Playing football will always come with inherent risk, but the NFL's efforts to make the sport safer are bearing fruit — and further advancements could be on the way.
Driving the news: There were 187 total concussions this season, continuing a promising downward trend. For reference, the average 2015–2017 was 266 per year.
MLB is considering adding an international draft to the next CBA in hopes of fixing a system that has spiraled out of control.
Why it matters: Big league rosters are littered with Latin American players, but the path to the pros for prospects from the region is fraught with corruption.
Lindsey Jacobellis won the women's snowboard cross on Wednesday to earn the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal of the 2022 Beijing Games.
The big picture: The 36-year-old from Connecticut is the most decorated snowboard cross athlete ever, but this is her first Olympic gold. She's also the oldest Olympian to win a snowboarding medal, NBC Sports notes.
The big picture: The 24-year-old's achievement is all the more remarkable, given he nearly died in a 2016 car crash in rural Idaho that severely injured his brain. He also had broken multiple bones and was placed in a medically induced coma for three days.
A "legal issue" has delayed the medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition at the Beijing Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee and International Skating Union announced on Wednesday.
The intrigue: No details were immediately given as to why Tuesday's scheduled ceremony for the Russian Olympic Committee team's gold, Team USA's silver and Japan's bronze medals did not take place.
Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not face criminal charges for allegedly beating and sexually abusing a San Diego woman after prosecutors said they were unable to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, AP reports.
Driving the news: The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office went over evidence from the civil restraining order proceedings and witness statements before determining there wasn't enough evidence to win a conviction, per AP.
Why it matters: Ski jumping jumpsuits have been controversial because the rules governing what can and cannot be worn are hyper-specific and often include specifications many athletes feel are sexist.
MLB has stopped testing players for steroids for the first time in nearly 20 years because the league's drug agreement expired during the lockout, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: While a new agreement should be in place by Opening Day, players could attempt to use performance-enhancing drugs during this dark period, which began on Dec. 2 when the lockout became official.
Jessie Diggins became the first U.S. woman to win an individual Olympic medal in cross-country skiing, taking bronze in the women's sprint freestyle event on Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's another history-making Olympic moment for Diggins, who helped secure the first-ever U.S. team gold in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The big picture: Chen's score of 113.97 means he's well-placed for gold. It was one of several highlights for Team USA on Day 4 of the Games, as the U.S. added to its medal tally.
Skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle won Team USA an Olympic silver medal in the Super-G at the Yanqing National Alpine Center on Tuesday, 50 years after his mother's gold.
The big picture: Cochran-Siegle finished 0.04 seconds behind defending Winter Olympics champion Matthias Mayer of Austria. Cochran-Siegle's mother, Barbara Cochran, won gold in the slalom at the 1972 Games.
