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Be Quiet, My Show Is On 

What’s going on: You probably don’t understand the rules of every Winter Olympic sport — but you don’t need to know the ins and outs of curling to follow the scandal sweeping the Games and the internet. It all started last week when Sweden accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of cheating during a match by making an illegal move in which the granite stone is tapped after release. Kennedy responded to the accusation in the least Canadian way possible: denying any wrongdoing and adding a very loud “f*ck off” (and yes, there’s video). He’s not letting the allegation slide, and that would be fair if… there wasn’t evidence that appears to show the move in question. The scandal doesn’t stop there. Canadian curler Rachel Homan also got called out for the same thing (which she also denied) during the women’s match. How do you say “yikes” in Italian, eh? 

Our take: The drama has, well, rocked the curling world, and it’s led to all kinds of theories, including one claiming the Swedes planted a camera to catch the Canadians’ alleged cheating. But Team Sweden denies this. Wondering where the refs were? There are none. Well, sort of. There are only officials stationed at the end of the rink, and since they didn’t see the alleged move, Canada — and Kennedy — won the match. World Curling, which only issued a “verbal” warning over Kennedy’s language, temporarily assigned officials to observe the matches more closely a day after the incident. But the scandal threatens to shatter the “spirit of curling,” which relies heavily on trust, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. Maybe everyone can borrow a page from the US and Italy’s women’s curling teams, whose recent example of “pure class” proved you can settle things without throwing rocks, or should we say, stones.

Related: Speaking of Olympic Scandals, There Might Be New Evidence in “Penisgate” (USA Today)

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Why is the NFL putting a lid on team report cards?

Since 2023, athletes in the NFL Players Association have rated their current team on topics like food and dining, treatment of families, training staff, and ownership, using public “report cards.” In the past, the public scrutiny of these ratings has brought actual change to NFL teams, including bolstering training staff, increasing cafeteria offerings, and improving areas to accommodate players’ families on game days. But earlier this month, all 32 teams received a memo stating that the union’s effectively banned from publishing the report cards. It comes after the players’ association was found to have “violated terms of the [CBA], deeming the publication of the report cards to be disparaging toward clubs and individuals.” While the report cards will still be collected, they won’t be released for the public anymore, and many are now asking: Will the checks and balances on the NFL still be as effective without public scrutiny?

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In Her Court

We caught up with Olympian Amber Glenn ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games, where she’s since won gold with Team USA. Glenn, who came out as bisexual and pansexual in 2019, opened up about her advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community.

“I was a bit fearful of how I might be perceived by people at competitions. But the support outweighed any sort of hate that I’ve ever gotten, because people are always going to be hateful no matter what you do. So, might as well be you and live your truth than try and be something you’re not.”

PS: Learn more from Glenn, including what makes these Olympics so different and her thoughts on Heated Rivalry, in the full interview here.

Don't Miss a Moment

Winter Olympic events that should be on your radar (all times ET and on Peacock). For more, check out theSkimm’s full Olympic schedule here.

⛸️ Thurs., Feb 19: Women’s single free skating (medal event) at 1 pm.

🏒 Thurs., Feb 19: Team USA women’s hockey will compete for the gold medal at 1:10 pm.

🥌 Sun., Feb 22: Women’s curling finals at 5:05 am.

Psst…here’s the latest medal count.

Just Trust Us

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If you saw us running errands in anything other than these under-$40 joggers, no, you didn’t. 

No Notes

Skimmed by Maria del Carmen Corpus, Mallory Simon, and Kylie McConville. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.