📰🏟️ Legendary February

Good afternoon. The top-five sports stories of the day are at your fingertips. Just keep scrolling.

—Kyle

1) It’s a major weekend for sports (and NBC)

The Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in Milan, Italy. A full slate of Olympic events will begin on Saturday and run for the next 15 days straight, with coverage on NBC and Peacock (see the full schedule).

• On Sunday, NBC will also broadcast Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, in a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl that featured a last-second goal-line interception by Patriots CB Malcom Butler.
• Looking further ahead: NBC is also scheduled to host the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15. 
• Viewers can expect to see a lot of Mike Tirico, who’s been tapped to host the all three major NBC events this month.

NBC prepares for a "Legendary February"

2) The NBA trade deadline is in a few hours

NBA front offices have been hard at work since our last send, with just a couple hours remaining before the trade deadline this afternoon. Over the past 24 hours:

• Dallas Mavericks F Anthony Davis was reportedly traded to the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal involving five draft picks.
• LA Clippers G Chris Paul was reportedly dealt to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets.
• Atlanta Hawks C Kristaps Porzingis was reportedly traded to the Golden State Warriors for F Jonathan Kuminga and G Buddy Hield.
• 76ers G Jared McCain was reportedly sent to the OKC Thunder for a first-round pick and three seconds.

Keep track of all the action

3) Top NHL prospect charged with felony

Penn State F Gavin McKenna, the consensus first overall pick in this June’s NHL draft, was charged with felony aggravated assault and other counts over an alleged altercation in downtown State College.

• Police said McKenna, 18, allegedly struck a 21-year-old male in the face, resulting in facial injuries—reportedly a broken jaw—that required surgery.
• The alleged incident happened on Jan. 31, the same day a PSU game at the school’s football stadium drew 74,575 fans, the second-largest college hockey crowd ever.

Read more

4) College hoops teams are historically dominant

As the calendar flips to February, the top-performing teams in men’s college basketball continue to remain far above their peers.

• The AP Top 10 had a combined 36 losses, on average, in the first poll of February over the three years prior to 2026. 
• But this year, those teams have just 18 losses.
• There’s been three instances this season where at least four D1 teams with a 19-1 record or better played on the same day. 
• Prior to 2025-26, that had happened only three times this century, per OptaStats.

Inside CBB’s historical dominance

5) Tigers sign SP Framber Valdez to record deal

Valdez, a 2x All-Star SP with a 3.36 ERA across eight seasons with Houston, reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $115M.

• The $38.3M average annual value for Valdez sets an MLB record for left-handed pitchers.
• Speaking of Tigers lefties: ace SP Tarik Skubal’s historic arbitration hearing took place yesterday, with a decision expected shortly on whether Skubal will receive $19M or $32M from Detroit this season (his last before free agency).

Can the Tigers restore the roar?

🔥🎓 In Partnership with Life Chiropractic College West

A career with 20-hour weeks at $150k+?

Looking for a fulfilling career? Chiropractic checks every box. It offers six-figure income, flexible schedules, and an AI-proof skill (seriously, would you trust a robot with your spine?).

With campuses in CA and NE, Life West was named the top chiropractic college of 2025. Their clinically inspired curriculum offers early hands-on experience and the world’s leading chiropractic preceptorship program.