Axios

President Biden in his annual Super Bowl interview Sunday told NBC the NFL "should be held to a reasonable standard" when it comes to its racial hiring practices.

Why it matters: The NFL has long been criticized for its lack of Black coaches. Despite Black players making up a majority of the league, there are currently three people of color with head coaching jobs, per NBC, and the majority of roles are held by white men.

There will be 45 million more potential legal sports bettors Sunday than during last year's Super Bowl. That translates to about 31.5 million people betting $7.6 billion on the big game, the American Gaming Association estimates, per the AP.

The big picture: Sports betting is legalizing so fast and broadly that long-resistant institutions like colleges and the NFL are getting in on the action.

Local political candidates, eager to boost their name recognition in competitive races, are buying regional ads to run during the Super Bowl.

Why it matters: The Super Bowl is by far the most-viewed television event in America, making it a local candidate’s best opportunity to reach voters live. But many viewers — who have flocked to subscription streaming — may still be shocked to see a political ad alongside glossy Hollywood-produced car and beer commercials.

A slew of apps and games that simulate sports and casino betting are gaining popularity among children.

Why it matters: The line between gaming and gambling is getting blurrier — and social betting, which involves no real money, can lead kids to the real thing, experts say.

American speedskater Erin Jackson made history Sunday as the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal at the Winter Olympics.

The big picture: Jackson's victory at the women's 500 meters race resulted in the U.S.' first individual medal in women's speedskating since 2002. Jackson came in at 37.04 seconds, beating the 37.12-second time of Japan’s Miho Takagi. Angelina Golikova of the Russian Olympic Committee took the bronze.

Background: The 29-year-old Jackson became the first Black woman to represent the United States in speedskating at the 2018 Games. The world No. 1 nearly missed the 2022 Games after she slipped during trials, but teammate Brittany Bowe gave up her own spot to ensure Jackson could go.

The San Francisco 49ers were subject to a ransomware attack this weekend via the team's corporate IT network, a team spokesperson confirmed to The Record on Sunday.

Driving the news: On Saturday, the 49ers were listed as victims of a ransomware attack on a dark web “leak site” used by the BlackByte group to "shame victims and force them into paying their extortion demands," The Record reported.

David McCormick, the former CEO of Bridgewater Associates who is running for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat, will air a "Let’s go Brandon" ad during the Super Bowl on Sunday, Fox News first reported.

The big picture: The 30-second spot aims to underscore the problems facing the Biden administration — including inflation, rising crime rates, immigration and the U.S.' pullout from Afghanistan — while the "Let's go Brandon" chant can be heard in the background.

The Team USA men's hockey team beat Team Canada, 4-2, in a preliminary round showdown at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Saturday, beating their rivals for the first time since 2010.

The big picture: Day 8 of the Games saw Team USA win its fifth gold medal in Beijing — Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner came from behind to win the first-ever mixed team snowboard cross.

Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva's eligibility hearing after testing positive for a banned substance will be held Sunday with a decision on her status for the women's individual competition expected to come the next day, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said in a statement.

Driving the news: Valieva, 15, tested positive for trimetazidine after last December's Russian national championships and had been provisionally suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) before winning an appeal.

The big picture: Valieva is the favorite to win the women's individual competition which starts Tuesday, but could still be suspended for her positive drug test.

• The panel of arbitrators will meet Sunday and consider an appeal filed by several groups, including the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. The groups have challenged the RUSADA's decision to lift Valieva's appeal, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Russia has had an extensive history of doping, and in 2020 was banned from using its name and flag at the Olympics because of its state-run doping program.

• Valieva and her teammates had won gold in the team competition competing as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), but the medal ceremony was delayed.
• If the appeal is successful and the ROC's gold medal is stripped, Team USA would likely see its silver medal upgraded to gold and Japan's bronze bumped to silver.
• Team Canada, which finished fourth, would get the bronze medal.

What they're saying: Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze, told Russia’s state-run TV network that "this is a very complicated and controversial situation," the Times reports.

• “There are many questions and very few answers," she said.
• “I wanted to say that we are absolutely confident that Kamila is innocent and clean," Tutberidze added.

The ROC has also defended Valieva, saying that she "repeatedly passed doping tests" in Beijing, CNN reports.

• "The doping test of an athlete who tested positive does not apply to the period of the Olympic Games. At the same time, the athlete repeatedly passed doping tests before and after December 25, 2021, including while already in Beijing during the figure skating tournament. All the results are negative," the ROC statement said.
• "The Russian Olympic Committee is taking comprehensive measures to protect the rights and interests of the members of the ROC Team, and to keep the honestly won Olympic gold medal."

Americans Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner captured the gold medal on Sunday in the debut of the mixed team snowboard cross at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Driving the news: It was Team USA's fifth gold medal of these Games and Jacobellis' second gold after she won the women's snowboard cross Wednesday.

The Chicago White Sox are mandating all minor league players receive a COVID-19 booster shot, becoming the first team in MLB to issue a requirement, ESPN reports.

Driving the news: The team said that players who do not comply "will not be able to participate" in spring training, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ESPN.

Super Bowl LVI is a homecoming of sorts, as the NFL's marquee event returns to La La Land 55 years after its birth.

The backdrop: The first Super Bowl was played at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 1967, a 35-10 win for the Packers over the Chiefs. It was last there in 1993, when the Cowboys beat the Bills, 52-17, at the Rose Bowl.