Axios

A big change is coming to Major League Baseball, and you can get an early glimpse of it at Spring Training in the Valley.

The big picture: The MLB is debuting the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System to reduce missed calls on balls and strikes this season.

• It aims to improve fairness on borderline judgements, especially in critical situations.

State of play: The new technology and challenge protocol is being used at all Spring Training games this year.

• Five Cactus League facilities tested it last year and it's been used in the minor leagues since 2022.

How it works: Each team starts with two challenges. The batter, pitcher or catcher can initiate a review by tapping their helmet or cap immediately after the call.

The Milan Cortina Olympics were a showcase for growth and inclusion in winter sports, but the infrastructure that keeps those sports alive is on thin ice.

Why it matters: If warming weather trends continue, the map of where people can learn to curl, play hockey, or ski will be limited.

America is celebrating its first U.S. men's hockey gold since the '80s, toppling Canada with a clutch overtime goal amid historically sharp tensions between the neighboring nations.

The big picture: The victory was extra sweet for the MAGA world, which swiftly seized the win as an opportunity to roast Ottawa — and uplift Team USA's star player Jack Hughes' patriotism after calling out other athletes for criticizing the current state of the country.

The Bay Area erupted in raucous cheers this week after hometown hero Alysa Liu ended a 24-year U.S. drought in women's figure skating at the Milan Olympics.

Why it matters: Liu, a Richmond native who grew up skating in Oakland and San Francisco, is bringing home gold as the first American Olympic champion since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Indiana lawmakers say they have reached a tentative deal with the Chicago Bears to build an NFL stadium in Hammond.

Why it matters: It would be a historic move — for both the Bears and Northwest Indiana.

For most of us, 40 is the new 30. For elite athletes at this year's Winter Olympics, 40 is something else entirely: rare air.

Why it matter: The Games aren't just a showcase of peak performance anymore. They're a test of longevity. How long can greatness last?

Los Angeles — After years of attempts, the NBA may have finally found a competitive All-Star game format.

Why it matters: The National Basketball Association may have saved the contest, which is the final game of All-Star Weekend, from a viewership and interest decline akin to the NFL's Pro Bowl, which averaged only 2 million viewers and aired on a Tuesday earlier this year.

The International Olympic Committee's protest guidelines are reigniting debate over how far Olympians can go in making political statements at the Games after a Ukrainian athlete was disqualified for wearing a helmet honoring athletes killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Why it matters: The IOC's decision underscores the balancing act the organization must strike between enforcing political neutrality and navigating athletes' freedom of expression about global conflicts and politics.

Drones and other tech advances are reshaping how viewers from around the world experience the Winter Olympics.

Why it matters: New camera angles can pull the audience into the athlete's perspective, making the sheer intensity and speed of events like skiing and bobsled easier to grasp.

House Republicans are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance, suggesting the content and lyrics of the Puerto Rican star's show were "illegal."

The big picture: Many of the explicit lyrics cited by Bad Bunny critics are literal translations of his songs but were not actually performed during the February 8 halftime show.