Sports

NPR reports: U.S. figure skaters won the bronze medal in the team event on Monday, in an action-packed tournament that saw Mirai Nagasu land a historic jump – and in which Adam Rippon and other Americans showed they’re in fine form at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The final results on Monday mirrored the tally from the qualifying rounds one day …

People Magazine reports: Figure skater Adam Rippon and skier Gus Kenworthy made history on Friday as the two first openly gay U.S. athletes to qualify for the Winter Olympics. And the significance of marching with the massive Team USA at the opening ceremony in PyeongChang isn’t lost on the Olympians. The pals shared several Twitter shots of themselves at the …

The New York Daily News reports: They have not even been invited yet, but several Eagles players have already said they will not celebrate their historic Super Bowl victory with President Trump. “No, I’m not going to the White House,” Chris Long said. “Are you kidding me?” Malcolm Jenkins, Torrey Smith, and two-time boycotters LeGarrette Blount and Long, who sat …

USA Today reports: Mike Pence was so concerned about the criticism he received from U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon that his staff went to the extraordinary length of asking the U.S. Olympic Committee to set up a conversation between the two – an offer Rippon turned down. According to two people with knowledge of the situation who were not …

The Hill reports: Freeskier Gus Kenworthy, one of the first two openly gay male athletes to represent the U.S. at the Winter Olympics, told Ellen Degeneres that he things Vice President Mike Pence is a “bad fit” to lead the U.S. delegation to Pyeongchang, South Korea this month. Kenworthy’s comments echoed those of figure skater Adam Rippon, who has harshly …

CNN reports: Ivanka Trump will lead the Presidential delegation to South Korea for the closing ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic winter games, a White House official told CNN Monday. The first daughter and senior adviser was asked to attend the closing ceremony by her father, President Donald Trump, and the United States Olympic Committee, the official said. Vice President …

Cyd Zeigler reports at Outsports: In cities around the world, bars bearing the name “Eagle” are gay — and usually gay leather — bars. New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Dallas, and many other cities have local dives bearing the name “Eagle.” One city that doesn’t have one? Philadelphia. There, The Bike Stop has been the big gay leather bar …

The Louisville Courier Journal reports: Kentucky State Police made a joke Sunday about anal rape in an anti-drunk driving tweet tied to the Super Bowl. “Enjoy watching Rob Gronkowski (TE) play but if you drink & drive … your tight end may end up in jail!” the tweet said. Attached was a slow-motion gif of a bar of soap hitting …

Thrillist raves: During Sunday’s Super Bowl you’ll see close-ups of players on the sidelines. They’re celebrating, walking through plays, and sometimes yelling at each other. The broadcast would be greatly enhanced by getting to spy on them, having the opportunity to hear what Tom Brady is saying to Danny Amendola between plays. Bad Lip Reading is letting you do that. …

“This guy was in a boy band, I think his son will be much more qualified to be in a boy band. It’s a lot safer on stage than it is on a football field, right? Come on, this is indicative of the way the elites see football, and tough sports and manhood, frankly. You learn things when you get …

Retired NFL Hall Of Fame quarterback Brett Favre issued a sobering assessment ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl: “How do you make the game safer? You don’t play. You know, I mean, is that going to happen? No, I think the NFL is here to stay, obviously. And that being said, I think we, we have started the ball rolling, …

Because this year the Super Bowl won’t be on Fox. CNN reports: President Trump has decided not to participate in a Super Bowl Sunday interview this weekend. “He is not doing a Super Bowl interview,” a White House official told CNN on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. Sources at NBC affirmed that their interview requests have been turned down. But …

Business Insider reports: After being knocked out from the Australian Open in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, American breakout tennis star Tennys Sandgren blasted the media for its coverage of him in recent days. Sandgren, 26, made a surprise run through the Australian Open, but faced scrutiny over past Twitter use that seemed to support the alt-right movement. Previous tweets and …

USA Today reports: Polo Ralph Lauren unveiled Team USA’s Olympic parade uniforms Monday and social media haters can leave the ugly sweater jokes back in Sochi. Roundly mocked in 2014 for a chaotic, patchwork cardigan sweater, the brand went classic red, white and blue this time around for the opening ceremony and white for the closing parade of athletes in …

We need a little silliness today. NBC News reports: Three gymnasts are proving there’s more than one way to put on your pants in the morning. British Olympic medal-winning gymnast Nile Wilson is going viral after posting a video of him and fellow gymnasts Ashley Watson and Luke Stoney ‘getting dressed.’ The video shows the trio performing more and more …

USA Today reports: Adam Rippon, the 2016 U.S. men’s figure skating champion who is believed to be the first openly gay U.S. Winter Olympian, criticized the White House’s selection of Vice President Mike Pence to lead the 2018 U.S. Olympic delegation to South Korea in a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports Tuesday night. “You mean Mike Pence, the same …

From the far-right Charisma News: Minutes after throwing the game-winning touchdown pass in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game in Atlanta, Alabama Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t hesitant to give God the credit. “I was praying,” Tagovailoa says. “I was speaking in tongues. It kept me calm.” He continued: “I would say my poise comes from my faith. I just …

NPR reports: As of Sunday morning, 28-year-old figure skater Adam Rippon will be the first openly gay man to compete for the United States in the Winter Olympics. Despite a disappointing fourth-place performance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday night, Rippon was selected to join Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou in Pyeongchang next month. “I’m really grateful that the …

Q News Magazine reports: Australian tennis champion Margaret Court has remained defiant in her opposition to marriage equality. The 24-time Grand Slam winner, who is now a pastor in Perth, told the Herald Sun that same-sex marriage was a “trend” and Australia “will pay” for its decision to legalise it in December. “I think there will be a price to …

The Associated Press reports: Papa John’s founder John Schnatter will step down as CEO next month, about two months after he criticized the NFL leadership over national anthem protests by players — comments for which the company later apologized. Schnatter will be replaced as chief executive by Chief Operating Officer Steve Ritchie on Jan. 1, the company announced Thursday. Schnatter, …