Sophie Cunningham’s cowboy hat message has fans talking, Holly Rowe’s WNBA Finals plan & Is Texas’ field gray?

‘Nightcaps’ is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news, and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.

Well, we’re here, folks. The final week of October. It’s an exciting time, right? Halloween in five days. The always enjoyable “Sports Equinox” tonight with all four major sports in action at the same time. Five if you want to count the WNBA.

That’s up to you, though.

It’s a fun time to be alive right now. That’s my point. October is the best month of the year, and this is our final push until things get really hectic. I’d urge everyone to enjoy this week.

Everything shifts gears in seven days. We’ve got an election next Tuesday. Yuck. That’ll be miserable.

More importantly (to me, at least), this is the final week until the holidays begin. And by that, I mean at midnight Saturday, everything shifts to Christmas. The commercials. The music. The department stores. It’ll happen in the blink of an eye. You’re gonna go to bed Saturday dreaming of Michael Myers, and wake up to insufferable Mariah Carey jamming her song down our throats.

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And there is NOTHING we can do to stop it. Nothing.

So enjoy this week. I surely will.

Let’s roll.

Welcome to a Monday Nightcaps — the one where Sophie Cunningham’s cowboy hat at yesterday’s F1 race fired up all the PATRIOTS across this great country.

Sophie never misses.

What else? I’ve got ESPN’s Holly Rowe with an incredible idea for the WNBA Finals, I’ve got a legit question about Texas’ field color on TV, and was Dan Campbell’s decision to go for it on fourth down yesterday as insane as everyone thinks?

I don’t think so, and Dan’s explanation after the game might sway you, too.

It’s a thinker!

OK, grab you a pumpkin for National Pumpkin Day, and settle in for a Monday ‘Cap!

Sophie popped up at F1 this weekend and didn’t skip a beat

We still haven’t gotten our pumpkins yet down here, but that’ll be coming in the next few days. We can’t just carve pumpkins and let them sit on our porch all month in Florida. They’d be rotten before breakfast on Day 3.

As for my earlier rant on the upcoming holiday season …

Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays. I love Christmas (although Christmas Eve is the better holiday). I love the whole season. I just think it starts way to soon after Halloween.

The radio stations all play Christmas music on Nov. 1. That’s insane. Every single commercial has Santa in it all of a sudden. We go from Pumpkin Spice to Peppermint Mocha at every single coffee shop in America.

There needs to be a two-week buffer, in my opinion. We wait all year for “fall,” and then we’re so quick to stuff it all back in the attic on Nov. 1 and jump right into winter.

And don’t even get me started on the disrespect towards Thanksgiving. That’s a battle I’ve been fighting for years now.

Anyway, the holiday season is always welcome here … I just think it doesn’t need to start on Nov. 1.

Now, let’s get this week started by welcoming Sophie Cunningham back to class! No need to have a two-week buffer for Sophie!

Sophie Cunningham waves teh checkered flag to end the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. (Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Get a load of this idea!

“Yee MF Haw!” What a hat. What a message to send to the libs who absolutely lost their MINDS yesterday because big, bad Sophie Cunningham waved the flag at the F1 race in Austin.

And yes, they completely lost their minds. Shocking, I know. Especially for such a level-headed group!

Yet again the US races proving that F1 is still not a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community with Sophie Cunningham waving the flag and Ted Cruz giving out trophies.

Goodness, these people are just the best. They’re the gift that “keeps on giving the whole year!”

Wait. That’s a Christmas movie quote! I just broke my own rule. Not yet! Respect Halloween.

OK, let’s get back on track and stay in the WNBA with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, who has an excellent idea for where Game 6 should be held later this week:

Dan’s roll of the dice & a Texas-sized question

Problem solving…. Hear me out. Game 6 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz? Could we pack that out ATL???? @WNBA.

I nearly spit out of my Maxwell House when I read that tweet this morning. I thought it was a fake account. I thought it was satire.

It was not.

Quick, show of hands: Who thinks a WNBA game could sell out Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which holds 72,000 people? Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?!

Come on. I know there’s a lot of debate right now about attendance and ratings for these WNBA Finals. I don’t care about either, because, frankly, I’m tired of talking about it. But if anyone here thinks a WNBA (!!!) game could sell out a 72,000 stadium, you’re probably also setting aside room in your bank accounts for the $5,000 dividend checks from Trump.

Ain’t happening.

I’m not sure the Atlanta Hawks could sell that stadium out, much less the Dream. Folks, Atlanta couldn’t fill up Truist Park last month for the Braves’ first two playoff games! And Holly thinks 72,000 people are showing up to watch the Dream?

Wild take. It’s so wild, I almost respect it.

Almost.

OK, let’s rapid-fire this Monday class into a big HALLOWEEN week. First up? You know who had the Sunday Scaries yesterday? Lions fans.

Take a look:

Dan Campbell took A LOT of heat for that decision yesterday, and I was baffled at first, too.

But I gotta say … I get it. I agree with it!

“I knew we’d get the ball back if it didn’t work out,” Campbell said after the game.

He’s right. Think about it. If Detroit punts the ball, Green Bay could very well march down the field, drain the rest of the clock, and kick a field goal to win the game. There’s a good chance the Lions never see the ball again. It happens all the time.

By going for it, you either A) get it and the drive continues, or B) don’t get it, but give them a short enough field that you’re pretty much guaranteed to get the ball back with a chance to win/tie.

Detroit’s defense is terrible. The offense is excellent. Dan rolled the dice and decided he’d rather have his offense end the game with the ball, one way or the other.

Chess, not checkers!

Finally, on the way out … I’ve been thinking about this for years now, and it really came to a head this past Saturday …

Why is the turf at Texas’ home stadium so gray for night games on TV? It’s baffled me for decades now.

So, here’s the thing … I know I dumped on the “alt-casts” last week, but I actually watched the second half of the Texas-Ole Miss game in the alternate “SkyCast” view Saturday night because a reader recommended it.

I didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it, but it wasn’t awful. I’d imagine coaches eat it up.

Anyway, the field looked pretty normal in that broadcast. It was relatively green. I didn’t notice it nearly as much as the regular broadcast.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning runs for a touchdown during an SEC football game against Ole Miss on Oct. 24, 2026, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

So, is this an ABC/ESPN camera issue? Is the field actually gray? I’m so confused. I know we have Longhorn fans in class.

Please, let me know.

And then, go have a big final week of October.

What’s the deal with Texas’ field? Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.