🎧Sports Brief: March Madness Heats Up; The Great 8 Closes In on History; Celtics Sell for Record $6.1 Billion

March Madness tips off with a pair of bracket-busting upsets...

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) passes the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in Los Angeles, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. Eric Thayer /AP Photo

What’s cookin’, sports fans? Welcome to the final edition of the extra large and turbo-charged Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, March 21, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some rockin’ good stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s brewing in the thrilling world of sports.

March Madness tips off with a pair of bracket-busting upsets; the heat ratchets up as the tournament rolls on this weekend with a number of intriguing showdowns; and new owners pay an astronomical price to become the proud new parents of a legendary sports franchise.

Also, the chase for hockey glory screams down to the wire, and as the dust settles on NFL free agency, the quarterback carousel hinges on one final move—we’ll tell you who’s the last remaining piece in the puzzle—the last slice of pizza in the box and extra anchovies please!

We’ll smack each one of these fastballs right out of the park for you but before we begin, unfortunately this week’s edition of the Sports Brief program is gonna be our last hurrah, so thanks for being a part of our team and we hope you’ve enjoyed the game as much as we have.

The Epoch Times is launching a set of new podcasts in April that will bring you a lot closer to the Epoch Times newsroom, where you will hear insightful stories directly from our journalists.

Now, before they turn the stadium lights out, one final brief—and this one’s for the Gipper.

We start things off with March Madness, where upsets are always on the menu and day one dishes up a heaping smorgasbord of Cinderella schools dancing their way into the next round, and here’s how it’s all playing out.

March Madness Heats Up

In the first complete stunner of the tournament, a small school out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, called McNeese State shocked ACC powerhouse Clemson in the Midwest Regional. The 12th-seeded Cowboys vaulted out to a substantial lead and held the 5th-seed Tigers to just 13 points in the first half before hanging onto their hats and squeaking out the win by a single bucket.

It’s the first-ever tournament victory for McNeese State, and with veteran coach Will Wade at the helm, there’s no telling how far they can go. Next up for the Cowboys: Purdue, on Saturday, after the Boilermakers beat up on little known High Point State, for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Sports Brief Host request: Hey Sports Brief head writer, Davey Ross. Could you please play Neil Sedaka’s “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” please? Nothing? Thank you.

In the other big shocker of the day, Drake University—a tiny school out of Des Moines, Iowa—hit the boards hard and used their stifling D to shut down high-scoring Missouri in a West Regional opener.

The win comes as a complete shock to fans across the nation but not for Drake’s first-year head coach, who leapfrogged up from Division II and brought a boatload of Division II transfers along with him. With their heavy rotation, division one leading scoring defense, and grind-it-out style of play, this team is no joke and they’re gonna be an absolute handful for 3-seeded, long-ball-tossin’ Texas Tech in the next round.

We continue with more now from the Big Dance (and we don’t mean the Watusi) and this weekend, a high-stakes showdown between a pair of legendary coaches highlights a full slate of highly anticipated matchups, and here’s what’s on the docket.

Legendary Coaches Face Off for a Spot in the Sweet 16

Tomorrow afternoon, Rick Pitino returns to his old stomping ground of Providence, Rhode Island, as his St. John’s Red Storm takes on John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in an epic battle of championship coaches, with the winners waltzing on to the Sweet 16.

Sports Brief host second request: Hey, Sports Brief head writer, Davey Ross. Could you maybe plug in Ringo Starr’s 1973 hit single “You’re Sixteen”? Nothing again? Thank you.

To get there, the Red Storm overcame a slow start to blow past Omaha in round one, while the 10th-seeded Razorbacks sent disappointing Kansas packing following a hard-fought, back-and-forth slobberknocker. That’s right, I said slobberknocker … one final time.

Meanwhile, after stumbling around for the better part of the last decade, both of these former rival coaches are trying to resurrect their careers and return these long-dormant programs back to glory. With St. John’s absolutely steamrolling through the Big East and Arkansas developing a thick skin in the rugged SEC, whoever wins tomorrow’s shootout takes a ginormous step toward that goal.

Also on tap tomorrow: in the West Regional, top seed Auburn is back in action against Creighton, while Texas A&M squares off against a very formidable Michigan team.

And over in the rugged Midwest Regional, UCLA and Tennessee go toe-to-toe, while 1-seeded Houston faces a brutal second round showdown with always tough Gonzaga, who are playing for a 10th consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16.

Sports Brief Host request: Hey, Sports Brief head writer Davey Ross … oh, never mind, if I make another “Sweet 16” song request, you’re not gonna play it anyway. Now, back to the program.

We stick with hoops now and perhaps there’s no more famous hardwood than the parquet floor which adorned the old Boston Garden, and it just inspired one lifelong fan to pay the highest price in history for the legendary team that played there. More now on a whale of a story.

Celtics Sell for Record $6.1 Billion

A group led by a businessman and investor named William Chisolm has just agreed to pay an astounding $6.1 billion to become the new majority owner of last year’s NBA champion Boston Celtics, who’ve won 18 league titles and are one of the league’s premier franchises. They’re like the McDonald’s of basketball! It’s amazing!

By the way, that’s the highest price ever paid for an American sports team, topping the just over $6 billion total paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023. It also blows the highest previous price shelled out for an NBA team—$4 billion for the Phoenix Suns—right out of the water.

