All They Want For the Olympics Is Gold

Olympics

All They Want For the Olympics Is Gold

What’s going on: Ciao to our old personalities, the Milano Cortina Olympics have arrived — and Team USA’s women’s hockey team wasted no time setting the tone. They iced the Czech Republic 5-1, and star player Laila Edwards already made history (with her family there, thanks in part to the Kelce bros). The US women’s hockey team has medaled at every Olympics since the sport debuted in 1998. But Canada took gold in Beijing — and well, Team USA remembers that cigar celebration. With a tournament that spans all 19 days, the American women have both time and a score to settle. Not everyone had the opening battle they hoped for. The Finland women’s team had to postpone their first matchup after more than half the players got norovirus. Talk about a gut punch. 

Tell me more: The hockey team isn’t the only squad of women about to take over your screen. Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu, and Isabeau Levito, aka “The Blade Angels,” represent the best chance to end a 20-year US medal drought in women’s figure skating. No pressure. Lindsey Vonn, who tore her ACL right before the games, is bringing elite comeback drama and energy. Exhibit A: This emotional workout video she posted. Snowboarder Chloe Kim, whose high-fashion cover shoot deserves a medal, is riding for a three-peat in the halfpipe. American bobsled athletes and moms, Elana Meyers Taylor (the most decorated Black athlete in the Winter Olympics) and Kaillie Humphries, are back for their fifth Olympics. All this talent has us so amped, we almost want to ski up a mountain, which is now an Olympic sport.

Related: What’s This About “Penis-Gate” at the Olympics? (The Guardian)

The News in 5

🗞️ The world’s largest jeweler is breaking up with its signature metal. It’s not you, it’s the price.  

🗞️ A nuclear pact between Russia and the US just expired — and experts warn it could set off a nuclear arms race.

🗞️ A federal jury has ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said one of the company’s drivers raped her, a verdict that could pave the way for thousands of similar lawsuits.

🗞️ TrumpRx is live, and it could change how you buy your prescriptions. Here’s the fine print.

🗞️ The Louvre released images of the damage Empress Eugénie’s crown suffered during that viral heist. Sacre bleu.

Sports

Bienvenidos al Super Bowl

What’s going on: The internet is full of comments that a silly football game is interrupting a Bad Bunny concert. But jokes aside, history will be made at Super Bowl LX on Sunday when Benito takes the stage. Bad Bunny’s expected to be the first artist to perform the halftime show entirely in Spanish. The moment will apparently cap off his Saturn return (which, if you know, you know) — and will come exactly a week after he won the most coveted Grammy award for his love letter to Puerto Rico, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. While he could be having a worse week, not everyone’s going to be singing along. Some football fans have argued the NFL should’ve picked someone who sings in English or is a US citizen (which Bad Bunny is), sparking a conservative alternative to the halftime show. 

Tell me more: The rhetoric surrounding Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance comes amid the Trump administration’s violent immigration crackdown. But art, especially music, has always had a political side, which Benito hasn’t shied away from. Just last week, he received a standing ovation after saying, “ICE out” during his Grammys acceptance speech. Despite the halftime show criticism, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stood by Bad Bunny, and the Puerto Rican performer is doubling down. For the Spanish music and Latino community, the performance is expected to mark a huge moment of representation at a time when many feel unwelcome and under attack. Colombian artist J Balvin said, “If he wins, I win, we all win, and not just Latinos, but all the immigrants in the US.”

Related: Could Cardi B Join Bad Bunny on Stage? (San Francisco Chronicle)

Sports

The Commercials Have the Ball Now

What’s going on: Brands shelling out big money for Super Bowl commercials have already started dropping teasers, and honestly? We’re hooked. Some ads spark delight (like Andy Samberg singing about mayo). Others make you mutter, “Who approved this?” (Liquid Death and Manscaped, we are looking directly at you. That drain hairball lives rent-free in our nightmares.) Some Hollywood A-listers are making their Super Bowl debut — we see you George Clooney for GrubHub, squaring off against seasoned ad vets like Uber Eats’ Matthew McConaughey and Bradley Cooper. Ben Affleck returns to Dunkin’ with his flawless Good Will Hunting era Boston accent — and a few unexpected Friends in tow. And yes, comparing a commercial to a warm hug sounds dramatic. But something about the Budweiser Clydesdales and a revived Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola rivalry hits pure nostalgia. 

Tell me more: Super Bowl commercials double as a shared cultural moment — a chance to push boundaries while capturing the now. AI wars will be on full display, with real bot-generated content and brands like Chipotle spoofing ads using the technology. Companies know they have to compete with their fellow advertisers, bathroom breaks, massive food spreads, and loud parties for the viewers’ attention. It’s why the early rollout (a commercial teasing a commercial — what a time to be alive) allows brands to expand their big game impact before the first snap even happens. 

Related: What This Year’s Super Bowl Feast Is Going To Cost You (CNN)

On Our Calendar

A few things to jot down today…

🗓️ The Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off today at 2 pm ET. Here’s when and where to watch all of your favorite sports.

🗓️ Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” music video dropped today, but feel free to do your own moves.  

🗓️ It’s National Wear Red Day. An opportunity to raise awareness for heart health and wear your Valentine’s sweater a week early.

Psst…For more dates worth knowing this week, check out the Skimm+ calendar.

Know It All

Which team are you rooting for in Sunday's big game?

Skimm'd by: Rashaan Ayesh, Mallory Simon, Stephanie Gallman, Maria del Carmen Corpus, and Marina Carver. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.