The Week by the Numbers: November 24-30, 2013
By Matt Phifer
109 Yards – Distance Auburn’s Chris Davis Returned a Missed Field Goal to Win the Iron Bowl
On Saturday, 4th-ranked Auburn knocked off their heated rival, #1 Alabama, in the Iron Bowl with one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of college football as Chris Davis returned a 57-yard field goal attempt that fell short 109 yards to give Auburn a 34-28 victory as time expired. The Auburn faithful stormed the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium as college football analysts and experts hailed the touchdown as one of the greatest moments in the history of the game. Auburn’s win insured a spot for them in the SEC Championship Game this week while dashing Alabama’s hopes of a third straight national championship.
$14.2 Million – Price Paid for one of the First Books Printed in America
One of 11 surviving copies of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in America, was sold at Sotheby’s New York for $14.2 million on Tuesday. The $14.2 million price tag is the most ever paid for a book at an auction, surpassing an $11.5 million winning bid for James Audubon’s “Birds of America” in December 2010. The book was one of 1,700 printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 and is considered one of the rarest books in the world. The Old South Church in Boston sold the book to fund building repairs and its ministry.
$48.5 Million – Value of Kobe Bryant’s Two-Year Contract Extension
On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Kobe Bryant to a two-year contract extension valued at $48.5 million. The amount of the contract was not publicly announced, but a source reported the figure to ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne. The deal will keep the 35-year-old Bryant as the highest paid player in the NBA as the 2007-08 league MVP will make $23.5 million during the 2014-15 season and $25 million in the second year of the extension.
$1 Billion – Amount of Money Spent Online on Thanksgiving, A New Record
Adobe Systems, which analyzes 180 million visits to over 1,000 U.S. retail sites, says that over $1 billion was spent online on Thanksgiving, the most ever. Internet shopping was bigger than ever this year with eBay reporting a 35% increase and Amazon.com reporting a 25% increase by noon eastern time on Black Friday. The big online numbers may be part of why the reports of store violence and overall ugliness were down this year.