Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin with his helmet off before playing the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL football game, Sept. 8, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. The scenes of Hamlin's on-field collapse after suffering cardiac arrest on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, has forced some fans to yet again confront a truth they have always known but hated to think about: Football can go from exciting and joyous to dark and tragic in a flash. Now, as the Bills defensive back remains in critical condition in a Cincinnati hospital, fans are reflecting on their relationship with the sport they love. (AP Photo/John McCoy, File)
It has been a harrowing week for the friends, family, and fans of the Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin after his terrifying on-field collapse on Monday. But the footballer continues to fight his way back and is now breathing on his own.
Doctors removed Hamlin's breathing tube overnight following earlier reports of progress indicating he seemed to be neurologically sound after having to be resuscitated twice.
Since having the tube removed, Hamlin has spoken with family members and even attended a team meeting, according to a Bills tweet, via FaceTime where he told his fellow players, "Love you boys."
On Thursday, it was reported that one of his first questions after waking up was who won the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and his Buffalo Bills. While doctors had replied that he "won the game of life," the NFL made the official decision to not resume the game and ultimately canceled it.
The cancellation has some potential ramifications on the NFL playoffs. While the move won't impact either the Bills or Bengals postseason chances, the AFC Championship game will be played at a neutral site "If the participating teams played an unequal number of games and both could have been the number one seed and hosted the game had all AFC clubs played a full 17-game regular season," according to the league's statement.
Minty Bets, Sports Betting Analyst for Yahoo Sportsbook, joins Cheddar Bets to break down all of the latest trends from the first week of baseball season.
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The competition between streaming platforms is heating up as Apple TV+, HBO Max, and others acquire the rights to air live sports, oftentimes behind an exclusive paywall. While this is likely to entice some viewers, it also presents a risk that viewership will become fractured. Customers might steer away from subscription overload as content streaming options become seemingly endless. Jeff Agrest, deputy sports editor and media columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times, joins Closing Bell to discuss what it means for the live sports industry when content is put behind a paywall on streaming platforms, how it could impact viewership, impact on sports betting, potential acquisition targets, and more.
The Dallas Cowboys have joined forces with cryptocurrency platform Blockchain.com as the NFL loosens restrictions on teams making such deals. The partnership won't open the door for crypto use at AT&T stadium but will provide for some exclusive fan experiences.
Ice Cube's 3-on-3 basketball league, the Big3, is introducing decentralized team ownership to fans with the chance to own a minority stake in the 12 teams through blockchain technology, a first for professional sports. The rapper, actor, and filmmaker joined Cheddar News to talk about the new ownership model using NFTs. "This is a perfect time to offer it to fans and not just wait for fat cats to come and want to buy the teams but for fans to be able to be a part of it,” he said.
McLaren displayed its all-electric, off-roading racing vehicle, the Odyssey, in from of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, joined Cheddar News to discuss bringing the heavy-duty vehicle to a new racing series with an emphasis on sustainability — and even gender equity with a male and female team of two drivers required. "This is McLaren's first-ever Odyssey, which is an EV. Looks like an SUV — but not really much of an SUV — that we raced five times around the world in various locations where climate has impacted the world," he said.
Seth Schachner, a digital business executive and the managing director of the consultancy Strat Americas, joined Closing Bell to talk all about the mega-merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, combining to form Warner Bros. Discovery (Nasdaq: WBD), and what it means for the streaming space going forward. “I think unlike some of the other mergers that you've seen out there. I think this one has actually got a real chance to be successful and to really further the cause of streaming," he said.
Between Bells executive producer Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, and teaches Baker Machado and Hena Doba a thing or two at the same time. It's This Week In Trivia!
