Weekend Rap

The U.S. defeated Canada in “thrilling fashion” Sunday as Jack Hughes scored in OT to give the U.S. a 2-1 win and its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. The Milan Cortina Games marks the first time in Olympic history that the U.S. has won gold in both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments at the same Winter Games (WASHINGTON POST, 2/22). The U.S. men had not defeated Canada in a best-on-best competition since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. The win was “revenge” for Team USA after losing in last year’s Four Nations tournament (ESPN.com, 2/22).

Sunday’s game was “billed as the showpiece match the ice hockey world wanted to see following the return of NHL players to the Games after a 12-year absence, the North American rivals did not disappoint.” Fans at Santagiulia Arena “poured out duelling chants of ‘USA!’ and ‘Canada!’ as the players traded blows” (REUTERS, 2/22). The game “capped an incredible best-on-best tournament with NHL players back in the Games.” The U.S.-Canada showdown “not only materialized, but delivered in the closing act of these Olympics” (TORONTO SUN, 2/22). “The drought is over, and the storied history of U.S. hockey has a new golden chapter” (WASHINGTON POST, 2/22).

The U.S. finally came through after “generations of churning out talent from the grassroots level like a production line.” All but two of the 25 players on the team went through USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. The U.S. winning “silenced criticism” of GM Bill Guerin and his management group “choosing a roster full of experienced veteran players to fill specific roles and leaving four of the top 10 American goal-scorers in the NHL this season at home” (AP, 2/22).

The medal was the 33rd won by Team USA during the Milan Cortina Games and the 12th gold, the “most by an American team in the Winter Olympics.” The U.S. finished the Games second to Norway, which won a record 41 overall medals and 18 gold medals (L.A. TIMES, 2/22).

NBC’s crew calling the U.S.-Canada gold medal men’s hockey game is drawing mostly positive reactions on social media following the OT thriller. Here is a sample of the posts:

• The Bergen Record’s Art Stapleton: “Put respect on @KennyAlbert’s name. His call of the women’s golden goal was once in a lifetime. He just delivered again days later. One of the best of his generation.“
• SiriusXM’s Damon Amendolara: “Kenny Albert has been excellent capturing the excitement and urgency of this game. His energy has matched the moment. #Olympics2026.”
• Atlanta-based WZGC-FM’s Mike Conti: “Kenny Albert, who is among the absolute hardest workers in our industry, has been at his absolute best in this game.”
• Mets radio announcer Howie Rose: “However this turns out, Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher are putting on a hockey broadcasting clinic.”
• Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor: “Mike Tirico is amazing. He goes from calling NBA games to the Super Bowl to the Olympics. And he does it all flawlessly. What a talent.”
• Cincinnati-based WLW-AM’s Lance McAlister: “Mike Tirico sounds like he knows everything, without talking like he knows everything. If that makes sense. So damn smooth, comfortable, and well rounded.”
• CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson: “Just rewatched the men’s hockey gold medal game. From start to finish, from the pictures to the commentary, the game winning goal to Hellebuyck’s saves, the storylines, the brothers, the tribute to Gaudreau, the ceremony and Mike Tirico’s wrap up of it all- it was just perfect.”
• Rick Reilly: “Shout out to Kenny Albert on play by play and Mike Tirico with a flawless live essay at the end of the #USAHockey gold medal. Two superb performances that rose to the moment. #Olympics2026"

Tirico’s closing monologue drew particular praise.

• Seth Davis: “This might be the finest 60 seconds in the history of sports broadcasting. No prompter, no stumbling, no uhhs and you knows. Met the moment with big picture historical context in a way that connected it to the viewer. Not too understated or overly flowery. Just pitch perfect.”
• Fox’s Mike Mulvihill: “Mike Tirico’s lovely monologue to close out the epic gold medal game shows how the way we think about the core appeal of sports has changed, and for the better IMO. More than ever it’s about bringing people together and inspiring kids. Bring on the World Cup.”
• Syracuse.com’s Brent Axe: “Tirico has nailed the Jim McKay/Bob Costas role as Olympics host. This sign off captured the moment so well.”

