MESA, AZ — It has been nearly a decade since the Chicago Cubs won the NL Central in a full season.

They have reached the postseason just three times since 2017.

And they reside in the same division as their annoying neighbors, the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the most games in baseball last season while capturing their third consecutive division title.

The Cubs know all this, but on their first day of spring training, they boldly believe they are now the team to beat in the NL Central, and perhaps become the team that can finally derail the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the words of Cubs manager Craig Counsell, they have expectations, big expectations, and they worked awfully hard to have them.

They spent $228 million this winter, the second-most money in baseball, signing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract, trading for starter Edward Cabrera, and bolstering a team that earned a wild-card berth a year ago.

“Everybody’s optimistic right now, we all should be,’’ Counsell said. “I was optimistic last year at this time, absolutely, very optimistic. And we won 92 games. That’s good. You win 92 games, you take it. That’s a playoff team.’’

It just wasn’t good enough to knock off the Brewers, the Cubs finishing five games back in the NL Central.

Yet, with the Cubs spending their most money in an offseason since 2015 − the year before they won their first World Series since 1908 − and the Brewers spending only $3 million, it’s easy to see why expectations are soaring in Chicago.

Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projects the Cubs to win the division by 10 games over the Brewers, while FanGraphs predicts the Cubs to win the division by four games over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I know the expectations are high,’’ said Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations, “which I think is great. That’s what you want. I think the excitement in camp is palpable. I think the players are talking about it and the coaches are talking about it. I think that they’re excited about our team. They’re excited about our group, both from a talent standpoint and a camaraderie standpoint.

“So many of the guys were here last year. I think they feel like we had a really good season, but there’s unfinished business. And I think in a lot of ways that’s the best kind of spring training, when there’s a hunger. I think that the expectations don’t create anxiety, they create hunger with this group, and I think this group is excited to get started.’’

The Cubs certainly created plenty of versatility and depth when they signed Bregman to play third base, moving Matt Shaw to a super-utility role where he’ll play third base, second base and the outfield, while keeping Nico Hoerner at second base. They have a solid starting rotation led by Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton (who finished second in the rookie-of-the-year balloting), Cabrera, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon, with ace Justin Steele possibly returning to the rotation as early as May. They also remain in talks with free-agent starter Zac Gallen. Gallen would not only give them a powerful top of the rotation, but provide insurance for the future with Taillon, Boyd and Imanaga eligible for free agency after the season.

“We have a lot of free agents,’’ Hoyer said, “that’s going to be a topic of conversation.’’

The Cubs also overhauled their bullpen with four new relievers − Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb and Hunter Harvey − while retaining Caleb Thielbar and anointing Danny Palencia to be their official closer.

“I know I’m ready,’’ said Palencia, who saved 22 games and struck out 61 in 52.2 innings in his first season as a closer.

Really, the Cubs will tell you, they see no reason why they shouldn’t be playing at Wrigley Field until the leaves turn brown.

“Look at the rotation, the arms we have, the depth we have,’’ Boyd said, “it’s impressive. You think about what Cade (Horton) is going to do after his year of experience. You think about what the rest of us are going to do, the adjustments that we’ve made, and the experience that we’ve gained from last season pitching into the postseason. It’s all things that will make us better, collectively.’’

It has the Cubs with World Series dreams dancing in their heads, believing that even with the loss of All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker, this team is built for a deep October run, resurrecting memories of 2016.

“That’s the expectation we hold ourselves to,’’ Boyd said. “It makes it more exciting when you know No. 3 (Bregman) is here, what he’s got to offer, Cabrera, and you go, ‘Ok, here we go.’ We know your mission. It’s the same as last year. We came up short. It was a lot of fun. It was awesome. Very grateful for it.

“But ultimately, we didn’t go where we wanted to. Doesn’t mean it was a failure. Just means we didn’t get there yet.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

Another day of competition is in the books at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Athletes from more than 90 countries are battling in 116 events over 16 days, and USA TODAY is keeping a tally of every nation finishing on the podium. Here’s a look at the latest medal standings after all the action wrapped up on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Find the upcoming medal event schedule below.

USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get our Chasing Gold newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

Broadcast coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortino Winter Olympics is airing exclusively airing across NBC’s suite of networks with many competitions airing live on its streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for here .

What is the medal count at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics?

