An unexpected visitor hit the Winter Olympics cross-country skiing course on Wednesday as a few teams were finishing up qualifiers. Just as two skiers were entering the final stretch, a dog appeared on the course, running after the two competitors as they finished the event.
It’s unclear where the dog came from, but it somehow made its way directly onto the course. After running near the side of the course, the dog got distracted as skiers passed, and decided to chase them across the finish line.
The dog appeared friendly, going up to one of the skiers after the qualifier ended. It’s unclear what happened from there, though it appears the dog was removed from the course without incident.
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The Olympics initially celebrated its appearance, saying the dog should have won “all the medals” in a tweet. That tweet, however, was deleted.
NBC also captured footage of the dog, saying it achieved the cheer of the day from the fans.
The dog disrupted only qualifiers, not the final event. Sweden managed to win the gold medal in the final, with Switzerland taking silver and Germany winning bronze.
Tom Haberstroh is joined by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to dig into the NBA’s $500,000 fine for the Utah Jazz and debate whether fines can truly deter teams from benching their stars. Windhorst breaks down four of the league’s core values to explain why proposals to “fix” tanking rarely last.
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The duo also look ahead to the second half of the season as the Spurs continue to close in on the Thunder in the Western Conference and Jayson Tatum’s return to the Celtics in the East begins to feel inevitable. Don’t miss Windhorst’s behind-the-scenes stories about his time covering the Miami Heat with Tom and where LeBron might have landed if the draft didn’t exist.
(1:32) The Big Number: Jazz fined $500k
(4:23) How can NBA fix tanking?
(20:57) Would LeBron have gone to Cleveland without the draft?
(27:44) Is the Jazz fine unfair?
(36:08) Are Thunder vulnerable to Spurs in West?
(54:46) Should Tatum return for Celtics this season?
A close up shot of the lottery balls during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery in New York, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock is heading to the NFL.
According to ESPN, Hammock is becoming the Seattle Seahawks’ running backs coach. Hammock has been the head coach at Northern Illinois for the past seven seasons and, per the report, had “multiple NFL opportunities.”
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NIU went 35-47 in Hammock’s time with the school and was 3-9 in 2025. Before last year’s struggles, the Huskies had made it to consecutive bowl games in 2023 and 2024 and pulled the upset of the 2024 season when they beat Notre Dame in Week 2.
That was Notre Dame’s only loss of the season before the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game.
Northern Illinois’ best season under Hammock came in 2021, when the Huskies went 9-5. NIU won the MAC title that season with a 41-23 win over Kent State in the conference title game before a 47-41 Cure Bowl loss to Coastal Carolina.
Hammock leaves Northern Illinois as the school embarks on a new football era. NIU, a longtime member of the MAC, has joined the remade Mountain West Conference in football for the 2026 season. The Huskies’ shortest road trip will be to Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their other three road games are at New Mexico, San Jose State and UNLV.
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While NIU is off to the Mountain West, the MAC took a lucrative financial offer from Sacramento State for the California school to join the conference in football. Yes, a team from Illinois is in the Mountain West and a team from the capital city of California is in the Mid-American Conference. College sports do not make sense, sometimes.
Hammock replaces Kennedy Polamalu, who took a leave of absence from the Seahawks in December and was not set to return in 2026. The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC late in the season and went on to win Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots.
⚾️ Clark resigns: MLBPA leader Tony Clark has resigned from his position after an internal investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who worked for the union beginning in 2023. This comes just months before the current CBA is set to expire.
⛳️ Tiger hints at potential return: Tiger Woods is still recovering from a torn Achilles, but he had a simple one word answer when asked if this April’s Masters was off the table for him: “No.”
🏀 WNBPA submits new proposal: The WNBA players union submitted a new counterproposal to the league amid CBA negotiations, reducing both the revenue share and salary cap figures from their last proposal. The league still called it “unrealistic.”
🏈 Heisman odds: Notre Dame QB CJ Carr opens as the 2026 Heisman Trophy favorite (+700 at BetMGM), just ahead of Texas QB Arch Manning (+800). Oregon QB Dante Moore (+1100), Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (+1200) and Indiana QB Josh Hoover (+1200) round out the top five.
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🥌 Want more curling? A pro league is set to launch
Team USA’s Korey Dropkin, who won a silver medal in Milan, is among those who will compete in The Rock League. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
It happens every Winter Olympics, the curling renaissance. For two-plus weeks in February, Americans south of Canadian border states remember that curling exists.
Riding a wave of patriotic fever and a strong belief that they too could be Olympic-level curlers, Americans fall in love with the sport … right up until the torch goes out.
This year, curling aficionados are planning to keep the love going. Shortly after the Olympics wrap up in late February, the Rock League will launch.
