Axios

The NFL scriptwriters outdid themselves again on Sunday, crafting two more thrilling episodes of America's favorite TV show.

The big picture: From unprecedented parity during the regular season, to unparalleled drama in the playoffs, the question must be asked: Has the NFL ever been better?

Rafael Nadal's pursuit of a record 21st major championship was on life support in Melbourne. Then he reminded the world what a champion looks like.

Match recap: Nadal, seeded sixth, rallied back from a two-set deficit to take down No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, in Sunday's epic final.

Blue Wire, a sports podcast company founded in 2018, is adding two athlete-driven NBA shows to its lineup, Axios has learned.

Driving the news: "Road Trippin," starring former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, and "The Long Shot," hosted by Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, are now under the Blue Wire umbrella.

U.S. snowboarder Shaun White will be participating in his fifth and final Winter Olympics in Beijing at age 35, and will be looking to earn his fourth gold.

Driving the news: Getting to Beijing was no easy feat, as White struggled with injuries and a bout with COVID in December. Now, the three-time gold medalist will try to go out on top against the next generation.

The upcoming Beijing Olympics will feature seven new events in five sports, ​​bringing the Games’ total number of events to a record 109.

The big picture: Many of the new events are mixed and the advent of more mixed events is part of an effort to increase gender equality at the Games.

Health experts are worried the Beijing Olympics face the perfect conditions for a COVID outbreak, due to the lightning-fast spread of Omicron, vaccines' weakened protection against the variant, and a mentality that the Games must go on in spite of the risks.

Why it matters: These Games boast a "closed-loop system" that has been called the strictest ever created for a global sporting event. But China's protocols seem more focused on keeping COVID from escaping the loop than protecting those inside it, critics say.

Beijing officials announced Sunday that they have sealed off several residential areas where two COVID-19 cases were detected, AP reported.

Why it matters: Government officials have urged local districts to maintain "full emergency mode" as coronavirus cases continue to be detected in the run-up to the opening of the Beijing Games on Friday.

Spain's Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev late Sunday to win the 2022 Australian Open men's singles.

Why it matters: Nadal, 35, claims his 21st Grand Slam title, breaking a three-way record for most titles that he held with Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Switzerland's Roger Federer.