Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

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🥌 1 for the road: The science behind curling

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios Like shuffleboard or bowling, curling involves throwing an object toward a target for points. But there's one big difference: Players can influence shots after they're thrown. 🧹 That's where sweeping comes in, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes. The direction a curling "rock" is turned as it's thrown determines its curl direction, while sweeping ahead of it extends its distance. Sweepers consider timing, angles, speed and pressure as they sweep, while teammates yell "straight" and "curl" to guide their moves. 🇺🇸 Olympic curling started today. Team USA's first match is tomorrow against Norway. Go deeper ... See the schedule.

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👋 Good morning! Happy NBA trade deadline day. Prepare yourself for chaos. In today's edition: College hoops' top brass, AD to the Wizards, KP to the Warriors, the Olympics are underway, investing in women's sports, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 NBA trades: The Mavericks traded Anthony Davis to the Wizards in an eight-player blockbuster. Plus: The Warriors sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks for Kristaps Porziņģis, the Thunder acquired Jared McCain from the 76ers in exchange for picks, and the Bulls sent Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Hornets. ⚾️ Tigers sign Valdez: Framber Valdez is heading to Detroit on a three-year, $115 million deal, giving the Tigers a durable lefty and two-time All-Star who compiled a 3.36 ERA across eight seasons with the Astros. The $38.3 million average annual value sets a record for left-handed pitchers. 🏒 Panarin to the Kings: The Rangers dealt Artemi Panarin to the Kings on Wednesday ahead of the NHL's Olympic roster freeze. The four-time All-Star then agreed to a two-year, $22 million extension with Los Angeles. 📰 Farewell to an institution: The Washington Post eliminated its sports department on Wednesday as part of a widespread purge that saw one-third of the paper's staff laid off. 🏒 Top prospect facing charges: Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in June's NHL Draft, has been charged with felony aggravated assault and other counts following an alleged altercation in downtown State College.

🏀 THE BIG BOYS THIS IS WHAT DOMINANCE LOOKS LIKE (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) The top brass in men's college basketball has been remarkably dominant so far this season. How dominant, you ask? Well, consider this: Three years ago, the AP Top 10 had a combined 36 losses in the first February poll. Two years ago? 40 losses. Last year? 34 losses. This year? Just 18 losses. And nine of those losses came against each other! (As fate would have it, two top-10 teams lost last night, which was just phenomenal timing for this story. Ugh. But the point still very much stands.) Top 10: Arizona (22-0) Michigan (20-1) UConn (22-1) Duke (21-1) Illinois (20-3) Gonzaga (22-2) Iowa State (20-2) Houston (20-2) Nebraska (20-2) Michigan State (19-4) Wild stat: This past Tuesday marked the third time this season that at least four D-I teams with a 19-1 record or better were in action on the same day. Prior to this season, that had happened three times this century. The big picture: There are multiple factors at play here, and we'll dive deeper into the sport's current landscape at a later date. For now, all I'll say is this: Clear your calendars in late March and early April. You're not going to want to miss this year's tournament.

💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS An all-time great photo from their March 2024 matchup. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images) 🏀 88th meeting   This Saturday's game between No. 4 Duke and No. 14 North Carolina will be the 88th meeting in which both teams are ranked. That's 47 more than any other matchup (Syracuse vs. Georgetown).   Head-to-head: The Tobacco Road rivals have split those first 87 matches almost exactly, with the Tar Heels holding the slightest of edges in wins (44-43) and points per game (77.9-77.4).   🏈 60 Super Bowls   Just four people on Earth have attended all 59 Super Bowls to date, and all four are set to extend that streak to 60 this weekend.   Who are they? Three are fans — Tom Henschel, 84, Gregory Eaton, 86 and Don Crisman, 89, of the "Never Miss a Super Bowl Club" — and one is photographer John Biever, 74, who's shot every Super Bowl. Kucherov (R) celebrates after scoring a goal during the Stadium Series. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images) 🏒 1.80 ppg   Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov has been on an absolute heater since the calendar flipped to 2026, scoring 39 points (11 G, 28 A) in just 15 games to push his season total to 90 in 50 games. If he keeps up that pace, he'd be just the 12th player in NHL history to eclipse 1.80 points per game in a season.   Who would he join? Wayne Gretzky (11x), Mario Lemieux (6x), Phil Esposito (2x), Connor McDavid (2x), Jaromir Jagr, Mike Bossy, Steve Yzerman, Bernie Nicholls, Adam Oates, Bill Cowley and Jari Kurri.   ⚾️ 31 runs   The Dominican Republic's Leones del Escogido won a 16-15 slugfest over Panama's Federales de Chiriquí on Wednesday in the Caribbean Series, breaking the tournament record for most runs scored in a single game.   Where it stands: The defending champion Leones are 3-0 entering the final day of round-robin play, after which the top four teams (out of five) will advance to tomorrow's semifinals. As it stands, the Federales are the odd man out behind two teams from Mexico (Charros de Jalisco, Tomateros de Culiacán) and one from Puerto Rico (Cangrejeros de Santurce).