A collection of 60 of the world’s greatest curlers, complete with team names, the Rock League hopes to harness the expected momentum from Milan Cortina.
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The new league might just revolutionize and professionalize curling as a sport. At the very least, it’ll be a fun watch with a couple beers close at hand. Win-win either way, right?
“The sport finally needs a platform to professionalize,” says Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group, which owns The Rock League. “The players need an opportunity to make a little bit more money. There needs to be a proper business strategy.”
Meet the teams: There will be six teams of 10 curlers (five men, five women), including multiple former Olympians. Each team will have its own logo and will mix together players from a wide range of nationalities.
Coming soon: The Rock League will begin in April with a one-week “preview season” in Toronto. Then, beginning next January, it will kick off its touring with a four-week season that includes stops in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New York and Ontario.
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The last word: “It’s going to be a massive undertaking,” says John Shuster, the gold medal-winning skip of Team USA’s landmark 2018 squad who will play for Frontier Curling Club. “But every single player I’ve talked to is really excited to see where this is going to go.”
🥇 Big Numbers: Olympics edition
Team USA celebrates after their semifinal victory. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
🏒 331 minutes, 23 seconds
The U.S. women’s hockey team has gone 331 minutes, 23 seconds and counting since last allowing a goal, shattering both the men’s (245 minutes) and women’s records (199 minutes, 35 seconds) for the longest shutout streak in Olympic hockey history. They haven’t allowed a goal since the second period of their tournament-opening win over Czechia.
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Poised for gold: The Americans will be heavy favorites in tomorrow’s gold-medal match against Canada. They already beat the Canadians, 5-0, during these Games and have won seven straight games against them, one shy of the rivalry’s all-time record.
🇳🇴 93.1%
How popular is cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in his native Norway? Well, coverage of his record-breaking ninth gold medal on Sunday earned a 93.1 share, which means 93.1% of people watching TV in Norway at that time were watching him. For reference, the last few Super Bowls have had an ~80 share in the U.S.
Chasing 15: Klæbo won yet another gold Wednesday morning, his record 10th, while his 12 total medals are tied for fifth all-time behind Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen (15), Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen (14), Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst (13) and Italian speed skater Arianna Fontana (13). The 29-year-old still has one event remaining in Italy.
L-R: Domen, Nika, Cene and Peter as children. (Courtesy: Prevc family)
🇸🇮 4 siblings
Slovenian brother and sister Domen and Nika Prevc — who combined to win five ski jumping medals in Milan, including mixed team gold together — made history alongside older brothers Cene and Peter. The Prevcs are now the first family ever to produce four Winter Olympic medal-winning siblings.
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Medal haul: All in, the Prevc family has collected 10 Winter Olympic medals dating back to 2014. Nika (20) won gold, silver and bronze in Milan. Domen (26) won two golds in Milan. Cene (29) won silver in Beijing. Peter (33) won gold and silver in Beijing, plus silver and bronze in Sochi.
🥇 $37,500
That’s how much money American athletes earn for each gold medal they win at the Milan Cortina Olympics, which ranks just 15th among the 25 countries who responded to USA Today’s inquiry. Americans also get $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze.
Most and least: Singapore, competing in its third Winter Games and still seeking its first medal, will award $788,907 for gold, the most of any country. Hong Kong ($767,747), Italy ($213,418), Poland ($211,268) and Slovenia ($162,672) round out the top five, while Sweden, Norway and Great Britain are the only respondents who don’t pay athletes anything for winning medals.
With Sacramento State moving from FCS to FBS and joining the MAC as a football-only member, the state of California will now have FBS schools in five different conferences. Three years ago, that number was two.
Mountain West: San José State
Pac-12: Fresno State, San Diego State
Consider this: This upcoming school year, California’s FBS football programs will play conference opponents in 31 (!!!) different states, up from 10 three years ago. That includes seven teams in Ohio, five in Michigan, four in North Carolina, three in Texas, three in Indiana, three in Illinois, two in Massachusetts, two in Pennsylvania, two in Florida, one in Wyoming and one in North Dakota. Again, this is California we’re talking about here! Absolute madness.
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❤️ Why we love sports
Yankee Stadium in 2003. (Jerry Driendl/Getty Images)
Keith Caulfield (Point Blank, Texas):
In 2003, with interleague play still a novelty, my beloved Astros (NL at the time) were set to make their first swing through the AL East. My teenage son Cody and I circled two stops immediately: Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
We flew to Boston and planned on a short easy drive to New York. Being from Texas, the built-in arrogance of living in the biggest state in the Union made me think it was a hop, skip and a jump to get to NYC. (We don’t believe all that hype about Alaska down here; it’s an optical illusion.)
