Super Bowl commercials have been brands' big moment ever since Apple's groundbreaking "1984" ad. Four decades and one fractured media landscape later, that real estate is more valuable than ever.
By the numbers: The price for a 30-second slot was roughly $6 million this year, and some sold for a record $7 million. Crypto and gambling companies are expected to make a big splash.
A Ukrainian skeleton athlete on Friday displayed a small sign that read "No War in Ukraine" after he finished his race at the Winter Olympics, AP reports.
Driving the news: "It’s my position. Like any normal people, I don’t want war," Vladyslav Heraskevych told AP after his competition. "I want peace in my country, and I want peace in the world. It’s my position, so I fight for that. I fight for peace."
The Russian Olympic Committee vowed Friday to take "exhaustive measures" to protect the figure skating team's Winter Olympics gold medal after star skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance, per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Valieva, 15, was in the ROC group that beat the U.S. into second place in the team figure skating competition on Monday, but a "legal issue" delayed the scheduled medal ceremony, officials said. The ITA confirmed Friday that this was due to Valieva testing positive for trimetazidine.
The Team USA women's hockey team overcame a tough challenge from the Czech Republic to win 4-1 in their quarterfinals clash at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday.
U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin may be out of super-G medal contention at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but she told NBC on Friday: "I proved to myself that I can still trust my instincts a bit."
The big picture: The two-time Olympic Alpine gold medalist had never competed in the super-G before, but it was the first time in three events at the 2022 Beijing Games that she had completed a race, finishing ninth with a time of 1 minute, 14.30 seconds. She also spoke of how moved she'd been by the support she's received this week.
American Shaun White capped off his snowboarding career on Friday, finishing fourth in the men's halfpipe competition at the Beijing Olympics.
Driving the news: White announced last week that this would be his final competition, citing recurring knee and back injuries as a factor in his decision.
The NCAA said Thursday that it will not change its policy on eligibility requirements for transgender swimmers ahead of this year's championships, clearing the way for the University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas to compete at nationals.
Why it matters: The move comes amid renewed controversy over transgender participation in elite sports, spurred by the success of Thomas, a 22-year-old transgender woman who has broken several records in the pool this season.
Eileen Gu, the Chinese American freestyle skier who won big air gold for China this week, has become one of Beijing 2022's key figures.
Why it matters: Olympians choosing one country over another is nothing new, but they're not typically the face of the host nation — or at the center of a rift between the world's two biggest economies.
"The metaverse" has become a catch-all term to describe virtual recreations of our world. Now the Brooklyn Nets are getting in on the action with "The Netaverse."
Why it matters: While "The Netaverse" isn't fully immersive yet (i.e. it's on the TV broadcast, not a VR headset), the camera technology used to create a 3D rendering of the court could change how we watch basketball.
Justin Schoenefeld, Ashley Caldwell and Chris Lillis won gold in mixed team aerial freestyle skiing for Team USA during the Beijing Winter Olympics on Thursday, the country's first win in an aerials event since 1998.
By the numbers: The team scored a total score of 338.34, beating out China and third-place Canada for the long-awaited gold. It was the third gold medal the U.S. won on Thursday in Beijing.
The big picture: The 22-year-old was given a standing ovation at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium after his free skate, in which he pulled off all five of his quads, performing to a medley from the "Rocket Man" movie soundtrack.
The big picture: Kim grabbed the finals lead with a 94.00 after her first run and never relinquished it despite scoring under 30 points on her final two runs.
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