NBC announced before faceoff that the game would be shown without commercial interruption during play on both NBC and Peacock.

The final viewership number could be impacted by the start time, with the game being played at 8:10am ET to avoid a conflict with the closing ceremony. Many fans posted on social media that they had gotten up earlier to watch the game.

Read more >>>

MILAN - As the Olympics have gone on over these past two weeks, I have thought back often to something Milan Cortina CEO Andrea Varnier said days before they opened.

While these Games would not give everyone what they wanted, Varnier said, they weren’t all the organizers wanted, either. But what they could offer “has been delivered with great passion, commitment and dedication.”

That sums up the on-the-ground experience here.

Yes, they were spread out and that provided operational challenges. But for the most part, things ran smoothly. And where they didn’t, organizers were responsive, striving earnestly to do their best despite the limitations presented by this footprint.

Read more >>>

The IOC said that the Milan Cortina Games “surpassed expectations despite a large number of obstacles in the run-up.” Presiding over her first games, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said, “Over the last two weeks we have seen and experienced incredible Games. I have no words really.” Milan Cortina President Giovanni Malago said, “These have been very challenging, difficult years for a series of circumstances. … But we are all satisfied.” When the Olympics got under way “most operations went off without any major problems, surprising organisers.” The Games did “not face a major crisis while the winter weather played along to offer impressive snowy Alpine backdrops” (REUTERS, 2/22).

MLS branded its opening weekend as “MLS is Back” with all 30 teams in action and a revised broadcast arrangement that removed a separate paywall on Apple TV. The league also unveiled “Walmart Saturday Showdown,” with the inaugural matchup featuring defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami at runner-up LAFC in the Rose Bowl before 75,763 fans. That marks the largest opening-day crowd in MLS history, the second-highest single-game crowd in MLS history (behind 82,110 at the Rose Bowl for Galaxy-LAFC on July 4, 2023) and the highest attended match in global soccer for the day. LAFC’s 3-0 victory was its league-record ninth without a loss in season openers. It was the second time in league history that an opening game was a rematch of the MLS Cup from the previous season. Earthquakes-Galaxy was the previous time in 2001. Opening weekend closes today with Galaxy-NYCFC and Sounders-Rapids (SBJ).

Clemson Deputy AD Kevin White is “expected to become” the next AD at the Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte. ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger first reported Saturday. White, who has worked at Clemson since 2022, served as the sports supervisor for the school’s “two most prominent teams (football and men’s basketball) and ran day-to-day operations for Clemson athletics.” He has “also had a hand in” Clemson’s NIL strategy, revenue-sharing contract negotiations with athletes and fundraising through IPTAY, the school’s athletics fundraising arm. White held similar roles at SMU and Northwestern. At Clemson, White made $357,000 in annual salary in 2025-26. He will “likely get a raise at Charlotte,” which paid former AD Mike Hill $420,000 in base salary on his most recent contract (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/21).

The WNBA’s new counterproposal Friday again did not budge off its revenue share offer of just less than 15% to players, multiple sources told SBJ Saturday, overshadowing the incremental movement the league provided on housing, retirement and 401(k) issues.

For the second time since January, the league’s offer -- based off current projections -- did not close the gap on the core divide between the sides: the split of league and team revenue. Just three days prior, the players had lowered their rev share demand of 30% to 25% in 2026 and 27.5% over the course of the deal, whereas the league --although it has raised its 9% number from 2025 -- has not veered off its approximate 15% number that has negotiations at an impasse.

The league similarly did not move off its $5.65M salary cap offer —compared to the union’s proposal of $9.5M —and also did not address another underlying issue: the dispute over league expenses and a pervasive feeling from players, sources said, the WNBA has not been completely transparent on what their expenses are.

Sources said the WNBPA will respond with another counteroffer soon, but, based on player comments and sources familiar with union thinking, it will be difficult to finalize a collective bargaining agreement if the league sticks to its 15% revenue share split.