The situation in New York was very illuminating to us foreigners. The day before, the Astros had no-hit the Yankees using six pitchers, and the city was buzzing with commentary. Since it had been the lowly Astros that no-hit the Yanks, the town gave no credit to them. Instead, everybody in authority on the Yankees needed to be fired, right now.
Keith at Yankee Stadium that day. (Keith Caulfield)
We arrived at Yankee Stadium in full Astros gear. As we crossed the street towards the ballpark, a yellow cab slowed to a near-stop in front of us. A big guy with a huge cigar leaned out of the window holding the sports section up with its headline about the no-hitter the day before.
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His friendly greeting? “Not today, Mutha F**ers!”
Cody, who had certainly heard all that before but couldn’t admit it, turned beet red. I looked over at him and said, “Cody, welcome to New York City.”
The cabbie had been right — it was not the MFers day. The Astros lost. But we still had an unforgettable experience at “The House That Ruth Built,” and even sang “New York, New York” with Sinatra after the game.
Back in Boston, Fenway delivered exactly what you hope for — history, characters and knowledgeable fans eager to talk about both. We learned all about the ballpark, Ted Williams and the other immortals. And we got to see Jeff Bagwell launch one over the Green Monster!
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All in all, a great way to experience America: through the eyes of your kid and the lens of baseball.
Keith (R) and Cody (L) with Cody’s son, Asher. (Keith Caulfield)
✍️ Submit your story: Do you have a fondest sports memory? Or an example of sports having a profound impact on your life? If you’d like to share, email me at kendall.baker@yahooinc.com. We’ll keep sharing your stories until they run out!
📺 Watchlist: Wednesday, Feb. 18
Team USA faces Sweden in today’s quarterfinal. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
🏒 Men’s Hockey, Quarterfinals
The last eight take the ice in Milan. Slovakia vs. Germany is already underway (6:10am ET, Peacock), followed by Canada vs. Czechia (10:40am, USA) and Finland vs. Switzerland (12:10pm, USA). Then the Americans take on Sweden in today’s finale (3:10pm, USA).
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Group stage recap: The U.S. and Canada both went 3-0, with Canada earning the top seed on the strength of a +17 goal differential (USA was at +11). Canada’s Connor McDavid leads all players with nine points (2 goals, 7 assists), while his teenage teammate Macklin Celebrini and Germany’s Tim Stützle are tied for the most goals, with four each.
⛷️ Women’s Slalom
Today is Mikaela Shiffrin’s last shot for an Olympic medal in Milan, with her second and final slalom run coming up shortly (7:30am, USA).
Where it stands: Shiffrin finally delivered the ski we’ve been waiting for, with her first run from earlier this morning placing her in first by nearly a full second over the field. That means she’ll ski last for this upcoming second run, with the two times added together to determine the winner.
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🥇 Medal events
🏂 Snowboard: Women’s Slopestyle Final (8:30am, Peacock)
🎯 Biathlon: Women’s 4x6km Relay (8:45am, Peacock)
⛸️ Short Track: Men’s 500m Finals (2:15pm, USA); Women’s 3000m Relay Final (3pm, USA)
Can AJ Dybantsa and the Cougars hand Arizona their third straight loss? (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
More to watch:
🏀 NCAAM: No. 20 Arkansas at No. 25 Alabama (7pm, ESPN); No. 23 BYU at No. 4 Arizona (9pm, ESPN) … The Wildcats have lost two straight after winning their first 23 games.
⚽️ Champions League: Qarabag vs. Newcastle (12:45pm, Paramount+); Olympiacos vs. Leverkusen (3pm, Paramount+); Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter Milan (3pm, Paramount+); Club Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid (3pm, CBSSN) … First-leg playoff matches to qualify for the Round of 16.
⚽️ Women’s Champions League: Real Madrid (up 3-2) vs. Paris FC (12:45pm, Paramount+); Arsenal (up 4-0) vs. OH Leuven (3pm, Paramount+) … Second-leg playoff matches to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city. Get tickets now!
🏀 NBA trivia
(Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA season resumes tomorrow after a week-long pause for the All-Star break.
Question: Which of the following teams is NOT currently in playoff or play-in position?
(A) Bulls
(B) Trail Blazers
(C) Clippers
(D) Hornets
Answer at the bottom.
📸 Photo finish
(Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Livigno, Italy — An athlete competes in the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Qualification on day nine of the Winter Games.
Behind the lens: “Infrared” is a series of pictures taken at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics with mirrorless cameras that have been modified to capture the electromagnetic spectrum beyond what’s visible to the human eye.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Just 10 seconds into NASCAR’s 2026 Super Bowl ad touting the sport’s new slogan — “Hell Yeah” — there’s a telling detail on a license plate: The “e” in “Hell” is a 3. And in case you missed that, there’s a fan wearing a 3 jacket, and a Craftsman truck decked out in a familiar black paint scheme doing a dramatic slow-mo burnout. The message is unmistakable: No more screwing around. NASCAR’s bringing back that Dale Earnhardt attitude.