📈 RISING TIDE VANDY AD: THIS IS THE MOMENT TO INVEST IN WOMEN'S SPORTS Vanderbilt AD Candice Storey Lee applauds during a recent women's basketball game. (George Walker IV/AP Photo) This is a guest post from Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee, published on National Women and Girls in Sports Day. From Candice Storey Lee: Long before women were formally recognized, funded or celebrated by their institutions, they were already competing — playing, organizing and building teams with little more than determination and belief. The absence of institutional support never erased their talent or ambition. It only delayed acknowledgment of what was already true. That history matters because it reminds us of a persistent pattern: opportunity often exists before institutions are willing to name it, fund it or lead it. And progress depends on leaders who are willing to close that gap — not with symbolic gestures, but with sustained investment. Today, on National Women and Girls in Sports Day, we are at one of those moments. Women's sports are experiencing unprecedented visibility, competitive excellence and fan engagement. Yet the infrastructure that supports them — scholarships, facilities, staffing and long-term resources — too often lags the reality on the field and court. If we believe in excellence, we must be willing to invest accordingly. Candice Storey Lee hugs Commodores basketball star Mikayla Blakes. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) A recent report by McKinsey found that between 2022 and 2024, revenue from women's sports grew 4.5 times faster than men's. And yet, even with that growth, revenues generated by women's sports represent less than 2 percent of the total U.S. sports market. "The next frontier of growth for women's sports," the report concluded, "will be closing this monetization gap and realizing women's sports' full potential as a high-revenue market." But supporting girls and women in their athletic endeavors goes well beyond the idea of increasing revenues — and it aligns with what we know sports can do for any young person. It's also about developing leaders who will help build a better society. Whether a girl or young woman plays competitively in high school or college, goes on to the Olympics or simply plays at the recreational level for the pure enjoyment of the game, sports can teach us so much. It's no surprise that studies consistently show that more than 90 percent of women in C-suite positions have a background in playing sports. Studies also show that 85 percent of women who played sports attribute their career success to the skills learned through athletic participation. Count me among them.

🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS Canada's Brett Gallant sweeps the stone during Wednesday's match. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) 🇮🇹 Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — The Milan Cortina Olympics kicked off on Wednesday, with Canada, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland all winning their openers in mixed doubles curling. And while you were sleeping, Team USA won its opener, too. Working out the kinks: The pre-Opening Ceremony event felt a bit like a dress rehearsal when the power went out just five minutes into the competition, causing a brief delay. Here's hoping similar issues don't befall the hockey arena, which remains under construction. Freshman Joel Foxwell, who scored a game-high 27 points, is swarmed by teammates after the win. (Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Portland, Oregon — Portland stunned No. 6 Gonzaga, 87-80, on Wednesday to snap the Bulldogs' 15-game winning streak and notch one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Pilots, 21.5-point underdogs, had never beaten a top-10 team in the 73-year history of their program. Historic night: Unranked Minnesota also upset No. 10 Michigan State, 76-73, marking the first time in 36 years that two teams with losing records beat top-10 ranked opponents on the same day. Omar Marmoush celebrates his first goal. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester, England — Manchester City beat Newcastle United, 5-1 on aggregate, to advance to their first EFL Cup final since winning four straight titles from 2018-21. What's next: City will face Arsenal in the final on March 22 at London's Wembley Stadium in a clash of the top two teams in the Premier League standings. Marc Leishman plays a shot on the eighth hole. (Francois Nel/Getty Images) 🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — The fifth LIV Golf season opened at Riyadh Golf Club, where all 72 holes (up from 54 in previous seasons) will be played under the lights. Meanwhile, in Arizona: The PGA Tour's Phoenix Open held its Pro-Am on Wednesday, and Travis Kelce came a few feet from acing the par-3 16th in front of a raucous stadium crowd.

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, FEB. 5 Team USA poses for a picture on Wednesday. (USA Hockey) 🏒 Women's Olympic Hockey   The 10-team tournament begins today, headlined by two-time gold medalist USA vs. Czechia (10:40am ET, USA) and five-time gold medalist Canada vs. Finland (3:10pm, Peacock).   More Olympics: The USA's mixed doubles curling team takes the ice against Switzerland (8:30am, USA) and Norway (re-airing at 5pm, CNBC), while qualifiers get underway for men's snowboard big air (1:30pm, USA).   ⛳️ Phoenix Open   The loudest weekend in golf has arrived (9:20am, ESPN+; 3:30pm, Golf), as TPC Scottsdale and its famed "Party Hole" host a field of 123 golfers, led by two-time champion Scottie Scheffler.   Betting favorite: Calling Scottie the favorite does a disservice to the word. He's +240 to win at BetMGM. The next-best odds? Xander Schauffele, at +2000!   In the Phoenix area? Use Gametime to grab tickets for today's opening round at TPC Scottsdale for as little as $88.   More to watch: 🏀 NCAAW: No. 17 Duke at No. 6 Louisville (7pm, ESPN); No. 5 LSU at No. 4 Texas (9pm, ESPN) … The Tigers handed the Longhorns their first loss of the season last month. 🏀 NBA: Bulls at Raptors (7:30pm, Prime); Warriors at Suns (10pm, Prime) … All four teams are in playoff (or play-in) position entering deadline day. ⛳️ LIV Golf: Riyadh (10am, FS1) … Thomas Detry and Peter Uihlein (-7) lead after Round 1. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.