Read more >>>

Liberty G Breanna Stewart is planning to return to EuroLeague’s Fenerbahce Opet in April after “the opportunity ‘came out of the blue.’” Stewart said, “[Fenerbahce] offered me something that I couldn’t refuse, and the fact that I’ll go and play in the Final Six and that’s it.” She added, “I think it’ll be cool. Obviously, going back to Turkey, I didn’t think I would be going back overseas.” This year’s EuroLeague Women Final Six is being played in Zaragoza, Spain, which is “about a two-hour train ride from where the family of Stewart’s wife, Marta, lives.” The tournament is scheduled to be played April 15-19. WNBA training camp is set to open April 19, but Stewart “wouldn’t be required to be at camp until May 1 under the WNBA’s current prioritization rule” (N.Y. POST, 2/21).

After “jolting Illinois leaders by praising Indiana’s stadium push,” the Bears “now say they are moving forward on legislation in Springfield.” Bears CEO Kevin Warren in a statement to Crain’s Chicago on Saturday said, “We continue to work with Illinois’ leadership and appreciate the progress being made.” The team is trying to “advance legislation in two states without making public comments that could sour relationships or scuttle talks on either side of the border.” Indiana has just one week left in its legislative session, and a source said that the stadium finance authority bill is “scheduled to go to the state’s House Floor for a second reading.” The bill would “still need approval” from the Indiana Senate and Gov. Mike Braun. On the Illinois side, the Bears are “hoping to push through a so-called megaproject bill that would allow the team to negotiate a property tax break with Arlington Heights taxing authorities.” A source said that a “bill with ‘agreed language’ could go to a committee meeting in Springfield next week.” The village of Arlington Heights posted a statement on Instagram saying, “Bears representatives have repeatedly assured the Village that the news regarding Indiana does not mean that they have made any decisions on a final site location, and that they will continue the frequent and productive discussions that have been underway in Illinois” (CRAINS CHICAGO BUSINESS, 2/21).

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged “now there’s a common understanding by most of the (Illinois) General Assembly” that the Bears’ new home won’t be in the city limits of Chicago. Pritzker: “They looked, and they, I think, gave the old college try, so to speak, to try to find a place within the city of Chicago, and they couldn’t.” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/20).

In Chicago, Bernie Lincicombe argues the more important part of the team name is “Bears,” rather than “Chicago.” Lincicombe: “The Bears could be the Illiana Bears or the Chicagoland Bears as long as they are the Bears, just like the Raiders have been Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas but always the Raiders, and in Paradise, not Las Vegas” (CHICAGO DAILY HERALD, 2/21).

The team on Friday reaffirmed that its “practice facility and corporate headquarters -- Halas Hall -- will remain in Lake Forest.” The Bears have “maintained a presence” in Lake Forest since 1975 (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/20).

Read more >>>

The SBJ National Sports Forum is underway at the Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, with this year’s event marking the Forum’s 30th anniversary and first as part of SBJ. More than 800 sports professionals from teams, leagues, agencies and brands are expected. The immersive event features breakout sessions, workshops and six main stage sessions, with one-on-one conversations with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, CAA Sports co-head Howie Nuchow, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell and ESPN’s Joe Buck; and panel discussions on “The New Home Field Advantage: How Brands are Owning the Entertainment District” and “Gateway to Greatness: Leading St. Louis Sports into the Future.” The Forum also features insider access to a number of St. Louis sports venues, including Busch Stadium, Energizer Park and the Enterprise Center. The full agenda is available here (SBJ).

Tiger Woods said the PGA Tour’s Future Competitions Committee that he chairs will meet again Tuesday as it continues mapping out the tour’s future. Woods joined the CBS booth Saturday during the Genesis Invitational. He said, “We have gotten over the hump, we’ve got some momentum going and now we’ve got to keep that momentum going … and taking it into the next generation, starting in 2027.”