Twenty-five years after his sudden, shocking death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt remains as vital to NASCAR as ever. A quarter-century after we last saw his Goodwrench No. 3 knifing through the pack, Dale Earnhardt is still exactly what NASCAR wants to be.
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Sure, the tattoos Earnhardt fans got during his lifetime are fading and sagging. The last Cup driver to run in a race with Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, retired more than two years ago. But you don’t have to look far to see Earnhardt’s persistent influence. He’s the focus of new documentaries, books, endless social media recollections. His image — sunglasses, mustache, attitude, black No. 3 flag — is still everywhere at NASCAR tracks.
(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports illustration)
No other driver — not Jeff Gordon, not Chase Elliott, not even Earnhardt’s boy — has ever come close to matching The Intimidator’s impact. And given the way that NASCAR, and American culture, have trended in the years since his death, it’s likely no one ever will.
If Dale Earnhardt hadn’t existed, a team of marketers — or a superhero movie screenwriter — couldn’t have created a more perfect avatar of NASCAR’s ideal self-image. Born in the blue-collar mill town of Kannapolis, North Carolina, he lived hard and raced harder. Some people climb over obstacles; Earnhardt just drove right through them.
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He was mean as hell; you don’t get the name “The Intimidator” because you’re a go-along, get-along kind of guy. But he also inspired deep respect up and down the garage. You might not like him, you definitely wouldn’t outrun him, but you damn sure respected him. Drivers from Jeff Gordon to Jimmie Johnson to Kurt Busch have spent the last 25 years telling stories of how nervous they were in Earnhardt’s presence, and these are NASCAR’s champions.
But Earnhardt wasn’t just a surly S.O.B. Besides being tougher than a three-dollar steak, Earnhardt was also funny as hell. His disgust at drivers who complained about going too fast at Talladega created one of racing’s all-time great quotes: “Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won’t climb up and eat that candy ass.” It’s tough to say which was scarier — Earnhardt in your rear-view mirror charging at you, or Earnhardt in his sunglasses smiling at you.
Dale Earnhardt celebrates with every crew member of every team on pit road after winning the 1998 Daytona 500. (ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
(RacingOne via Getty Images)
Sure, he wasn’t perfect. He played by the rules right up until the rules didn’t suit him. If he needed to turn someone to win a race, like Terry Labonte in Bristol, well, he’d rattle their cage and plead innocence later. He could be a tough man to love, whether you were his wife or his friend or his child. And he was beyond stubborn; it’s tough to reconcile the fact that he refused to wear the neck-protecting HANS device that could have saved him from the exact spinal injury that killed him.
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In the years since Earnhardt died, American culture has swung away from the worship of the car, and of Earnhardt’s brand of tough, unapologetic masculinity. Maybe he would have changed with the times, or maybe he would have stubbornly remained set in his ways. Or maybe both. He was complex and unpredictable, and he swerved away from expectations just like he swerved around slower-moving cars.
Earnhardt swung conservative in his political beliefs, but famously once cut the Confederate flag off his truck’s bumper sticker after he understood the offense it caused. He was as wealthy as a king, but he loved driving his tractor on his farm — sometimes even riding up to unsuspecting onlookers trying to catch a glimpse of his estate. He stoked a public rivalry with Gordon, but privately went into business with him, monetizing their personality clashes.
But he didn’t whine. He didn’t play victim. He just strapped himself into his Goodwrench No. 3 and figured out how to beat you, one way or another.
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Even now, Earnhardt’s influence persists far beyond the grandstands of NASCAR tracks. Anyone who’s ever felt the hum of an engine in their bones, or mashed the gas on an open highway, discovers that bit of Earnhardt in their soul. Maybe that’s why his absence still hurts, and always will.
Ukrainian officials will not attend the Winter Paralympics following the news that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under their country’s flag at the games. Ukrainian officials will boycott the event due to the ongoing war with Russia. The country will allow its athletes to compete in the Paralympic Games, however.
Ukraine’s minister of youth and sports Matvii Bidnyi announced the news in a statement on X, saying the Paralympics’ decision “to allow killers and their accomplices to compete at the Paralympic Games under national flags is both disappointing and outrageous.”
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Bidnyi went on to say that the flags of Russia and Belarus have “no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect.” He added that those flags have “turned sport into a tool of war, lies and contempt.”
Bidnyi said the inclusion of Russian athletes in the Paralympics was a way to normalize the war in Ukraine. He vowed to keep fighting “against Russia’s attempts to politicize sport.”
That response came just hours after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at the Paralympics under their respective country’s flags. A total of 10 athletes from those countries are expected to take part in the Winter Paralympics.
