📰🏟️ World of Tanks

Good afternoon. Today’s edition brings you the top news from around the sports world. Let’s get right to it.

—Kyle

1) Team USA makes history at the Winter Olympics

Team USA had a huge day in Italy on Tuesday, winning five medals across five different sports on the same day at the Winter Olympics for the first time ever.

• America secured three silver medals in curling, freeskiing, and cross-country skiing, along with a pair of bronzes in the luge and alpine skiing events.
• Team USA now ranks third in overall medals (10) and number of golds (3).
• Norway, who’s won the medal count in each of the past three Winter Games, leads the way with 13 medals and seven golds.

Inside Team USA’s historic day

2) Super Bowl LX viewership numbers are in

The big game drew an average of 124.9 million viewers, down slightly from last year's record number but still ranking as the second most-watched Super Bowl of all time, new Nielsen data shows. 

• Bad Bunny's halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers, the fourth-most of all time.
• Super Bowl LX also set an “all-time media record" with 137.8 million viewers in the second quarter, marking the “highest peak viewership in US TV history," per NBC.
• It’s the first Super Bowl to be reported using Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel methodology, which typically boosts viewership by 5%-10% vs. previous methods.

How did Kid Rock’s show compare?

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3) Utah Jazz draw ire for blatant tanking

In Utah’s past two games, the Jazz (17-37) have pulled star big men Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. prior to the 4th quarter, and kept them out of the rest of the game—despite neither being injured, and both playing well with 15+ points.

• The reason for the blatant tanking? Utah’s 1st-round pick is top-8 protected, so if they land anywhere from 1-8 in the draft lottery, the pick stays with the Jazz instead of the OKC Thunder.
• Utah is one of several NBA teams clearly looking to maximize their odds of a high pick in 2026, which is widely seen as one of the most stacked draft classes this century.

The NBA’s tanking crisis is worse than ever

4) Montana LB granted record-tying 9th year of eligibility

Solomon Tuliaupupu is returning to CFB for the 2026 season after the NCAA granted him a ninth year of eligibility, Montana announced on Tuesday.

• It will be Tuliaupupu’s second season with the Grizzlies, after beginning his career with USC in 2018 with four straight season-ending injuries and also losing the 2023 season to injury.
• Tuliaupupu, 26, will tie former Oregon and Miami TE Cam McCormick (2016-2024) as the longest tenured player in CFB history.

The saga of the grizzled Grizzly

5) Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training

Pitchers and catchers are reporting to Spring Training sites across Arizona and Florida this week, officially kicking off the 2026 MLB preseason, with games set to begin on Feb. 20.

• This week has also brought a flurry of news about injured players, including Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, and the NY Mets' Francisco Lindor.
• In other MLB news: SP Justin Verlander is reuniting with the Tigers on a 1-yr, $13M deal, heading back to Detroit where the future HoF’er spent the first 12+ years of his career.

Top MLB storylines heading into Spring Training

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