Tragedy Strikes, Our Hearts Ache 💔

PLUS NBA All-Star Rosters Are Set, Nominate A Ref, Get $1000 OFF Lasik, Breaking Down Super Bowl LIX

January 31, 2025

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

  • NBA All-Star Rosters Are Set

  • Tragedy Strikes, Our Hearts Ache

  • NHL Teams Get Some Extra Spend 💰

  • Nominate A Ref, Get $1000 OFF Lasik

  • Breaking Down Super Bowl LIX

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NBA All-Star Rosters Are Set 🏀

The NBA All-Star reserves are in, and Wemby's making history!

The Spurs phenom is headed to his first All-Star game after already crushing it last year (Rookie of the Year, led the league in blocks, All-Defensive First Team). Now he's putting up even crazier numbers: 24.4 points, 10.8 boards, and almost 4 blocks per game.

Some fresh faces joining the party:

  • Alperen Şengün (Rockets)

  • Jalen Williams (Thunder)

  • Cade Cunningham (Pistons)

  • Tyler Herro (Heat)

  • Evan Mobley (Cavs)

They’re also changing the format this year. Instead of the usual East vs. West or captain picks, we're getting a three-team tournament. Shaq, Kenny, and Chuck are picking teams, plus the Rising Stars winners get to jump in and compete too, with WNBA legend Candace Parker as their GM.

Quick look at the starters we already knew about: West: LeBron, KD, Jokić, SGA, Steph East: Giannis, Tatum, KAT, Mitchell, and Brunson.

The action goes down February 16 at the Chase Center in San Fran. Some big names like Trae Young, Domantas Sabonis, and LaMelo Ball all got snubbed!

Tragedy Strikes, Our Hearts Ache 💔

Several members of the US figure skating community were killed in a midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C. The victims were returning from the National Development Camp in Wichita.

Among those lost:

  • World champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov (parents of current US skater Maxim Naumov)

  • 13-year-old rising star Jinna Han and her mother Jin

  • 16-year-old Spencer Lane and his mother Christine

This tragedy has hit the skating community particularly hard as it echoes the devastating 1961 crash that killed the entire US world championship team. The Skating Club of Boston, which lost several members, is especially impacted as they were set to host the world championships in March.

Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Tenley Albright joined others at their home rink Thursday to grieve together. As Albright, who lost many friends in the 1961 crash, said through tears: "We're family... and the skaters and people who were on that plane, they're our family too."

🏒 NHL Teams Get Some Extra Spend 💰

NHL teams are about to have some SERIOUS money to spend!

The league just dropped the salary cap numbers for the next three seasons and they're massive:

2025-26: $95.5M (up from $88M this year)
2026-27: $104M
2027-28: $113.5M

To put this in perspective - this is the biggest jump since they started the salary cap in 2005 when it was just $39M. All those new TV deals, jersey ads, and board ads are clearly paying off.

Teams will also have to spend at least:

2025-26: $70.6M
2026-27: $76.9M
2027-28: $83.9M

The numbers for '26-27 and '27-28 might get tweaked a bit, but this is huge news for teams planning their futures. And with the current CBA expiring after next season, we might see even more changes coming. NHL free agency is about to get wild! 💰🏒

Nominate A Ref, Get $1000 OFF Lasik

Hilarious marketing campaign by Lasik.com right now.

They’re offering ALL professional sports refs FREE Lasik. And if you successfully nominate a ref, you get a cool $1000 off your own procedure.

We saw some pretty suspect calls this past weekend, so this is pretty clever.

🏈 Breaking Down Super Bowl LIX

The stage is SET for an epic Super Bowl rematch.

The Chiefs are chasing history - trying to become the first three-peat champions in the Super Bowl era - but the Eagles and their revenge tour stand in their way.

Some key storylines:

  • Chiefs went 15-2 but lived dangerously (11 one-score wins)

  • Eagles have the NFL's best defense and Saquon Barkley's historic rushing season

  • Both teams have changed since Super Bowl LVII

Big matchups to watch:

  • Eagles' famous "Tush Push" vs Chiefs' D (worked twice in the last Super Bowl)

  • Barkley vs Chiefs run defense (Spags might need to stack the box)

  • Chiefs' new WR corps (Worthy, Hopkins, Brown) vs Eagles' elite secondary

  • Travis Kelce (possibly his last game?) vs Eagles' young DBs

The Eagles' biggest changes:

  • Added Saquon (on pace to break Terrell Davis' rushing record)

  • New DC Vic Fangio's defense is less sack-heavy but more complete

  • Interior O-line health is a concern (Dickerson/Jurgens banged up)

The game kicks off on February 9th in New Orleans at 6:30 ET on Fox. Chiefs opened as 1.5-point favorites, but the Eagles are looking to flip the script from their heartbreaking 38-35 loss two years ago.

As Jordan Mailata said about their recent playoff losses: "You carry those two chips on your shoulder and make sure that s--- doesn't happen again!"

Internships 🙋

1. Intern, Houston Dynamo & Dash Soccer Team - This is a paid internship program that provides a unique opportunity to gain exposure in one of our key departments: Finance, Legal, HR, Community Relations, Stadium Operations, and Ticket Sales/Sponsorship. The successful candidate will assist in daily operations, collaborate with department leads, and contribute to various projects that support the team’s long-term success.

2. 2025 Internship - Colorado 4th of July - Triple Crown Fastpitch Division is seeking a organized and detailed focused individual to assist on tasks in regard to the CO 4th of July; largest youth softball event in Colorado.

3. Sports Management Internship - Spring 2025 (In-person) - As the Sports Management Intern, you will be working directly with our talented and knowledgeable team assisting with day to day league operations, including customer service, grassroots marketing and equipment management.

4. Pittsburgh, PA - Field Manager Internship - Spring/Summer 2025 - As a Field Manager Intern, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of events at the assigned field. You will be the main representative from Perfect Game at your assigned site, responsible for confirming field readiness, ensuring the presence of umpires, and verifying the preparedness of both participating teams. Punctuality is key, and you will be entrusted to ensure all games commence on time.

5. Intern, Community Relations & Fan Development - The Community Relations/Fan Development Internship is a fan facing position. Our Interns work events where they come face to face with fans and future fans of the organization.

Job Board 💰

1. Associate Producer, Content Operations (Cleveland Browns) - The Cleveland Browns are seeking a full-time Associate Producer to assist in creating compelling photo and video content. In addition to a strong photo and video portfolio, the ideal candidate will be one that has a great pulse on photo and video editing trends, a willingness to learn, and a desire to continue to grow in the production field.

2. Graphic Designer (Texas Ranger) - The Graphic Designer will be responsible for creating, modifying, and producing brand-related graphic projects for digital, print, and social content in a fast-paced collaborative environment to represent Texas Rangers Baseball Club as an premium and elite organization.

3. PGA WORKS Fellowship - The Sun Country Golf Foundation is offering an opportunity for individuals to gain valuable insight into the administrative aspect of the golf business by hiring a candidate from a historically underrepresented group to work on its team for a twelve-month (12 months) term.

4. Sports Product Manager - We have an exciting opportunity for a candidate to join our team and help enhance our on field sports product, with a strong focus on improving our part-time staff experience. We are looking for a solutions oriented problem solver to help coach our part-time hosts and referees to success, resolve day-to-day player experience issues, and track the needs of site improvements.

5. Operations Coordinator (Houston Texans) - Assist with various operational tasks on Texans gamedays and during LSSE events, including but not limited to setup, signage, parking, security and logistical tasks.

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