That ruling is not consistent with the one made by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The IOC allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the Olympics, but as independent neutral athletes. Those athletes compete under the abbreviation AIN, which stands for “Athlètes Individuels Neutres,” the French translation of independent neutral athletes. The IPC and IOC operate independently, which is why the two events will handle the situation differently in 2026.
As of Wednesday morning, AIN athletes have yet to win a medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
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While Ukraine has taken part in the 2026 Olympics, the country has been the subject of controversy. Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Olympics by the IOC for wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia. The Olympic charter has rules against “political, religious or racial propaganda” being displayed at the event.
Heraskevych’s decision to insist on wearing that helmet was praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the country was “proud of Vladyslav and of what he did.”
The Winter Paralympics will begin March 6 and run through March 15 in Milan and Cortina. Ukrainian athletes will be present at the games, but officials will boycott the event, including the Opening Ceremony.
The Winter Games have begun in Italy. From the rink to the slopes, a new generation of stars has emerged to chase gold. We’ll keep you connected to all of the thrilling moments and top stories as we track the medal race each day of the Games.
Team USA is up to 23 medals after two early podium appearances Wednesday. There are several opportunities for the Americans to add to that count on Wednesday, too. And, while there’s no medal up for grabs yet, the men’s hockey team is back in action in a must-win quarterfinal game against Sweden.
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Here are the top five things to watch on Wednesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics:
Men’s snowboard slopestyle final (5:20 a.m. ET)
This was rescheduled due to weather, and a trio of Americans attempted to reach the podium in the final. While Red Gerard, who won the gold medal in 2018 as a 17-year-old, failed to finish on the podium this time around, Jake Canter came through.
With a fantastic final run, which saw Canter land a 1980, he secured a 79.36 score, which was good enough to move him into third place. Canter then had to watch as other riders tried to knock him off the podium. While one came extremely close — Norway’s Marcus Kleveland — Canter held on in the end, taking home the bronze.
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Gerard finished sixth and Oliver Martin of Team USA finished ninth.
China’s Su Yiming, who won the silver in Beijing, managed to take the gold this time around. Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa grabbed the silver medal.
Mark McMorris of Canada who was seeking his fourth straight medal in the event, finished in eighth.
Team USA takes silver in men’s cross-country team sprint
Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher rallied after a slow start to take silver in the men’s cross-country team sprint Wednesday. Team USA finished behind Norway, which is led by Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. With the win, Klaebo set an Olympic record with his 10th gold medal in cross-country over his Olympic career.
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For Team USA, it marked Ogden’s second silver medal of the Olympics. It was Schumacher’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in her signature event
It had not been the start to these Olympics that Shiffrin had hoped for, after finishing off the podium in the team event (where she gave up the lead Breezy Johnson had posted her) and the giant slalom. But she delivered Wednesday in the women’s slalom, the event where she has made her name. She crushed the field to win the gold medal.
Shiffrin looked ready from the start with a dominant first run in a time of 47.13, 0.82 ahead of her nearest competitor, Germany’s Lena Duerr. That allowed Shiffrin to not have to risk much in her second run to take home the gold.
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Switzerland’s Camille Rust win silver, while Sweden’s Anna Larsson Swenn took bronze.
Women’s snowboard slopestyle final (8:30 a.m. ET)
Like the men’s competition, the women’s snowboard slopestyle final was also rescheduled to Wednesday. Jessica Perlmutter and Lily Dhawornvej reached the final, but neither medaled in the event. Perlmutter finished sixth and Dhawornvej came in 11th.
Japan’s Mari Fukada came away with the gold, beating favorite Zoi Sadowski Synnott, who took silver. Kokomo Murase of Japan took home the bronze.
Women’s and men’s curling vs. Great Britain (3:05 a.m. ET/8:05 a.m. ET)
The U.S. men’s and women’s curling teams will each take on Great Britain on Wednesday in group play.
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The women’s team holds a 5-2 record so far in group play after a dominant 10-3 win over Denmark on Tuesday, their largest win so far of the Games. They lost a narrow one to Great Britain on Wednesday, however, falling 8-7. They’ll wrap up with a match against Switzerland on Thursday before the knockout stage gets going.
The men’s team is in worse shape entering the match. They hold a 4-4 record after falling to both China and Italy on Tuesday, which has them in fifth. A win is critical, and still may not get them into the finals.
They couldn’t get it done, falling 9-2 to Great Britain. The loss doesn’t completely eliminate Team USA from the playoff, but they need a lot of help to get there now.
Men’s hockey quarterfinals vs Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET)
After an undefeated run throughout the group stage, the U.S. men’s hockey team will take the ice again on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. They’ll take on Sweden, who beat Latvia 5-1 in a qualification round game on Tuesday.