🏈 DYNAMIC DUOS SUPER BOWL TRIVIA Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald on the sidelines. (Harry How/Getty Images) The Seahawks are one of two franchises this century to send three different QB-head coach combinations to the Super Bowl, with Sam Darnold & Mike Macdonald joining Russell Wilson & Pete Carroll (2014-15) and Matt Hasselbeck & Mike Holmgren (2006). Question: Can you name the other franchise, and their three QB-HC combos? Hint: Two Nicks. Answer at the bottom.

🏀 DEAL OR NO DEAL? DEADLINE DAY (Giphy) The NBA trade deadline is today at 3pm ET, and plenty of high-profile names could still be moved.

Trivia answer: Eagles (Donovan McNabb & Andy Reid, Nick Foles & Doug Pederson, Jalen Hurts & Nick Sirianni)

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🏈 1 food thing: Super Bowl's outrageous eats

From left: The Gilroy garlic steak frites, Dungeness crab "potachos," super-hot Chinatown dawg and Silicon Valley grande nachos. Photos: Nadia Lopez/Axios Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara will be serving a menu that reads like a love letter to the Bay Area this Super Bowl Sunday, Axios San Francisco's Nadia Lopez writes. 🦀 Fans can expect classic concession fare with regional twists — from Gilroy steak frites ($35), an homage to the self-proclaimed "Garlic Capital of the World," and Dungeness crab "potachos" ($40), potato chips topped with heaps of crab and white cheddar cream. The $180 head-turner in question. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios 🍔 Other notables include the super-hot Chinatown-style "dawg" and an over-the-top $180 LX Burger. If the size alone doesn't give you pause, the protruding bone — big enough to wield like a weapon — probably will. From left: The "Pier 39" paloma, "Chinatown fortune cookie" martini, "Karl the Fog" spritz and "halftime show" margarita. Photos: Nadia Lopez/Axios 🍹 Best sips: Nine original cocktails — $17–$20 each — riff on classics inspired by local landmarks, the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and Bad Bunny's halftime show. 🍉 A spicy watermelon margarita is influenced by Bad Bunny's Latino roots, and a "Pier 39" paloma and "Golden Gate" mule made with whiskey, ginger beer and passionfruit honor San Francisco. 🥠 The decadent "Chinatown fortune cookie martini" is a riff on the espresso martini. ps:There's going to be a lot of sick people for sure!!

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🤑 1 for the road: Soaring ticket prices

Data: Gametime. (2015 ticket prices are adjusted for inflation.) Chart: Axios Visuals Sports ticket prices skyrocketed over the last decade across the country's hottest leagues, Axios' Travis Meier reports from new Gametime data. 🏈 Average NFL ticket prices on the ticketing platform nearly tripled from 2015 to 2025, after adjusting for inflation. College football prices are up 119%, MLB is up 111%, and the NBA is up 70%. Go deeper.

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🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! The Olympics have officially arrived, the Super Bowl is just around the corner and we're all blessed with the gift of being alive to witness it. Hell yeah. Developing story: The first controversy of the Winter Olympics involves ski jumpers allegedly injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to fly farther. Well, okay then! The World Anti-Doping Agency has vowed to investigate. In today's edition: Big year of sports ahead, Stafford wins MVP, Skubal's big day, Olympics watchlist, Super Bowl pregame reading, photo finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Deadline day: While the final day was a bit of snoozefest (including Giannis Antetokounmpo staying put), we did see a plethora of moves leading up to Thursday's NBA trade deadline. How'd your team do? ⚾️ Skubal's big day: Two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal won his arbitration hearing against the Tigers on Thursday and was awarded an arbitration-record $32 million contract for 2026 before he becomes a free agent at season's end. 🏈 NFL international: The 49ers and Rams will play in the first NFL game in Australia (Melbourne) next season, while the Cowboys will head to Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) for their first international game in 12 years. ⚽️ Minnesota lands big name: Global superstar James Rodríguez, captain of the Colombian National Team, is nearing an agreement to join MLS' Minnesota United. ⚾️ Padres for sale? The Padres are moving closer to the franchise going up for sale, with opening bids expected to be submitted by the end of February, per The Athletic. One of the people interested in bidding? Warriors owner Joe Lacob.

📆 BUCKLE UP 2026: A SPORTS YEAR LIKE NO OTHER (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The 2026 sports calendar is bursting at the seams all year, but nothing quite compares to what we're about to experience these next couple months. Get ready for the best stretch of sports… ever? 66 days of ecstasy: The madness begins this weekend with NBC's overlapping coverage of the Olympics and the Super Bowl, kicking off a 66-day fever dream that features well over a dozen major sporting events passing the torch between one another without coming up for air. 🥇 Feb. 6-22: Milan Cortina Olympics 🏈 Feb. 8: Super Bowl LX 🏀 Feb. 15: NBA All-Star Game 🏁 Feb. 15: Daytona 500 ⚽️ Feb. 21: MLS Season Opener 🎾 March 1-15: Indian Wells ⚾️ March 5-17: World Baseball Classic 🥇 March 6-15: Paralympics 🏎️ March 7: F1 Season Opener ⛳️ March 12-15: The Players 🏀 March 19-22: March Madness Opening Weekend ⚾️ March 25-26: MLB Opening Day 🏀 April 3-6: Final Four ⚽️ April 7-8: Champions League Quarterfinals ⛳️ April 9-12: The Masters Plus: We've also got the Six Nations Rugby Championship (Feb. 5-March 14), the T20 Cricket World Cup (Feb. 7-March 18), the World Athletics Indoor Championships (March 20-22), the Women's Champions League quarterfinals (March 23-25) and more over the next couple months. Looking ahead: The rest of the year has all the usual suspects, including the NBA and NHL playoffs, tennis and golf majors, and of course football in the fall. But are we forgetting something? Oh, that's right — the United States is co-hosting the biggest World Cup in history this summer. The 2026 World Cup, the first on U.S. soil since 1994, joins the Olympics and World Baseball Classic as major non-annual events that make this year in sports particularly special. In fact, it's the first time since 2006's inaugural World Baseball Classic that all three of those events are being held in the same year. The result is a jam-packed slate — week after week, month after month — full of the annual offerings we all know and love, mixed in with marquee events that only come around so often. I mean, think about this: On the second weekend of June, the USMNT's World Cup opener coincides with the Stanley Cup Final, the NBA Finals, the College World Series and a UFC Fight Night on the White House Lawn. The very next weekend, you'll potentially be watching the USMNT's second World Cup match, Game 7 of the NBA Finals and the second round of the U.S. Open… all on the same day. Bottom line: The sports calendar typically follows a reliable rhythm of peaks and valleys, giving fans time to catch their breath. Not this year. 2026 is all about nonstop momentum, and the fun starts today with the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony (2pm ET, NBC).

