OLYMPICS

With a little over 3 months until the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, 23 Chinese swimmers all tested positive for the same banned substance (TMZ). TMZ is the same substance Russian figure skater Kamala Valieva was accused of taking. Valieva was allowed to continue to compete and win medals at the Olympics in 2021, but there is still an effort to penalize her, so it will be interesting to see what consequences there will be for the Chinese swimmers.

FOOTBALL

Former University of Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh, came through on his promise to get a tattoo if his team went undefeated and won the National Title (which it did!). After getting inked, Harbaugh said, “I’m impervious to pain.”

NASCAR

The legendary NBA champion Michael Jordan co-owns the 23XI Racing team which competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team’s #45 Toyota Camry XSE driven by Tyler Reddick won the GEICO 500 at Talledega Superspeedway. Previously, Jordan had been told to stay away from races because he was bad luck, but on Sunday he was there in person to celebrate the big win.

OLYMPICS

Paris Olympic officials and the International Olympic Committee announced Break dancing, known as “breaking“, will be part of the Olympic competition.

In other International sports news, famed swimmer Katie Ledecky became the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at the worlds, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps in this legendary accomplishment.

FORMULA ONE

Max Verstappen won his EIGHTH consecutive race at the Belgian Grand Prix. It’s his 10th win of the season, cementing his legendary status.

BASEBALL

Tuesday is Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, but the biggest headline over the weekend was the NY Mets trading three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers for Luisangel Acuna.

FOOTBALL

The Walton-Penner family has reached a deal with the Denver Broncos to purchase the team for $4.65 billion-the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise.

SKATING

The International Skating Union voted to raise the minimum age for competing from 15-17 years old. The issue came to a head when Russian figure skater Kamala Valieva (who tested positive for a banned substance at the Winter Olympics) caused a debate on how best to protect young athletes. The new rule will go into affect at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

BASKETBALL

Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics is Wednesday night at 9:00 pm ET. The Series is tied 1 game a piece.

BASKETBALL

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TENNIS

Novak Djokovic told the BBC he would rather miss tennis tournaments than have to get vaccinated because “bodily autonomy is more important than any title”.

FOOTBALL

Michelle Tafoya is leaving her job as a sports reporter to co-chair the political campaign for Army veteran Kendall Qualls.

Super Bowl ratings rebounded after last year’s 10-year low. An estimated 112.3 million viewers tuned in (a 14% increase over last year).

The University of Michigan extended head coach Jim Harbaugh’s contract through 2026.

OLYMPICS

Canada took home the Gold medal in women’s hockey handing the Americans the Silver.

BASKETBALL

DeMar DeRozan made history by becoming the first NBA player to score 35 or more points while shooting 50% or better in seven straight games.

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FOOTBALL

Super Bowl 56  is finally here. Tune in on. Sunday 6:30 pm ET to watch the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams battle it out at SoFi stadium in L.A. Never having won a championship, the Bengals are considered underdogs, but they have offensive weapons in quarterback Joe Burrow, receivers Cooper Kupp (Offensive Player of the Year), and Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams offensive weapons include QB Matthew Stafford and receivers Ja’Marr Chase (Offensive Rookie of the Year), Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.

In other NFL news, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers received the AP Most Valuable Player of the Year Award (his fourth overall and second in a row), Rams Cooper Kupp named Offensive Player of the Year, Steelers T.J.Watt named Defensive Player of the Year, and Bengals QB Joe Burrow the Comeback Player of the Year. For more awards, click here.

BASKETBALL

It’s official, the Brooklyn Nets are sending James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for the Sixers Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks. Simmons has been complaining of mental health issues and hasn’t played all season, so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the Nets.

OLYMPICS

American Nathan Chen won the Gold in skating with a must-see program where he showed off his skills to a compilation of music from Elton John. Sir Elton even tweeted his congrats to Chen for winning gold and skating to “Rocket Man”.

In other Olympic highlights, the most celebrated snowboarder in history, Shaun White, ended his legendary career with a fourth-place finish in the halfpipe. Speaking to the media about his career, White said, “It’s been the Love of my life”.

FOOTBALL

The last two head coaching positions have been filled. The New Orleans Saints hired their defensive coordinator for the last six years, Dennis Allen. Prior to the Saints, Allen worked as a head coach from 2012-2014 for the Raiders. Finally, the Houston Texans hired Lovie Smith.

In other NFL news, the Saints running back Alvin Kamara is under investigation for beating up a man outside an elevator at the Cromwell Casino in Las Vegas after the Pro Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray scrubbed his social media of Arizona associations in anticipation of his upcoming negotiations with the team now that he’s in the final year of his rookie contract.

SOCCER

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first person to amass 400 million followers on Instagram

OLYMPICS

Lindsey Jacobellis won gold in the snowboardcross competition, giving Team USA its first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

FOOTBALL

“The Cart” is making its way to the Super Bowl and even has its own social media release leading up to the trip. “The Cart” is exactly what you think…a three-tiered contraption that was wheeled out for outdoor media conferences during COVID and went viral.

The Miami Dolphins hired former San Francisco 49ers’ Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel as their new Head Coach.

OLYMPICS

Friday’s Opening Ceremony drew only 16 million, down 43% from 4 years ago. The athletes are complaining about the bitter cold and the inedible food at the quarantine hotels.

In other Olympic news, Russia’s 15-year-old Kamila Valiyeva is the first woman to successfully land a quad axel in an Olympic game (and she landed two).

FOOTBALL

After interviewing in Minnesota with the Vikings, Jim Harbaugh has instead announced he will return as head coach at the University of Michigan. The Vikings are expected to hire the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their new head coach but will need to wait until after the Super Bowl where the Rams play the Bengals.

In other NFL hiring news, Brian Flores (the former Miami Dolphins head coach who is now suing the NFL for racial hiring practices) is a finalist for the head coaching position with the Houston Texans.

In college football news,  247 Sports metrics reported that Texas A&M has recruited the best class in history.

OLYMPICS

The Winter Games kick off today with over 13,000 international athletes and journalists in China all contained in a “closed loop” with remote food delivery to prevent the spread of COVID. Here’s a video of the robots delivering food.