The tour is expected to give some direction on the changes -- including a revamped schedule -- around the Players Championship next month in Florida. New CEO Brian Rolapp created the FCC last summer, and the group has met with CEOs and CFOs from each tournament sponsor and the PGA Tour’s media partners. Woods said its goal is “to figure out what is the best competitive model for all of the tour -- the partners, the players, the fans, everyone is involved in the PGA Tour. … We’re working diligently each and every day, trying to figure it out. Emails, group texts, calls, late in the night with ideas. Everything is free flowing” (SBJ).

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that the organization is “studying the possibility of launching its own cryptocurrency.” Infantino appearing last week at the World Liberty Forum hosted at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., said, “We are also studying the development of a FIFA token and a FIFA coin -- a real potential global currency serving 6 billion football fans worldwide” (USA TODAY, 2/21). Infantino previously mentioned the crypto idea at the White House Crypto Summit last March, though, he gave no timeline or structured plan (SBJ).

Meanwhile, the IOC will take “no action” against member Infantino for a “possible breach of political neutrality rules over aligning FIFA with President Trump’s Board of Peace.” The IOC on Saturday said that “the matter is closed and FIFA’s development work in Gaza is ‘entirely in keeping with the role of an international sport federation’” (AP, 2/21).

UCLA football “will stay at the Rose Bowl for the 2026 season.” UCLA Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Mary Osako in a statement said, “Our priority is delivering a strong season experience for our student-athletes and our community, and we have great momentum in our football program.” Staying at least one more season at the Rose Bowl is “believed to be a university-wide decision made in lockstep between top campus administrators and the athletics department.” The decision comes only days after the dismissal of Vice Chancellor & CFO Stephen Agostini, who “strongly supported a move to SoFi Stadium.” The school remains “embroiled in a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl” as part of their attempts to keep UCLA at the Rose Bowl and avoid the school’s “abandonment of a lease that runs through the 2043 season.” The Rose Bowl is “scheduled to unveil” a $30M field-level club in the south end zone that will include premium seating (CALIFORNIA POST, 2/21).

Spire Motorsports confirmed that it has “hired former Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart to serve as Chief Motorsports Officer.” The hire, “in part, has served as the basis for a lawsuit by JGR against Gabehart, whom the team alleges accessed proprietary information while negotiating with Spire while syncing that data to his personal devices.” JGR is seeking more than $8M in damages. Gabehart issued a statement Friday “‘forcefully and emphatically’ denying the allegations.” Wally Brown has “re-taken over the role of competition director that he had at Joe Gibbs Racing before Gabehart was promoted to that position” (MOTORSPORT, 2/21).

LIV Golf player Jon Rahm has “turned down a deal” from the DP World Tour that “would have allowed him to compete on LIV Golf events without penalty provided he pay his previous fines, play in stipulated European tour events and drop his appeal.” The DP World Tour on Saturday said eight LIV players -- Tyrrell Hatton, Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie -- “have agreed to the conditions.” All but Smylie, who is from Australia, are eligible for the Ryder Cup. The tour said that it has “granted conditional releases” because they “agreed to pay all outstanding fines for not getting releases, to play in events designated by the tour and drop any pending appeals.” The deal was “not offered to Sergio Garcia and others" who have “resigned as members.” Rahm has been “bullish about not paying fines for playing LIV without a release from the European tour.” He has “appealed those fines, a case that has not been heard.” That allowed him to play in the Ryder Cup last year (NBCSPORTS.com, 2/21).

Sewage water “leaked into the Yankees’ clubhouse and flooded parts of the concourse” outside the team’s spring training home at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. A Yankees spokesperson joked, “It’s spring training for the toilets, too.” The spokesperson added that a “drainage issue in the surrounding area was responsible for the noxious odor and pools of water” that popped up. Numerous maintenance employees “attempted to clean up the spills as fans headed for the exits and even tore up the ground in front of one entrance in order to work on some pipes.” The lavatories accessible to fans “didn’t seem to have any issues during the game.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that the “filth was ‘seeping’ from the Yankees’ clubhouse bathrooms to the carpeted space that houses the players’ lockers” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/21).