🏈 ANNUAL AWARDS NFL HONORS: STAFFORD WINS MVP (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Rams QB Matthew Stafford won his first NFL MVP Award on Thursday night at the annual NFL Honors show, beating out Patriots QB Drake Maye in one of the closest races ever. The final tally: Stafford had 366 points and 24 first-place votes. Maye was right behind with 361 points and 23 first-place votes. Others receiving first-place votes: Josh Allen (2) and Justin Herbert* (1). It's the closest MVP vote since 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners of the award. Stafford joins Y.A. Tittle (1963) and Rich Gannon (2002) as the oldest first-time MVPs, all at age 37. Coming back for more: Stafford committed to return for his 18th season amid retirement speculation. "I'll see you guys next year," he said. "Hopefully I'm not at this event and we're preparing for another game at SoFi," which will host next year's Super Bowl. More NFL Honors: Awards: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (OPOY); Myles Garrett, Browns (DPOY); Mike Vrabel, Patriots (Coach); Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (Comeback Player); Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers (OROY); Carson Schwesinger, Browns (DROY); Joe Thuney, Bears (Protector) Hall of Fame: Drew Brees (QB), Larry Fitzgerald (WR), Luke Kuechly (LB), Adam Vinatieri (K) and Roger Craig (RB) were announced as the five-man 2026 Hall of Fame Class. As previously reported, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft didn't make the cut this year. Man of the Year: The night concluded with Commanders LB Bobby Wagner being named the Walton Payton Man of the Year for philanthropy and community impact. He gave a wonderful speech honoring his late mother, Phenia. *A voter explains himself: "I was the Justin Herbert vote," Sam Monson posted on X. "The guy had the worst offensive line in the NFL all season and despite that he was working miracles in almost every single game. Stafford's OL became 2/5ths as bad as Herbert's for 5 minutes and he became a turnover howitzer. He embodied 'value.'"

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST: OLYMPICS EDITION Italian ballet dancer Nicoletta Manni holds the Olympic flame on Thursday in front of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images) 🇮🇹 Opening Ceremony   After getting a taste of the Winter Games over the past two days, the Milan Cortina Olympics begin in earnest today with the Opening Ceremony. If you can't catch it live (2pm ET, NBC), it will also air in primetime (8pm, NBC).   Details: The primary venue is San Siro, home of Inter and AC Milan, but the Parade of Nations will also take place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Predazzo and Livigno to represent the geographical breadth of these Games. Mary Carillo, Terry Gannon and snowboarding legend Shaun White will host, while Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli are among the musical performers.   🎿 Downhill Skiing   The eyes of the world will be on Lindsey Vonn as she takes the starting gate for Sunday's downhill medal event in Cortina (5:30am, USA) and tries skiing on a freshly torn ACL. The three-time Olympic medalist — including downhill gold in 2010 — posted a video of herself doing an intense workout on Thursday. "I'm not giving up," she wrote.   Meanwhile, for the men: Tomorrow's downhill event (5:30am, USA) represents the first medal event of these Games. Prepare for chaos at the notoriously difficult Stelvio track in Bormio, which has already seen multiple crashes during training runs.   ⛸️ Figure Skating, Team Event   The Team Event kicks off the figure skating program at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, where the eight segments of the competition — short program (men's, women's and pairs), free skate (men's, women's and pairs), rhythm dance and free dance — will run all weekend before medals are awarded on Sunday (1:30pm, USA) based on cumulative points.   Who to watch: Team USA are the reigning gold medalists, though the only returning members of that team are married couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates (ice dance). Newcomers include Ilia Malinin, 21, the only skater to ever land a quadruple axel in competition, and Alysa Liu, 20, winner of last year's world championship.   More medal events: In addition to what's listed above, there are 10 more medal events this weekend as part of a record 116 total coming in these Olympics. 🎿 Cross-Country Skiing: Women's Skiathlon (Sat. 7am, NBC); Men's Skiathlon (Sun. 6:45am, USA) … Athletes race 10km using the classic technique and 10km in freestyle. ⛸️ Speed Skating: Women's 3000m (Sat. 10am, NBC); Men's 5000m (Sun. 10am, Peacock) … 7.5 laps around the 400-meter oval for the women, 12.5 laps for the men. 🏂 Snowboarding: Men's Big Air Final (Sat. 1:30pm, USA); Men's and Women's Parallel Giant Slalom Finals (Sun. 7am, USA) … The former is about maximizing hang time to pull off tricks, while the latter is a head-to-head race. 🎯 Biathlon: Mixed 4x6km Relay (Sun. 8am, Peacock) … Each athlete (two men and two women per team) completes three laps around the 2km track. 🛷 Luge: Men's Singles Final (Sun. 12:30pm, USA) … Racers reach speeds up to 90 mph while riding on their backs. ⛷️ Ski Jumping: Women's Normal Hill (Sat. 11:45am, Peacock) … Athletes fly roughly 105 meters on this smaller hill compared to 140 meters on the larger hill. Plus: Mixed Doubles Curling and Women's Hockey continue their preliminaries, with the U.S. women's hockey team scheduled to face Finland on Saturday (10:40am, USA), as long as the Finnish team has recovered from its norovirus outbreak by then.

