous selections. That trio has been straight-up dominant all season long. Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and Texas' Madison Booker round out a first team loaded with future WNBA talent.

The Second Team features LSU's Aneesah Morrow, FSU's scoring machine Ta'Niya Latson, Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, UConn freshman phenom Sarah Strong, and Kentucky's Georgia Amoore. The Third Team includes TCU's Hailey Van Lith, USC's Kiki Iriafen, Vanderbilt freshman sensation Mikayla Blakers, LSU's Flau'Jae Johnson, and Iowa State's Audi Crooks.

For Bueckers, who's projected as the #1 pick in next month's WNBA Draft, this is all just a prelude to her final shot at a national championship. Despite making the Final Four three times in her career, she's yet to cut down the nets. UConn earned a #2 seed and could potentially face Watkins and USC in the Elite Eight if both teams advance.

The tournament tips off Saturday with UConn facing #15 Arkansas State. Could this finally be Bueckers' year to complete her college legacy before heading to the pros? 🏀

đź‘€ Trump Suspends $175M In Funding For UPenn

The Trump administration has suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over the transgender athlete participation in its swimming program, according to a White House announcement Wednesday.

This suspension comes from a separate review of discretionary federal funding to universities, not from the Education Department investigation into Penn's swimming program that was announced last month. The suspended funds came from the Defense Department and Department of Health and Human Services.

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights investigation at Penn centers on Lia Thomas, who in 2022 became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title while competing on the women's swim team. The agency has also opened reviews of San Jose State University volleyball and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

This follows President Trump's executive order last month intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports.

🏀 March Madness Is HEATING UP!

March Madness kicked off with a BANG last night in Dayton! Alabama State pulled off an incredible buzzer-beater to win their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, edging Saint Francis (PA) 70-68 in dramatic fashion.

With the game tied and just 3.4 seconds left, the Hornets executed a perfect full-court play - Micah Simpson launched a long inbound pass that eventually found its way to Amarr Knox, who made the game-winning layup with 0.7 seconds remaining.

Their celebration will be short-lived though, as the No. 16 seed Hornets now face tournament No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in Lexington.

In the night's other First Four game, North Carolina silenced their critics with a dominant 95-68 thrashing of San Diego State. Senior guard RJ Davis was unstoppable, pouring in 26 points while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range. The Tar Heels led by as many as 40 points and will next face No. 6 Ole Miss on Friday.

🏀 AP’s Men All-Americans

The AP All-America teams are officially out, and Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg leads the way as a unanimous first-team selection! The 6'9" forward from Maine has lived up to all the hype, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.

Joining Flagg as the other unanimous first-team selection is Auburn big man Johni Broome, who's been a double-double machine (18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds). Purdue point guard Braden Smith (16.1 points, 8.7 assists), Alabama sharpshooter Mark Sears (18.7 points), and Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. (17.5 points, 4.3 assists) round out the first team.

The second team features Texas Tech's JT Toppin, Marquette's Kam Jones, Wisconsin's John Tonje, Memphis' scoring leader PJ Haggerty (21.8 points), and St. John's RJ Luis Jr.

Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner headlines the third team along with Tennessee's diminutive floor general Zakai Zeigler, Villanova's Eric Dixon (who led the group with 23 points per game), Houston's LJ Cryer, and Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson.

This group of 15 players represents the very best in college basketball this season - and many will be looking to make even bigger statements in the NCAA Tournament starting this week! 🏀

The Headliners For “Quarterback”

Netflix is returning for another season of their hit "Quarterback" series this July, following three of the NFL's top signal-callers throughout the 2024 season.

This time, the show will feature Cincinnati's Joe Burrow, Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, and Detroit's Jared Goff, giving fans an inside look at their lives both on and off the field.

Burrow had a monster statistical season, leading the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. His year included some drama too - his house was broken into in December while the Bengals were playing in Dallas. Despite winning their final five games, Cincinnati finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.

Cousins is actually returning for his second appearance on the show. After signing a massive four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta last March, his season took an unexpected turn when he was benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the final three games as the Falcons collapsed down the stretch.

Goff had the most team success of the trio, leading Detroit to a franchise-best 15-2 record and the NFC's top seed. His 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns put him in the MVP conversation, though the Lions' playoff run ended with a divisional round loss to Washington.

The first season of "Quarterback" was one of Netflix's most-streamed series in 2023, leading to the spinoff "Receiver" featuring five wide receivers and their quarterbacks.

Internships 🙋

1. Internship: Productions (Summer 2025) - The Production Intern is responsible for storytelling through creative producing, shooting, and editing. This position will require shooting, editing, and producing to help with coverage of long-form and short-form creative content for MSE’s teams and linear & DTC network.

2. Media Relations Internship (Summer 2025) (Pittsburgh Penguins) - Observe and assist the media relations staff with day-to-day functions. Interns will have interaction with executives of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Club, visiting team personnel and local and national media outlets. The candidates will be expected to act in a professional manner at all times.

3. Corporate Partnerships Internship (Summer 2025) (Pittsburgh Penguins) - Assist in the service of all current and potential corporate partners. Learn corporate partnership sales and marketing strategies used by an NHL team to generate revenue for the organization.

4. Partnership Activation Internship (Baltimore Orioles) - Partnership Activation interns will gain valuable experience in the field of corporate partnership activation and sales. They will participate in the coordination and execution of both game day and non-game day events in and around Oriole Park including, but not limited to, tabling activations, pre-game ceremonies, VIP hospitality experiences, partner field days and the gathering of photos and information for end of season recaps.

5. Data Science Internship - This internship at PrizePicks offers students the opportunity to work with the data science team on complex sports modeling problems, contributing to model development while researching innovative approaches to fantasy sports challenges.

Job Board đź’°

1. Talent Attraction Specialist - As a Talent Attraction Specialist, you will play a crucial role in identifying, attracting, and engaging top talent from universities and colleges. This position involves developing relationships with educational institutions and leveraging career fairs and campus events to promote opportunities at PrizePicks.

2. Analyst, Financial Planning and Analysis (Tampa Bay Rays) - The Financial Analyst, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) position will be responsible for assisting the Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) with budgeting, forecasting, long-term planning, implementation, and business strategic analysis of the financial team.

3. Digital Display Coordinator (Utah Jazz) - Utah Hockey Club and Utah Jazz, franchises of Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), are looking for a versatile, driven, and energetic individual skilled in motion and graphic design. This position will be responsible for optimizing, executing, and maintaining all digital displays at Delta Center.

4. SAFC Sales Representative - Generate leads and build relationships by nurturing warm prospects and finding new sales opportunities. Conduct high-volume outreach through calls, emails, and networking to drive ticket sales. Manage and maintain a pipeline of interested prospects and guide them through the sales process.

5. Sports Media & Engagement Analyst (Miami Marlins) - The Miami Marlins are looking for a passionate, data-driven, and creative Sports Analyst to join our dynamic Social Media team. As a Sports Analyst for Social Media, you will play a crucial role in shaping the team’s online presence, engaging with fans, and providing in-depth analysis of game performances, player statistics, and fan interactions.

Thanks for reading - see you soon!