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Men’s hockey beat Germany 5-1 after a slow start on Sunday to wrap up the group stage action, though they were far less dominant than they could have been. Sweden entered Milan as a medal favorite, too, and only lost their group due to a goal differential. Wednesday’s match looks like it’ll be far from easy for the Americans.
Men’s short track speed skating 500m finals (2:15 p.m. ET)
Andrew Heo made it through qualifying on Monday, so he’ll have a shot at a medal in the men’s 500-meter short track speed skating final on Wednesday night. The 24-year-old won the event at the ISU Short Track World Tour last fall, and he won his qualifying heat handily.
Heo will have to get past Canada’s Steven Dubois, who won bronze in the event in Beijing four years ago, and favorite William Dandjinou to reach the podium. The Canadian duo posted two of the fastest three qualifying times on Monday.
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Olympics schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 18 (Day 12)
All times ET
Alpine Skiing
Slalom
Biathlon
Relay
Cross-Country Skiing
Team sprint
3:45 a.m.: Men’s and women’s qualifying (airs on USA Network 5 a.m.)
Curling
Women’s round-robin
3:05 a.m.:USA vs. Great Britain (airs on USA Network at 9:15 a.m.), China vs. Denmark, Sweden vs. South Korea
1:05 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Japan, Switzerland vs. Denmark, Canada vs. Italy (airs on USA Network at 8 p.m.), China vs. Sweden
Men’s round-robin
8:05 a.m.:USA vs. Great Britain (airs on CNBC at 5 p.m.), Italy vs. Canada, China vs. Czechia, Norway vs. Switzerland
Freestyle Skiing
Aerials
Hockey
Men’s quarterfinals
6:10 a.m.: Slovakia vs. Germany (airs on USA Network at 1 p.m.)
10:40 a.m.: Canada va. Czechia (USA Network)
12:10 p.m.: Finland vs. Switzerland (airs on USA Network at 6 p.m.)
3:10 p.m.: USA vs. Sweden (NBC)
Short Track
2:15 p.m.: Men’s 500m, women’s 3000m relay (airs on USA Network at 2:30 p.m.)🏅
Snowboarding
Men’s Slopestyle
5:20 a.m.: Men’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 5:20 a.m.; airs on NBC at 2:15 p.m.)🏅
Women’s Slopestyle
8:30 a.m.: Women’s final (Peacock coverage begins at 8:30 a.m.) 🏅
We’re at the part of the fantasy basketball season where sitting on your hands is a strategy — but it’s a bad one. The Yahoo standard league trade deadline is March 5, which falls in Week 19. After that, you’re not reshaping your roster — you’re managing around it. With fantasy basketball playoffs starting in Week 21 for most Yahoo standard leagues, there are only a few weeks left to make changes and lock in for a shot at the fantasy playoffs.
As of early Wednesday, we’re still waiting on injury reports and updates on some key players, so here are four principles for deciding whether to trade or drop a player at this point in the season.
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Veterans on tanking teams are a liability
This one’s always uncomfortable because we’re talking about names you recognize. But late in the season, incentives shift fast. Teams outside the playoff race start experimenting — younger guys get more run, veteran’s minutes dip or even get DNP’d.
Players I’d drop right now are:
Trae Young, Ja Morant, Jordan Poole, Malik Monk
If you’re contending, I’d be shopping these players before March 5:
Kings: DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Russell Westbrook
Pelicans: Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner
Nets: Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton
Pacers: Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard
Jazz: Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George
Name value has a shelf life and right now is when you can still cash it in for someone with more late-season potential. Once the deadline passes and losing teams go full tank, you’re either riding it out or cutting them. Teams like the Jazz have viable replacement-level players like Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski ready to go if they want to hold out Markkanen and George.
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Just look at the Western Conference standings. The Grizzlies are in 11th place, 5.5 games behind the 10th-place Clippers. Memphis is not catching up for a Play-In appearance; neither will any of the teams beneath the Grizz. It’s a valid concern rostering any high-caliber fantasy assets on those teams down the stretch.
Trade players with unfavorable schedules
Atlanta’s looking suspect on the schedule front and not enough managers are paying attention.
The Hawks play eight games across Weeks 18-20. That’s the fewest in the league. Week 19 is a two-game week, and several of their games throughout the next three weeks land on nights where your lineup is already full.
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If you’re on the bubble and rostering high-valued Hawks, now might be a good time to test the trade market to get players who can offer 11 or 12 games during that span. Don’t get me wrong — Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu can generate enough value across categories to hold. But Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and CJ McCollum? I’d consider moving them before the March 5 fantasy trade deadline.
Chicago and Phoenix are in a similar bracket, playing just nine games over the next three weeks. It’s not the end of the world, but you’re still potentially missing out on some volume, especially in points leagues. Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Mark Williams, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie are all guys worth shopping if you can get something back before the deadline.
