Phil Mickelson apologized Tuesday for comments about Saudi Arabia that he says he thought were off the record, and said he needs "some time away" from professional golf.
Catch up quick: Mickelson landed in hot water last week when an excerpt from an upcoming biography about him was published, ESPN reported. In it, Mickelson discussed his decision to get involved with a potential new Saudi-backed golf league — despite Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.
Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest was an atrocity. Guys struggled to complete their dunks, which lacked creativity, and it was legitimately hard to watch on TV, let alone from inside the eerily quiet arena.
Driving the news: Some are calling for the event to be canceled, or at least put on hiatus, which actually has precedent.
U.S. women's national soccer team players settled their gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation on Monday for $24 million, the bulk of which will go toward backpay for the players, both sides announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: It concludes a yearslong fight between the federation and the players, including key members of the 2019 World Cup-winning women's team, ending with a promise from the federation to equalize pay between the men's and women's team in all competitions, including the World Cup.
An average of 10.7 million people watched the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on NBC in primetime over the past few weeks, the network announced on Monday. Including NBC's streaming and digital platforms, that number ticked up to 11.4 million.
Why it matters: It's the smallest primetime audience for any Winter Olympic Games on record.
Beijing mostly got what it wanted from the Winter Olympics — a smooth Games without a major COVID outbreak. But political and human rights controversies were never far from the surface.
Why it matters: The Chinese government has poured billions of dollars into new infrastructure, facilities and COVID testing for the Winter Olympics, hoping the investment would pay off with a boost to China's international image.