In case you’re wondering, the current ownership group bought the team back in 2002 for a paltry $360 million and they’re gonna hafta settle for a meager $5 billion plus profit from the sale, as soon as it’s approved by the NBA’s board of governors. That vote is scheduled to be held this summer.

Meanwhile, for Chisholm, it’s a dream come true. He’s a kid from Massachusetts, he’s been a die-hard Celtics fan his entire life, and from now on, he can sit anywhere he wants to watch the big game.

Sports Brief Host Commentary: I can also sit anywhere I want and watch the big game. Turns out, I like my 1985 La-Z-Boy rocker recliner which no longer rocks or reclines, but it’s mildly less expensive than sitting courtside. Back to the program.

We skate along now to the ice and the number of the day is “8,” as in the “Gr8” 8 and his chase for hockey immortality. More now from the blue line to the crease.

The Great 8 Closes In on History

Alex Ovechkin hit the back of the net in the first period of last night’s Washington Capitals 3–2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers to bag goal number 888, and “The Great 8” now sits just seven scores away from shattering Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring mark in the NHL.

With just 13 games left to go in the regular season, this race is headin’ straight down to the wire. And as we all know, 13 is a lucky number—what could possibly go wrong?

With the win, the Caps become the first team in the league to cross the 100-point barrier this season and clinch a playoff berth. Combined with their very strong recent play, they’re speed-skating their way toward a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup.

Meanwhile, their 39-year-old Russian-born leader continues to cobble together a season for the ages. Despite missing a boatload of games with a broken leg, Ovi’s already tied for fourth in the league with 35 goals on the year, and you can be certain he’s gonna be aiming to up that tally every time the puck touches his stick.

As the season winds down, hockey fans everywhere are gonna be perched on the edge of their seats to see if Ovi can pull off his amazing feat before the playoffs begin in just under a month. It’s a good bet that red-white-and-blue confetti’s gonna pour from the rafters and we’re gonna hear everybody chanting “Ovi” a gazillion times as he closes in on a once-unthinkable prize.

Sports Brief Host query: Hey, Davey Ross, what does he get if he wins? What’s the unthinkable prize? Is it a 3D trading card like you used to get at the bottom of a box of Frosted Flakes? A three-hour tour on the SS Minnow? A brand new 8-track player from Radio Shack? C’mon Davey, spill the beans.

Finally today, with NFL free agency in the rearview mirror and the draft right around the corner, a top contender settles in on an unexpected starter, while a pair of veteran quarterbacks wait for the phone to ring. The latest now from the best sport on the planet. No, not curling—the other best sport.

Rodgers Still Unsigned as QB Carousel Grinds to a Halt

Four-time league MVP and one-time Super Bowl winner Aaron Rodgers is still looking for a new home as the 14-win Minnesota Vikings are apparently rolling the dice on second-year QB J.J. McCarthy, who’s never taken a single snap in an NFL regular season game.

With last year’s starter Sam Darnold chugging coffee in Seattle (venti mocha espresso latte with caramel, peppermint, whipped cream, and a twisty straw), the Vikings are now banking on McCarthy to knock the rust off in a big way after sitting out his rookie year with a knee injury. To help him out, they’ve just bulked up the interior of their offensive line in free agency, and earlier this week, they added a potential number three wideout to the mix in Rondale Moore.

Meanwhile, as the sun sets on his career, Rodgers now pivots toward the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are one of the only teams left without a starter after letting last season’s number one QB Russell Wilson take a hike in free agency.

For his part, Wilson is still out there as well, lost in the shuffle, with the hapless New York Giants the only remaining team likely in the market.

With this year’s draft short on top-notch prospects and a number of journeymen backups waiting in the wings—including Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, and Joe Flacco—there’s sure to be plenty more action before training camps kick off this summer. Hot summer nights, barbecues, and good times.

It’s time for us to wrap things up here at the Sports Brief, but before we head out to indulge in our very own March Madness, a tip of the cap to the L.A. Dodgers, who earlier this week opened the Major League Baseball season by sweeping a two-game series against the Cubs at the jam-packed Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Shohei Ohtani smacked his first homer of the year, the defending World Series-champion Dodgers looked awesome as advertised, and if they weren’t before, the rest of the league is now on high alert as opening day for most of the rest of the league takes place just six days from today.

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, and all the rest.

Hey, we’re out of time now, so we’re gonna call it a wrap on this, the final edition of The Epoch Times Sports Brief.

Although it’s the end of the season for us right now, we’re still gonna be watching every game, match, and tournament from the sidelines and cheering everyone on.

If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions about the Sports Brief program, we’d love to hear from you, but only if you have kind, gushing, complimentary, platinum kudos for the multi-talented, under-fed, finely attired, well-coiffed, and generally ill-behaved first-string Sports Brief crew, and you can still find us at [email protected].

Don’t forget the Sports Brief motto: Candy is dandy, but sports don’t rot your teeth.

For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m first-ballot Hall of Famer Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times Sports Brief program has been written each week by Davey Ross.

Finally, as we do every week on this fine program, we leave you with a highly notable quote and this comes to us from Satchel Paige who said:

“Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”

Paige was a Hall of Fame pitcher who played professional baseball for decades. He’s also known for another famous quote: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”

And with that, enjoy another great weekend of sports, stay safe, play by the rules, and remember, let’s all continue to watch out for one another! Have a superb day today, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on the game. Bye for now.