Downward trends are a bat signal to drop players
A 6-8 week decline in usage, shot attempts, defensive stats or minutes isn’t a slump — it’s a role shift. And once that recalibration becomes visible across multiple categories, the market often won’t pay for past production.
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Here’s how to approach it:
Before March 5, shop the player if season-long averages still look strong
If there’s no trade interest, that’s your signal that the value has already adjusted
If the trend continues into Weeks 18-19, dropping becomes the rational move
A player who fits this criteria is Lakers C Deandre Ayton. His numbers and production have been trending down for three months. The problem is, he’s unlikely to get much on the trade market, so you can cut him and grab someone off waivers. A player like Kings big man Max Raynaud could garner 80-90% of Ayton’s production. That’s not being reckless, that’s playing the percentages.
Availability beats upside right now
Teams get cautious this time of year. If a guy is sitting back-to-backs, on a minutes restriction or “managing something” — you need an answer before March 5. Can you move them on season-long name value? Great. Someone like Jalen Williams comes to mind as he re-tweaked a hamstring injury that already cost him 10 games before the All-Star Break.
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If not, (depending on the player) hitting the wire for four guaranteed games from a decent contributor can be more useful than a couple of shaky appearances from a bigger name — especially when you’re still fighting for playoff seeding. Joel Embiid, Jakob Poeltl, Markkanen, Kristaps Porziņģis and Darius Garland are several players whose injury history will factor into late-season absences.
Every roster spot needs to justify itself
My framework for trading or cutting a player is: look at every player and ask the hard questions. Are they trending up? Is the role secure? Are they in a favorable position to help you win the next three weeks? Are their games actually startable? And if you put them on the trade block today, would anyone actually want them?
If the answers aren’t convincing, don’t wait for clarity that probably isn’t coming. Trade while you still can. Drop when the math says to and stream with purpose. This is the final moment to switch up your strategy for a chance at a fantasy championship.
MILAN — Abbey Murphy couldn’t resist being aggressive Monday night when Swedish goaltender Emma Soderberg clumsily handled the puck behind her own net.
The American provocateur charged toward Soderberg to try to poke the puck away, slamming into the Swede hard enough to jerk her head backward and send her sprawling.
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After referees assessed a minor penalty on Murphy for goalie interference, Swedish defender Jessica Adolfsson intercepted the American on the way to the penalty box and shoved her in the chest with her right hand. Murphy theatrically fell to the ice, drawing a roughing penalty on Adolfsson and nullifying the Swedish power play.
The sequence was still fresh in the minds of Swedish players when speaking to Swedish media outlets after their 5-0 semifinal loss to the U.S. Soderberg accused Murphy of hitting her “right in the head” and questioned why the American didn’t receive a more severe penalty. Defender Mira Jungåker called Murphy’s alleged flop “pathetic” for someone “as skilled as she is.” Adolfsson said she takes pride in serving as her goalie’s “bodyguard.”
“If you want to lie down and cry on the ice after a little push, you can do that,” Adolfsson continued. “I can’t do anything about that.”
Abbey Murphy celebrates her goal in the U.S. victory over Sweden in the semifinals. (RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images)
(RvS.Media/Robert Hradil via Getty Images)
There is no other player in women’s hockey more gifted than Murphy at getting under the skin of rival teams. The 23-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago has driven Olympic opponents crazy with her unprecedented blend of mind-blowing skill, relentless motor, prolific trash talking and penchant for embellishment.
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In the U.S.’s 5-0 group-stage thrashing of rival Canada, Murphy drew not one, not two, but four Canadian penalties. Murphy was also the first to respond when Italy’s Franziska Stocker cross-checked one of her American teammates, shoving the Italian twice and then following with a stiff left jab to the face mask. She smirked as she skated to the penalty box, chirping at Stocker the whole way.
Murphy is tied for third among players at these Olympics with seven points, but her two goals and five assists only hint at her impact. She is the emotional spark plug for a juggernaut U.S. team that enters Thursday’s gold-medal match against Canada having demolished its first six Olympic opponents by a combined score of 31-1.
“Obviously you love to have her on your team,” American defender Haley Winn said. “Whether it’s a goal, an assist or a big hit, she’ll do whatever it takes for our team to win.”
Though Murphy is the first in her family to play hockey, her toughness is a product of how she was raised. Her father, Ed, is a Marine veteran and former college football player. Her mother, Lynne, is an emergency room nurse and a former college softball star. Both her older brothers were athletes, Patrick a college football player at Division III Carthage College and Dominic an all-American wrestler at Division II St. Cloud State.
“Whenever there was a fight, my dad would love it and my mom would be like, ‘Cut it out, cut it out,’” Murphy said. “We would never stop until someone got hurt or someone took it too far.”
