US national anthem booed before NBA, NHL games in Canada despite tariff pause
TORONTO (AP) — Fans booed the American national anthem before NHL and NBA games in Canada on Tuesday night, a sign that some Canadians were still upset despite President Donald Trump’s 30-day pause on tariff threats against Mexico and Canada. Boos echoed through Rogers Arena in Vancouver as singer Elizabeth Irving launched into the opening notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the NHL’s Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Fans cheered as she finished the song and the applause grew louder as Irving began “O Canada.” It was one of three arenas where the U.S. national anthem was jeered. A few fans booed before the Toronto Raptors hosted the New York Knicks.
Trump to sign executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing
President Donald Trump is signing an executive order designed to prevent people who were biologically assigned male at birth from participating in women’s or girls’ sporting events. Wednesday’s order, which Trump is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony, marks another aggressive shift by the president’s second administration in the way the federal government deals with transgender people and their rights. The president put out a sweeping order on his first day in office last month that called for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and in policies such as federal prison assignments.
Jayson Tatum scores 22, Celtics hold off Cavaliers 112-105 in matchup of Eastern Conference’s best
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Derrick White added 20 and the Boston Celtics showed their championship makeup down the stretch with a 112-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top teams. The defending NBA titlists executed in the final minutes and held off the Cavs, who lost for just the fourth time in 28 home games. Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and Jaylen Brown 16 with nine rebounds as Boston won its fourth straight and improved to 2-1 against Cleveland this season. Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Darius Garland 25 for the Cavs, who cut a 15-point deficit to four in the fourth quarter.
NFL referees union calls allegations of bias toward the Chiefs ‘insulting’
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The head of the union representing NFL officials calls allegations that officiating crews are biased in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs or any other team “insulting and preposterous.” NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green released a statement on Tuesday thanking Commissioner Roger Goodell for dismissing the allegations and responding to “conspiracy theories” on social media about favoritism to the Chiefs. A handful of high-profile calls in the playoffs that have gone in Kansas City’s favor have fueled the theories of favoritism. But a deeper look at all penalties shows no signs of systematic bias.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are 1 year away. One venue remains uncertain
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The century-old sliding center being completely rebuilt for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games is pushing the deadline really tight. So tight that the IOC has gone so far as to demand a Plan B option that would require moving bobsled, luge and skeleton events all the way to Lake Placid, New York, if the track in Italy isn’t finished in time. Thursday marks exactly one year to go before the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium and the track in Cortina is still a half-completed construction site. The IOC has set a March deadline for pre-certification of the Cortina track and nobody is saying for sure if it will pass the test.
NFL is stenciling ‘Choose Love’ in an end zone for the Super Bowl to uplift country after tragedies
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NFL is stenciling “Choose Love” in the back of one of the end zones at the Superdome for the Super Bowl on Sunday in an effort to encourage the country after a series of tragedies over the first six weeks of the year. “It Takes All of Us” will be stenciled in the other end zone as it’s been since the league began using field stencils in 2020 for the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative. Teams this season have selected “Vote,” “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” or “Choose Love” for the other end zone.
Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40: A look at the soccer great through the years
Cristiano Ronaldo started out as a skinny winger with floppy hair, quick feet and outrageous skills as he wowed the world at the age of 17 after moving to Manchester United. He developed at Real Madrid into perhaps the most famous athlete on the planet and one of soccer’s greatest ever goal-scorers. He is still going strong heading into his fifth decade. Cristiano Ronaldo has turned 40 and the goals are still flowing for the Portugal superstar in the twilight of his career for his national team and his Saudi club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo might yet stick around for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico when he’ll be 41½.