🏈 THE BIG GAME SUPER BOWL: PREGAME READING (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Nate Tice: Super Bowl prop bets that could also play a huge role in crowning a champion The Super Bowl encourages coaching staffs to empty the clip with staple concepts, gadget plays and tendency breakers. Through my film and data study, I wanted to share some of my favorite wagers and how the game plans of the Patriots and Seahawks can lead to a potential payday. Or at least some personal entertainment. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) Jori Epstein: To understand Sam Darnold's rise, first understand his fall Darnold is set to become the third QB in NFL history to start a Super Bowl after playing for five-plus teams in his NFL career, and the second to start in a season opener for four-plus teams then later start in a Super Bowl. By Wednesday, Seahawks players and coaches were preaching about his resilience in their sleep, understanding the disbelief surrounding one of the unlikeliest NFL paths in recent years. (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) Frank Schwab: How did the Patriots rebuild so fast? Bill Belichick did many great things for the New England Patriots. But when they parted ways, he left the roster in shambles. That's a big reason why they went 4-13 in 2023 (Belichick's last season) and also in 2024 (Jerod Mayo's first). Then they hired Mike Vrabel and showed everyone that you can turn a bad roster into an AFC champion with one aggressive offseason. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) Charles Robinson: Did Bad Bunny's 'ICE out' Grammy message tease his halftime show? The NFL will find out when we do From the moment of Bad Bunny's appointment, Roger Goodell and the league's owners were stepping into a dispute with a segment of their own fan base. It would instantly be a political lightning rod in a country that has a mountain full of them. The reality is that the NFL doesn't really know for sure what is going to happen on Sunday. Nor do we as an audience.

🇺🇸 TEAM USA OLYMPICS TRIVIA (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) Question: Team USA has medaled in every Winter Olympics sport except for one. Which of the following is that sport? (A) Luge (B) Biathlon (C) Nordic Combined (D) Curling Answer at the bottom.

📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Al Bello/Getty Images) Sliding into the weekend like…

Trivia answer: Biathlon

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🏈 Concussionwatch

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Athletic trainers in video playback booths will spot concussions and other injuries during tonight's game, Axios San Francisco's Shawna Chen reports from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, home of Super Bowl LX. The infamous "blue tent" comes into play when a blow to the head or neck results in injury behavior, such as shaking the head repeatedly, stumbling or looking dazed. Affected players are herded into the tent for evaluation by a team doctor and independent neurotrauma consultant. If they can't agree, they tend to err on the side of caution and consider players concussed. ⛑️ If you see a player going into the tent with someone wearing a red hat, that's a concussion evaluation "100% of the time," says NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills. Hackers eye Super Bowl.

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1 Super thing: 60 big games

Don Crisman (left) holds a Super Bowl LX football presented to him and his friends Gregory Eaton (center) and Tom Henschel by Wilson Sporting Goods at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco on Friday. Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP Three octogenarians are the only fans left in the exclusive "never missed a Super Bowl" club: Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel of Florida are in Santa Clara, Calif., for the big game's 60th kickoff. But two are grappling with the fact that advancing years and decreasing mobility mean this is probably the last time, AP reports. "This will definitely be the final one," said Crisman, a Patriots fan since the franchise started in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. "We made it to 60." Keep reading.

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Seahawks Soar

The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX last night, beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in a smothering defensive performance. The victory marks the second championship in franchise history and avenges a title game loss to the Patriots in 2015.     The title caps a yearslong redemption arc for quarterback Sam Darnold, once considered a potential draft bust. Taken third overall in 2018 by the New York Jets, he spent time in Carolina, San Francisco, and Minnesota before joining the Seahawks this season. Darnold threw for 202 yards and one touchdown, while kicker Jason Myers set a Super Bowl record with five field goals. Running back Kenneth Walker III picked up MVP honors after notching more than 160 total yards.  Darnold had significant help on the other side of the ball, with the regular season’s top-ranked scoring defense holding New England to 331 yards, while sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times and forcing three turnovers. See celebration photos here.  Skipped the on-the-field action? Watch the best (and worst) commercials.