All data accurate as of Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at 5:44 p.m.

Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games

1. Norway: 13 Total (7 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze)
2. Italy: 13 Total (4 Gold, 2 Silver, 7 Bronze)
3. United States: 12 Total (4 Gold, 6 Silver, 2 Bronze)
4. Germany: 8 Total (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze)
5. Austria: 8 Total (2 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze)
6. Japan: 8 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze)
7. Switzerland: 7 Total (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze)
8. France: 7 Total (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
9. Sweden: 6 Total (3 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
10. Canada: 4 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze)
11. Netherlands: 3 Total (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Bronze)
12. China: 3 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze)
13. Czech Republic: 2 Total (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
14. Slovenia: 2 Total (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
15. New Zealand: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
16. South Korea: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
17. Bulgaria: 2 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
18. Latvia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
19. Poland: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
20. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)
21. Finland: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)
22. Albania: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
23. Andorra: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
24. Argentina: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
25. Armenia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
26. Australia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
27. Azerbaijan: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
28. Benin: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
29. Bolivia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
30. Bosnia Herzegovina: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
31. Brazil: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
32. Chile: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
33. Chinese Taipei: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
34. Colombia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
35. Croatia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
36. Cyprus: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
37. Denmark: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
38. Ecuador: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
39. Eritrea: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
40. Estonia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
41. Georgia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
42. Great Britain: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
43. Greece: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
44. Guinea-Bissau: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
45. Haiti: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
46. Hong Kong, China: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
47. Hungary: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
48. Iceland: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
49. India: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
50. Individual Neutral Athletes: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
51. Ireland: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
52. Islamic Rep. of Iran: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
53. Israel: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
54. Jamaica: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
55. Kazakhstan: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
56. Kenya: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
57. Kosovo: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
58. Kyrgyzstan: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
59. Lebanon: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
60. Liechtenstein: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
61. Lithuania: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
62. Luxembourg: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
63. Madagascar: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
64. Malaysia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
65. Malta: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
66. Mexico: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
67. Monaco: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
68. Mongolia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
69. Montenegro: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
70. Morocco: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
71. Nigeria: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
72. North Macedonia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
73. Pakistan: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
74. Philippines: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
75. Portugal: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
76. Republic of Moldova: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
77. Romania: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
78. San Marino: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
79. Saudi Arabia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
80. Serbia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
81. Singapore: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
82. Slovakia: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
83. South Africa: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
84. Spain: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
85. Thailand: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
86. Trinidad & Tobago: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
87. Turkiye: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
88. Ukraine: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
89. United Arab Emirates: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
90. Uruguay: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
91. Uzbekistan: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
92. Venezuela: 0 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)

2026 Winter Olympics upcoming medal events schedule

Feb. 12

ALPINE SKIING: Women’s Super-G
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Moguls Final
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s 10km Interval Start Free
SNOWBOARDING: Men’s Cross Final
SPEED SKATING: Women’s 5000m
LUGE: Team Relay
SNOWBOARDING: Women’s Halfpipe Final
SHORT TRACK: Women’s 500m & Men’s

Feb. 13

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 10km Interval Start Free
BIATHLON: Men’s 10km Sprint
SNOWBOARDING: Women’s Cross Final
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 10000m
FIGURE SKATING: Men’s Free Skate
SNOWBOARDING: Men’s Halfpipe Final
SKELETON: Men’s Heat 4

Feb. 14

FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Dual Moguls Final
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s 4×7.5km Relay
ALPINE SKIING: Men’s Giant Slalom Final
BIATHLON: Women’s 7.5km Sprint
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 500m
SKELETON: Women’s Final
SKI JUMPING: Men’s Large Hill
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 1500m

Feb. 15

BIATHLON: Men’s 12.5km Pursuit
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Dual Moguls Final
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 4×7.5km Relay
ALPINE SKIING: Women’s Giant Slalom
SNOWBOARDING: Mixed Team Cross Final
BIATHLON: Women’s 10km Pursuit
SPEED SKATING: Women’s 500m
SKELETON: Mixed Team
SKI JUMPING: Women’s Large Hill

Feb. 16

SHORT TRACK: Women’s 1000m
ALPINE SKIING: Men’s Slalom
FIGURE SKATING: Pair Skating Free Skate
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Big Air Final
SKI JUMPING: Men’s Super Team Final Round
BOBSLED: Women’s Singles