Then, laughing, she added, “It worked pretty well for all three of us.”
Murphy took an interest in hockey after an across-the-street neighbor taught her how to roller blade. Her parents bought her some hockey skates, enrolled her in youth hockey programs and then watched her thrive, first competing against boys and later for the all-girls Chicago Mission Youth Hockey Club.
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By 16, she earned a spot on the U.S. roster for the U-18 World Championships.
By 18, she blossomed into the University of Minnesota’s second-leading points scorer as a freshman.
By 19, she became the second-youngest player to make the U.S. Olympic team for the 2022 Games in Beijing.
When Murphy left the University of Minnesota to join her U.S. Olympic teammates in Milan, she was the Gophers’ runaway leader in goals (36), assists (25) and penalties taken (23). She also had just produced one of the plays of the year at any level of hockey, a highlight-reel bounce pass that hockey analyst John Buccigross called “the greatest assist of all time.”
The inspiration behind Murphy’s YouTube-worthy assist was watching Michigan State forward Ryker Lee pull off a similar pass in early January. Murphy said she didn’t plan on attempting it in a game. It just happened.
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“I think the biggest thing I’m proud of is the eyes it put on women’s hockey,” she said. “That’s my most important takeaway from it — a lot of people commenting, ‘Oh my God, women’s hockey, this is awesome.’”
Murphy has produced several more moments on the Olympic stage that have gotten the hockey world buzzing.
There was her slick no-look pass from the corner that caught Canada’s defense by surprise and set up Hannah Bilka for the easiest goal she’ll ever score.
And there was the moment against Italy when she rushed to Bilka’s defense after the hit from Stocker that Murphy perceived as dirty.
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“Anyone in front of the net that gets cross-checked, I’m not going to just watch that happen,” Murphy said. “That’s not me. I’m not just going to let it go. But obviously our coach says find that fine line. Don’t get in trouble. Don’t do anything stupid that’s going to keep me out of the next game.”
With the possible exception of her hit on the Swedish goaltender, Murphy has effectively traced that razor’s edge. She has been a menace for U.S. opponents, a threat to score, set up a teammate or draw a penalty at any moment.
American forward Kirsten Simms plays for the University of Wisconsin and has faced Murphy a handful of times per year in college the past few seasons.
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When asked about Murphy earlier in these Olympics, Simms smiled and said, “When she’s on your team, it’s a lot more fun.”
Expectations are high in South Bend for Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr; he opens as the +700 favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy at BetMGM. The Fighting Irish currently have +700 odds to win the national championship, tied for the second-best odds with Oregon and Texas — and right behind favorite Ohio State at +600.
Texas QB Arch Manning (+800) and Oregon QB Dante Moore (11-1) have the next-best Heisman odds, followed by Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (12-1) and Indiana QB Josh Hoover (12-1).
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Superstar Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has the best odds for any non-QB at 14-1.
Here are the Heisman odds for every college football player listed at BetMGM, entering the 2025-26 season:
Heisman Trophy odds
CJ Carr: +700
Arch Manning: +800
Dante Moore: 11-1
Julian Sayin, Josh Hoover: 12-1
Jayden Maiava, Jeremiah Smith, Sam Leavitt: 14-1
Gunner Stockton: 15-1
Darian Mensah: 16-1
Marcel Reed: 22-1
John Mateer, Brendan Sorsby, Byrum Brown: 25-1
Bryce Underwood: 35-1
Malachi Toney, LaNorris Sellers: 40-1
Demond Williams Jr.: 45-1
Austin Mack: 50-1
Rocco Becht, Kevin Jennings, Bear Bachmeier: 66-1
Lincoln Kienholz, Keelon Russell, Conner Weigman, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: 80-1
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100-1
Kewan Lacy, Nico Iamaleava, Austin Simmons, Drew Mestemaker, Bo Jackson, Ahmad Hardy, Noah Fifita, Cam Coleman
125-1
Christopher Vizzina, Anthony Colandrea
150-1
Dylan Raiola, Alberto Mendoza, Kamario Taylor, Cutter Boley
175-1
CJ Bailey, Cameron Dickey
200-1
Nick Marsh, Charlie Becker, Malik Washington, Mark Fletcher Jr, Alonza Barnett, Ryan Williams, KJ Jackson
225-1
Aneyas Williams, Hollywood Smothers, Nate Frazier, Jaylen Raynor, Maddux Madsen, Mason Heintschel, J’Koby Williams, Colton Joseph, Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall, LJ Martin
250-1
Kenny Minchey
300-1
Isaac Brown, DeSean Bishop, Billy Edwards Jr., Turbo Richard
350-1
Julian Lewis
500-1
Danny Scudero, Nick Minicucci, Jordan Faison, Broc Lowry, Dylan Riley, Caden Creel