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🏈 Silicon Valley Super Bowl

Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold celebrates last night in Santa Clara, Calif. Photo: Matt Slocum/AP The Seattle Seahawks and their "Dark Side" defense — the best in the NFL — swamped the New England Patriots, 29-13, in Super Bowl LX (60) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Defense and special teams dominated the game, which didn't see a touchdown until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks' Kenneth Walker became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP in 28 years. 🗞️ The front page of The Boston Globe: "FROM MAGIC TO MISERY ... STUFFED AND STIFLED: A surprise season ended with a thud as Seattle's elite defense flattened the Patriots ... an old-fashioned Super Bowl beatdown." Even the weather forecast is headlined: "A bitter end." ESPN game recap ... Highlights ... Best defensive plays. Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP Bad Bunny crowd-surfs during the halftime show, performed almost entirely in Spanish. The 13-minute show featured Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and a real wedding. (YouTube) Via Truth Social Photo: Turning Point USA Kid Rock headlined Turning Point USA's rival "All American Halftime Show," which drew as many as 6.1 million concurrent YouTube viewers. Image: Dunkin' 📺 Nostalgic ads amid AI: Dunkin' ran an ad spoofing 1997's "Good Will Hunting," featuring Ben Affleck, Tom Brady and a host of '90s sitcom stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander and Alfonso Ribeiro. Watch "Good Will Dunkin'." Pokémon, which debuted in 1996, ran a spot celebrating its 30th anniversary. Watch it here. Ranking the ads: 1 (Squarespace) through 59 (Hims & Hers). NYT gift link.

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Super Bowl

Celebrations are underway in Seattle, Washington, after the Seahawks secured a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. It's the second Super Bowl title for Seattle, which last won 12 years ago. Sunday's game was dominated by the Seahawks' outstanding defense, giving New England quarterback Drake Maye barely any time to breathe in the pocket. At halftime, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny delivered an energetic performance featuring his biggest hits, powerful imagery and theatrical nods to songs and symbols from throughout his Spanish-language catalog. Several huge stars, including Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, made appearances.   Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on winning the Superbowl!!

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👋 Good morning! And just like that, the sun has set on the 106th NFL season. The countdown to September 10th has officially begun. Looking ahead: The Super Bowl and Valentine's Day fall on the same day next year (Feb. 14). Should be an interesting stress test for America's relationships. In today's edition: Seahawks reign supreme, Gotterup wins Phoenix Open, Vonn crashes, Team USA figure skating takes gold, Olympics Watchlist, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⛳️ Gotterup wins again: Rising star Chris Gotterup beat Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff to win the Phoenix Open, capturing his second victory of the year after also taking last month's season-opening Sony Open. The 26-year-old, who began last year ranked 191st, is up to No. 5. 🏀 Top teams fall: No. 14 UNC stormed back to beat No. 4 Duke, 71-68, at the buzzer to hand the Blue Devils just their second loss; No. 22 St. John's upset No. 3 UConn, 81-72, to end the Huskies' 18-game win streak; No. 10 Michigan State beat No. 5 Illinois, 85-82 (OT), behind a huge game from sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. (26 pts, 15 ast). 🏈 Canton makes change: In light of the Bill Belichick controversy, the Pro Football Hall of Fame vote will return to being an in-person discussion among the 50-member committee. Since the pandemic, voting has been virtual. 🏀 Who ya got? Damian Lillard (ruptured Achilles) isn't expected to play this season, but the Trail Blazers star will still compete in the All-Star 3-Point Contest alongside Devin Booker (Suns), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Bobby Portis Jr. (Bucks) and Norman Powell (Heat). 🏈 NDSU to MWC: FCS powerhouse North Dakota State will shell out $17 million to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member starting this coming season. The Bison have won 10 of the past 15 FCS national championships.

The NBA's biggest stars take the floor in Los Angeles for a first‑ever USA vs. World NBA All‑Star event. Watch live this Sunday at 5pm ET on NBC, or stream on Peacock.