Feb. 17

NORDIC COMBINED: Large Hill/10km: 10km
SNOWBOARDING: Women’s Slopestyle Final
BIATHLON: Men’s 4×7.5km Relay
SPEED SKATING: Men’s, Women’s Team Pursuit Finals
BOBSLED: Men’s Doubles

Feb. 18

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s, Men’s Team Sprint Free Final
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Aerials Final
SNOWBOARDING: Men’s Slopestyle Final
ALPINE SKIING: Women’s Slalom
BIATHLON: Women’s 4x6km Relay
SHORT TRACK: Women’s 3000m Relay
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 500m

Feb. 19

FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Aerials Final
SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Women’s, Men’s Sprint
NORDIC COMBINED: Team Sprint/Large Hill 2×7.5km
ICE HOCKEY: Women’s Final
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 1500m
FIGURE SKATING: Women’s Free Skate

Feb. 20

FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Cross Final
BIATHLON: Men’s 15km Mass Start
SPEED SKATING: Women’s 1500m
CURLING: Men’s Bronze Medal Game
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Halfpipe Final
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 5000m Relay Final
SHORT TRACK: Women’s 1500m Final

Feb. 21

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 50km Mass Start Classic
FREESTYLE SKIING: Mixed Team Aerials Final
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Cross Final
SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Mixed Relay
CURLING: Men’s Gold Medal Game, Women’s Bronze Medal Game
BIATHLON: Women’s 12.5km Mass Start
SPEED SKATING: Men’s, Women’s Mass Start
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Halfpipe Final
ICE HOCKEY: Men’s Bronze Medal Game
BOBSLED: Women’s Doubles: Heat 4

Feb. 22

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s 50km Mass Start Classic
CURLING: Women’s Gold Medal Game
BOBSLED: Men’s Quads Final
ICE HOCKEY: Men’s Gold Medal Game

MILAN – Much as they relish life in the Athletes Village at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the American men’s hockey players are ready for their games to begin.

The U.S. starts the preliminary round on Feb. 12 against Group C cohort Latvia, four days after arriving in Italy and after three practices. There are two more prelim games, then the stakes grow.

‘We’ve gotten adjusted and we’ve had some fun and hung around the village, but now it’s time to play, and that’s why we’re here,’ Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said after Wednesday’s practice at Santaguilia Ice Hockey Arena. ‘With the guys we have and the camaraderie and the team talk, I think it’s easy for us to flip it over and get right into winning mode, because that’s what we’re here for.’

Matthew Tkachuk predicted the hockey, ‘is going to be intense. Not a lot of ice. It’s going to make for some great physical, fast and competitive hockey.’

The Americans held their most intense practice since arriving on a charter last Sunday, spending about half of the hour-long practice on special teams.

‘You can see the guys are excited to play,’ coach Mike Sullivan said. ‘They’re excited to get started here and compete. We were real happy with just the level of intensity out there. We’re going to do our best to try to play the game that sets us up for success. We think we have size, we think we have speed, we think we have skill, and we’re going to try to play that game.’

Village Life

Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong defended the decision to have his players move to hotel rooms rather than stay in the village. ‘The players have always had a hotel room in all the Olympics prior to this, in Vancouver and Sochi,’ he said. ‘This is no different than the tournaments we had before. We just want to give our players that option to stay where they’re most comfortable to prepare for the games.’

The Americans are sounding a different note. Asked if there were hotel rooms available for players, U.S. men’s GM Bill Guerin said, ‘no. These guys are the best of the best. They’re professionals. They know exactly what they want and what they need. And from everything that I hear from the guys, they’re very comfortable in the village. They like being together. I think it’s great. It’s good for their camaraderie and good for their chemistry. It’s what they want. It’s not what I want or Mike want. It’s what they want and what they need to perform at their highest. And if they feel that’s it, then that’s it.’

Players have joked about the intimate quarters – ‘we’re sleeping six inches apart,’ Jake Oettinger said of he and roommate Jeremy Swayman – but consider it part of being at the Olympics.

‘We just all had that expectation of of being there and that’s how USA Hockey always has done it,’ Brady Tkachuk said. ‘For us it’s been one of the highlights – we’re all on one floor right next to each other so you just go out in the hall ,pop into the guys’ rooms and just hang out.’

