Weekly Gold: Super Bowl LIV and Kobe Thoughts
Welcome to Super Bowl Week. This should be a joyous week for all of us football fanatics, but the death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant weighs heavy on all of our hearts.
Remembering A Legend
For every single person in the city of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was family. He was a father, a brother, an uncle, a cousin. He was a teacher, a leader and an inspiration. We all felt like we knew him, even if we had never personally shaken his hand.
Yes, Kobe was one of the greatest basketball players ever, and the greatest Lakers of all-time. But that’s only part of his legacy. His spirit, his drive, his passion and his enthusiasm taught us life lessons and inspired us to achieve our own greatness. He taught a generation of young men and women how to be competitors, how to fail, how to overcome setbacks and how to triumph. In his retirement he was beginning to show us how to be a father as well. And that is the true tragedy of this horrific event.
For being as ruthless of a competitor as he was, Kobe took immense pleasure in trying to inspire others to be great. He once said, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do. “Not only did he inspire all of us a Champions Round, but he inspired billions of people to relentlessly chase their dreams and tap into their “Mamba Mentality”.
Kobe was far from perfect, but he was a hero to many and will be a legend forever.
After his last game, his miraculous, awe-inspiring, age-defying 60-point masterpiece, he said to Laker nation and NBA fans around the world, “Thank you guys for all the years of support, thank you guys for all the motivation, thank you for all the inspiration.”
No, thank you Kobe. Thank you for inspiring us as kids, as adults, as athletes, as students and as entrepreneurs. There will never be another Kobe Bryant. We’re sending love to all nine that perished on Sunday morning. Rest In Peace Mamba.
Who To Start
Now, an awkward transition back to football. A quick reminder that if you’re still competing for a Champions Round title, remember to drop players on the Packers and Titans. Those players, sadly, no longer hold any value. Your roster should now consist of only players on the 49ers and Chiefs.
On to some Super Bowl thoughts.
Our mantra for the entire playoffs has been that the stars come out to play in crunch time and the more stacked your roster is the better chance you have to win. So, if you can get some studs on your team, do it.
We expect the Kansas City stars to have big games against a tough 49ers defense. Patrick Mahomes is going to do Patrick Mahomes things. The expectation is that the Chiefs will try to throw their way to a win and the 49ers will try to run their way to a title. Whether that ends up being true or not remains to be seen, but it will be helpful in trying to set our Champions Round lineups.
Obviously if you have Mahomes, Kelce, Tyreek Hill or Damien Williams you’re going to start them. For the 49ers, if you have Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, George Kittle or Emmanuel Sanders you’re probably going to start them.
Outside of the “stars”, I would be interested in playing Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, 49ers receivers Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, Chiefs receivers Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman and possibly 49ers RB Tevin Coleman.
If you have Coleman on your Champions Round team, you’ll face a difficult decision this week. The SF running back left the NFC title game with an injured arm/shoulder and did not return. It is not known whether he will play in the Super Bowl or not, but the injury was relatively gruesome. If Coleman is unable to go, the 49ers will probably lean on Mostert, but 3rd string RB Matt Breida could be a nice option.
Lines & Favorite Props
Super Bowl Odds
Spread: KC -1 vs. SF
Money Line: KC -125 / SF +105
Over/Under: 54.5
Favorite Props
Damien Williams over 11.5 Rushing Attempts
Damien Williams over 3.5 receptions
Kendrick Bourne first TD +1400
Patrick Mahomes first TD +1800
Raheem Mostert over 80.5 Rushing Yards
Raheem Mostert 1st Rush Attempt over 3.5 Yards
Shortest TD under 1.5 Yards
Have any player props you love? Follow us @ChampionsRound on Twitter then let us know. We would love to hear from you.
Predictions
I’m very hopefully that we’re going to get a classic in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers are such a well coached team and Kyle Shanahan is going to have an incredible scheme cooked up for the game. San Francisco probably has more overall talent than the Chiefs. However, the Chiefs have the best player in the world and he’s going to have the ball in his hands. It’s tough to believe that he won’t find some magic on this stage.
I have the Chiefs winning 31–27 with Patrick Mahomes winning MVP.
Words From The Team
Good luck to all of you who are in contention to bring home a Champions Round title. We hope the Super Bowl results work out in your favor.
While a game and a championship feels small and insignificant right now, Kobe would want everyone to embrace their inner Mamba and show out on the biggest stage in sports. He certainly did.
We’ll leave you with this: Remember that life is short. Hug your loved ones and embrace the day with enthusiasm and passion. Be inspired and inspire others. And never ever give up chasing your dreams.
From all of us at Champions Round, thank you for being part of our family.