🏆 SUPER BOWL LX SEAHAWKS REIGN SUPREME (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Seahawks put the clamps on the Patriots in Super Bowl LX, holding them scoreless for three quarters en route to a 29-13 victory and the franchise's second championship. New team, same formula: The Seahawks won this Super Bowl the same way they won their first: with a suffocating defense. Back in 2014, it was the "Legion of Boom" stifling Peyton Manning and the Broncos. 12 years later, it was the "Dark Side" shutting down Drake Maye and the Pats. Two years ago, Seattle bucked the "offensive guru" trend and hired the defensive-minded Mike Macdonald to lead their team. Little did they know he'd lead them all the way to the mountaintop, while vanquishing two such gurus (Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan) along the way. Maye couldn't get anything going against the league's No. 1 defense, ending the night with three turnovers and six sacks while facing near-constant pressure. The MVP runner-up was also battling an injured throwing shoulder that required a pain-killing injection before kickoff. Recipe for success: The Seahawks are the first Super Bowl champions to go the entire postseason without committing a single turnover. That elite ball security helped them cruise most of the way, winning their three playoff games by an average margin of 18.3 points and trailing for a grand total of 1 minute, 35 seconds. Kenneth Walker III celebrates with Sam Darnold. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Player of the Game: Kenneth Walker III (27 carries, 135 yards; 2 receptions, 26 yards) became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis in 1998. The award held special meaning for the Tennessee native, who shared with reporters that this was the first game his father ever attended, due to a fear of crowds: "My dad, he comes up to Seattle all the time to watch the games, but never goes to [them] because he don't like crowds. So this was his first NFL game, and we won a Super Bowl … It means a lot to me, and I know he's proud of me for real." More standouts: Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks): Walker deserved his MVP, but you could also make a strong case for Witherspoon. The defensive back made plays all over the field, including a sack and three QB hits on well-timed blitzes. Get to know the name, if you don't already. Jason Myers (Seahawks): Seattle's longtime kicker made five field goals (Super Bowl record), had 17 points (Super Bowl record) and finished the season with 206 total points (NFL record), breaking LaDainian Tomlinson's previous mark of 198. Michael Dickson (Seahawks): 7 punts, 335 yards (47.9 average). Three were downed inside the 6-yard line. Two were returned… for four total yards. He's the highest-paid punter in football ($4.05 million per year) and he showed why on Sunday. Christian Gonzalez (Patriots): New England's Pro-Bowl cornerback was spectacular in defeat, breaking up every pass that came his way… in jaw-dropping fashion. His final line: 22 coverage snaps, 2 targets, 2 forced incompletions. What are the odds? The Seahawks are one of the unlikeliest championship teams ever when judging by preseason title odds (60-1). In fact, the only U.S. pro sports teams to overcome longer preseason odds and win a championship were the 1999 St. Louis Rams (150-1), the 1991 Minnesota Twins (80-1) and the 2003 Florida Marlins (75-1). Yes, but: This was no Cinderella story. While the Seahawks didn't garner much preseason hype, they quickly emerged as a juggernaut and were considered legitimate contenders for much of the year. In the end, Seattle won 17 of their 20 games and lost three by a combined nine points, putting them in elite company among some of the best NFL teams ever assembled. More Super Bowl 60: Darnold officially sheds the bust label Kubiak confirms he's taking Raiders job Five interesting prop bets that cashed

📸 THROUGH THE LENS SUPER BOWL SNAPSHOTS (Ishika Samant/Getty Images) Pregame: Picture perfect weather and a thrilling jet flyover — timed up beautifully to the end of Charlie Puth's rendition of the National Anthem — set the stage for Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Other performances: Green Day got things started with a medley of their hits, Brandi Carlile sang "America the Beautiful" and Coco Jones performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing." (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) Halftime: Bad Bunny's celebrity-filled performance featured an elaborate set that transformed the field into his native Puerto Rico. In addition to cameos from the likes of Pedro Pascal and Ronald Acuña Jr., as well as a real wedding that took place live on stage, Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin both joined for guest singing appearances. A message of unity: The Grammy winner's final number concluded with him holding a football that read, "Together, we are America," while the scoreboard behind him read, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love." (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) Postgame: Thousands of Seattleites poured out of their respective bars and watch parties, and swiftly migrated to Pioneer Square to celebrate late into the evening. There will be a parade on Wednesday, but why wait to party? Live on the scene: "Bad Bunny beats filled the air with jubilation … With fireworks going off and car horns blaring, a dance party formed outside the Polymarket Portal, where fans in Seattle and Boston could see each other live." (Seattle Times)

🎿 MILAN CORTINA 2026 VONN BREAKS LEG IN HARROWING CRASH The moment just before Vonn's crash. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo) Lindsey Vonn's remarkable attempt to compete in the Olympics on a torn ACL ended in devastation on Sunday when she crashed just 13 seconds into her run, losing control after her pole clipped a gate. Heartbreaking scene: The event, later won by American Breezy Johnson, was halted for more than 20 minutes as Vonn, screaming in pain, was airlifted off the mountain. She underwent surgery for a fractured left leg (the same leg that was missing an ACL) and is reportedly in stable condition. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken: It was devastating to watch, even more brutal to hear. For a nation that had become enraptured in Lindsey Vonn's comeback story, the helpless cries of pain as she lay on her back and as the mountain fell silent will be hard to erase from memory. Downhill skiing is often breathtaking. It is sometimes gruesome. And for the second time in nine days, the image of an American sports heroine being strapped to a board and lifted into a helicopter churned the stomach. But that's skiing down a mountain at 80 miles per hour. That's the risk Vonn signed up for when she decided to compete in an Olympics nine days after an ACL tear during a different competition in Switzerland. That's what happens sometimes when you go for it. And that's exactly what Vonn did. Like clockwork, there will undoubtedly be detractors who say Vonn shouldn't have tried something so dangerous, so audacious. But Vonn, 41, has lived her entire life audaciously. She also knows more about what can happen on a ski slope, for better and worse, than the rest of us put together. She understood what could happen. She deserved the chance. And now, only she can answer whether the consequences for her body were worth it. It's not our business.

