Boston Cannons Discuss The Thrill Of The PLL Championship Series

2024 marks the return of the Boston Cannons in the Premier Lacrosse League. With the Super Bowl now behind us, it's a great time to jump right into the next sport. That's exactly what will happen this week with the Boston Cannons competing in the PLL Championship Series.

The action starts on Valentine's Day, live from Washington D.C. In fact, the Cannons are the first game of the tournament. They face off against the California Redwoods at 5:30 pm ET.

While the Winter Championship Series is certainly a big event, this year it's even bigger, given it is the first action each team will have under the new home cities PLL platform. For Boston, the Cannons have a deep history. They were one of the original six teams of Major League Lacrosse. Then, in 2020, they became the eighth team in the PLL. The only difference is that they were branded simply as the Cannons. Not until this year did the PLL assign teams to a city.

So, in short, the Boston Cannons are back. We had the chance to link up with the team's coach.

What are you most looking forward to with the Championship series?

BH: I'm really looking forward to being back with a lot of our boys in a format that's new to some of us. We are excited to learn and embrace the challenge ahead, and to be with Brodie Merrill, a Cannons legend. He's already a world champion coach in this Olympic Sixes format with Team Canada.

Can you share your thoughts on what it means to have the Cannons returning to Boston?

BH: We are all so excited to call Boston our home. The Cannons have a great history and tradition in Boston, winning two pro championships and establishing a home-field advantage at Harvard Coliseum. One of our goals as an organization is to really establish ourselves in the community and bring the best fans in the league another championship back to Boston.

One of the coolest things is that you get to coach your son, with Marcus Holman on the team. How exciting is that for you?

BH: Coaching Marcus is such a blessing. We both are truly grateful to be able to do this, and we never take one day of it for granted.

"The top four teams from the regular season (California Redwoods, Boston Cannons, Philadelphia Waterdogs, Utah Archers) will compete in the round-robin, six-on-six tournament inspired by the Lacrosse Sixes game format recently added to the Los Angeles Olympic in 2028," the PLL states.

The Championship Series will be available on ESPN networks. Furthermore, each of the nine games can be streamed on ESPN+. You can find the entire Boston Cannons PLL Championship Series schedule here.

Super Bowl LVIII is in the books, so let's look back at one of the biggest draws to the Big Game: The commercials.

In 2024, the Super Bowl commercials offered a wide variety for the millions of viewers who tuned in. Many major films released trailers, including Wicked, Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine.

As expected, plenty of food/drink/snack brands bought ads during the Super Bowl. Many of them brought the funny, like Dunkin' and Reese's. Others offered fun pop culture moments, like Nerds, M&Ms, and e.l.f cosmetics.

Speaking of pop culture, celebrities were everywhere in the 2024 Super Bowl commercials. There was truly someone for everyone. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin showed up with a mullet in an ad for Kawaski. Meanwhile, Christopher Walken was confronted with hilarious impressions in an ad for BMW. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunited for State Farm, and FanDuel honored the late Carl Weathers. Uber Eats had a ton of star power in their ad with Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Jelly Roll, Usher and David and Victoria Beckham. However, Verizon may have had the biggest star moment with Beyoncé in their ad.

Obviously, these ads cost millions to produce, but the cost of the airtime alone was worth millions. According to The Wall Street Journal, the average cost for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial was $7 million. The cost has gone up significantly since 2010. Back then, the average cost for a 30-second spot was $2.6 million. However, the most mind-blowing price WSJ shared was the cost of an ad during the first Super Bowl in 1967. All of those years ago, when the Big Game was broadcast on NBC and CBS, a 30-second ad had a whopping price tag of $42,000.

Without further ado, here is our list of the ten best commercials that aired during Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.

When it comes to the 2024 Super Bowl commercials, you have to start with Verizon. Their surprise spot starred Beyoncé as she tried to break the internet and the Verizon network. While Bey couldn't break Verizon, she broke major news announcing her eighth studio album, Act II. The album drops on March 29, and two preview tracks -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- are now available. That's one incredible way to announce new music!

The "forget" premise of Uber Eats' Super Bowl ad was really clever. Jennifer Aniston forgetting about David Schwimmer? Jelly Roll forgetting he had a bunch of face tattoos? David and Victoria Beckham being stumped on the name of the girl group she was once in? Very funny, and tons of star power, which is what these ads are all about.

Neighbor? No, "Neighbaaa!" This State Farm ad showed that Arnold Schwarzenegger still has incredible comedic timing. Plus, his chemistry with Danny DeVito is still perfection. This ad makes us want to get to the choppa.

Whoever thought of the concept for this CeraVe ad deserves a major raise. The skincare brand bought ad time during Super Bowl LVIII, and who could blame them with such a funny ad. Michael Cera isn't the first celebrity you'd think of for such a big commercial, but he's absolutely perfect here. Of course, the dermatologists that developed CeraVe's products seem less than enthused.

One word: Wow! Christopher Walken starred in this spot from BMW, and it's proof that nearly everyone has a Walken impression. The Usher cameo was a clever added bonus. Much like the CeraVe add, whoever thought of this ad deserves a major raise.

This ad from Dunkin' was a sequel to their ad from last year's Super Bowl. Unlike most sequel, this ad did not disappoint. Ben Affleck showed up to the recording studio where wife Jennifer Lopez is working, but he's not alone. Ben has Jack Harlow, Tom Brady and Matt Damon with him. Jenny clearly looks unimpressed, and Matt is mortified. Another outstanding ad from Dunkin'!

Reese's didn't have any celebs in their 30-second spot, but they made up for it in sheer weirdness. The physical comedy was out of control. Someone jumped out of a window! An old lady launched herself through a coffee table! Also, we can't wait to try the Caramel Big Cup. It sounds delicious!

T-Mobile held auditions in their Super Bowl ad for their next "Magenta Status" spokesperson, or in the case of Bradley and Gloria Cooper, spokespeople. Not to be outdone, Suits stars Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht also submitted an audition. Other celebs vying for the T-Mobile gig were Jennifer Hudson, Common and Laura Dern. Not to be outdone, Zach Braff and Donald Faison appeared at the end of the spot a little miffed about even having to audtion since they appeared in T-Mobile's Super Bowl ad last year.

Speaking of Suits, Rick Hoffman and Gina Torres star in this ad along with Judge Judy for e.l.f. Cosmetics. Referring to the iconic television personality as "Judge Beauty" was quite clever. Plus, it's a nice reminder that e.l.f. offers a wide range of great products at great prices. Not to mention, e.l.f. Cosmetics are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. "In e.l.f. we Trust," indeed!

A bald eagle with a mullet! A turtle with a mullet! A grizzly bear with a mullet! "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with a mullet! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!