🥇 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS: OLYMPICS EDITION (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) ⛸️ 50 years   Ilia Malinin pulled off the first legal Olympic figure skating backflip in 50 years on Saturday — then landed another on Sunday — to help the Americans defend their gold medal in the Team Event with a narrow victory over Japan.   Welcome back(flip): Backflips were banned from the Olympics for safety reasons after American skater Terry Kubicka became the first to pull one off in the 1976 Games. France's Surya Bonaly landed one illegally at Nagano 1998, receiving a deduction, before the ban was finally lifted in 2024.   📺 21.4 million viewers   Friday's Opening Ceremony averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, a 34% jump from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which were the least-watched Winter Games in history.   ICYMI: Some of the most memorable moments included musical performances from Mariah Carey and Andre Boceilli, a parade of colorful espresso makers in a nod to Italy's place in coffee culture, and "White Lotus" actress Sabrina Impacciatore's musical number depicting 100 years of Olympic history. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports) 🥇 13 completed events   Norway is the early leader with three gold medals (men's skiathlon, men's 5000m speed skating, women's normal hill ski jump) out of the 13 events that were completed through Sunday, while host nation Italy has an Olympics-leading nine total medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze).   History in sight: Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (skiathlon) won his sixth gold medal, putting him just two shy of matching the record. With five events left, he could leave Italy as the winningest Winter Olympian ever. Some people are just built different.   💰 $23 million   Eileen Gu, an American-born freestyle skier who competes for China, was the fourth highest-paid female athlete of 2025 with $23 million in earnings. According to Sportico, all but $20,000 of that came from endorsements.   The social media age: While sponsorships have always been crucial to the earning potential of Olympic athletes, financial success no longer hinges on whose image lands on the Wheaties box. Now most of the action happens on social media, where Gu and her 2 million Instagram followers are near the top of the "influencer" food chain.

📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, FEB. 9 Chock and Bates celebrate after their dominant performance in the Team Event on Friday. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) ⛸️ Figure Skating, Rhythm Dance   Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, skating partners since 2011 and married since 2024, kick off their Ice Dance competition today with the Rhythm Dance (1:20pm ET, USA). The duo already helped power Team USA to gold in the Team Event over the weekend.   How it works: Rhythm Dance features performances of no more than 2 minutes, 50 seconds, set to this season's theme of "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s." The second segment, Free Dance, is longer and has fewer restrictions.   🥌 Curling, Mixed Doubles Semifinals   The final four take the ice this afternoon in Cortina (12pm, USA), where Team USA will face Italy in one semifinal and Great Britain will face Sweden in the other.   Meet Team USA: Cory Thiesse (Duluth, Minnesota) and Korey Dropkin (Boston), former college classmates and curling partners since 2022, will contend for a medal after advancing to the semifinals for the first time in team history.   🏒 Women's Hockey, Prelims   Team USA continues its quest for a third gold medal in today's match against Switzerland (2:40pm, USA) after dominating their first two games against Czechia and Finland by a combined score of 10-1.   Collision course: Canada, the only other nation to win Olympic gold (five times), faces Czechia this afternoon (3:10pm, Peacock) before taking on the U.S. tomorrow in a potential preview of the gold-medal match.   🥇 Medal Events   Austrian snowboarder Anna Gasser has won both Olympic gold medals in Women's Big Air since the event debuted in 2018. Can she make it 3-for-3 in her final Winter Games? 🎿 Skiing: Men's Team Combined, Slalom (8am, USA) ⛸️ Speed Skating: Women's 1000m (11:30am, USA) ⛷️ Ski Jumping: Men's Normal Hill (12pm, Peacock) 🏂 Snowboard: Women's Big Air (1:30pm, Peacock) Daily schedule. Koa Peat and Arizona are still perfect on the season. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) More to watch: 🏀 NCAAM: No. 1 Arizona at No. 11 Kansas (9pm, ESPN) … The top-ranked Wildcats (23-0) are off to the best start in Big 12 history. 🏀 NBA: Thunder at Lakers (10pm, Peacock) … OKC is 0-2 since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) hit the injury report. 🏀 NCAAW: No. 16 Kentucky at No. 4 Texas (7:30pm, SEC); No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 7 Vanderbilt (9pm, ESPN2) … Four of the SEC's nine ranked teams. 🏒 NCAA Hockey: Boston University vs. Boston College (7:30pm, NHL) … The 73rd Beanpot Championship. ⛳️ TGL: The Bay vs. Los Angeles (7pm, ESPN2) … Luke Clanton, Neil Shipley and Min Woo Lee vs. Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city.

🏆 21ST CENTURY SUPER BOWL TRIVIA (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) The Seahawks are one of nine NFL franchises to win multiple Super Bowls since the turn of the century (2000-present). Question: Can you name the other eight? Hint: Four AFC, four NFC.

🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND 🏈 Seahawks to the house 🏀 Luke out below! 🏀 Trimble wins it! 🏀 Miracle at the buzzer! ⚽️ Liverpool's wonder strike 🏈 Denied by Gonzalez ⛳️ Gotterup for the win 🏀 Castle times it perfectly 🏀 Anthony Edwards! 🏀 Backwards alley-oop 🥌 Triple takeout ⛳️ Scottie from a mile away 🏀 Insane Wemby sequence Watch all 13.

Trivia answer: Patriots (6x) Chiefs (3x), Buccaneers, Eagles, Giants, Rams, Ravens, Steelers (2x)

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📺 1 for the road: 63 days of sports ecstasy

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios The Super Bowl and Winter Olympics are just the start of an incredible few months for sports fans. A few highlights ahead, via Yahoo Sports' Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy: 🏀 Feb. 15: NBA All-Star Game 🏁 Feb. 15: Daytona 500 ⚾️️ March 5–17: World Baseball Classic 🏎️ March 6–8: F1 Season Opener 🏀 March 19–22: March Madness Opening Weekend ⚾️️ March 25–26: MLB Opening Day 🏀 April 4 & 6: Final Four ⛳️️ April 9–12: The Masters Go deeper.