Matthew Tkachuk said earlier in the week he was giving his brother ‘a kidney shot’ at night to get him to stop snoring, but ‘I’ve been sleeping great, so my kidneys have been fine,’ Brady said. ‘I haven’t woke up sore so it’s been some great sleep.’

A team bigger than your sport

The American men spent Tuesday evening cheering on the American women in their 5-0 victory over Canada.

‘I called my wife last night and said, I have a new favorite player,’ Guerin said. ‘It’s Abbey Murphy.’

Matthew Tkachuk said, ‘Caroline Harvey is like Bobby Orr. She was the best player on the ice, and it felt like by a lot. She was incredible. I got to spend some time with her today at the USA Hockey House. What a great girl, and an unbelievable player. She was awesome.’

Being at the Olympics has offered bonding unlike anything else.

‘It’s a really unique experience on so many different levels,’ Sullivan said. ‘The guys are really enjoying the opportunity to stay in the village. They get to meet other athletes that are part of the United States team that’s over here. I think you realize that you become part of a team that’s bigger than your sport.’

Coach Snoop Dogg

Among the cooler things the team has done is meet Snoop Dogg, who is serving as a honorary coach at the Games.

‘Probably one of the few people I’ve met that’s kind of larger than life,’ Larkin said. ‘You look at him, he doesn’t even look real.’

Snoop Dogg pumped up the team with a speech, mentioning the rivalry with Canada, and in general left players awestruck and in stitches.

‘It was great,’ Matthew Tkachuk said. ‘He was awesome. We had a bunch of guys from the team in there. He was hilarious. It was a lot of fun. He had some great one-liners and just made for a hilarious 15 or 20 minutes.’

Minding the nets

Sullivan did not want to name his starting goaltender, but it’ll likely by Connor Hellebuyck, the Americans’ top guy at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The Americans play again Saturday (against Denmark) and Sunday (against Germany), so expect Oettinger or Swayman to appear in one of those.

Messi sustained a left hamstring muscle strain in his last match, Inter Miami announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Minutes later, Inter Miami announced it has postponed its Friday match against Ecuadorian LigaPro Serie A champions Independiente del Valle set to be played at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The match will be moved from Friday, Feb. 13 to Thursday, Feb. 26.

The club will still hold a scheduled training session with local youth on Feb. 12, and an open practice in Puerto Rico on Feb. 25.

“I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico, both those who were going to attend the training session and the match. The truth is that I ended up with an injury during the last match in Ecuador, which is why I left before the end,” Messi said on Instagram.

Inter Miami, in a press release, said “The club, in collaboration with the event promoter and the government of Puerto Rico, believe shifting the match will allow for the best experience for fans in Puerto Rico.”

Messi scored a goal and delivered an assist to new Inter Miami player Germán Berterame against Ecuadorian side Barcelona S.C. on Feb. 7, but left the match in the 58th minute as an early substitute due to the injury.

Messi played 63 minutes in the first preseason match, a 3-0 loss to Peruvian side Alianza Lima on Jan. 24. He played until the 82nd minute in the second preseason match, a 2-1 win against Colombian club Atlético Nacional on Jan. 31.

Messi and Inter Miami begin the 2026 MLS season on the road against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 21.

MILAN — On Wednesday night, an epic battle will conclude in the Olympic ice dance competition. An American team that has been together for four Olympic Games and has won seven national titles and three consecutive world championships — Madison Chock and Evan Bates — will try to win its first individual Olympic medal, potentially gold. 

The most significant hurdle in Chock and Bates’ path is a new French ice dance team, formed a year ago, that exists only because of the investigation and subsequent suspension of an alleged sexual abuser. 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who defeated Chock and Bates by a very slim margin in the first stage of the competition Monday, are that new dance team on a meteoric rise to the top of the sport. Cizeron won the Olympic gold medal in 2022 in Beijing with longtime dance partner Gabriella Papadakis, but they announced their retirement as a competitive team in December 2024.

Fournier Beaudry, a Canadian who received French citizenship three months ago, needed a new partner after her previous partner, Nikolaj Sørensen, was banned from the sport for at least six years after a Canadian investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted an American figure skater in April 2012, according to documents and emails obtained by USA TODAY Sports in 2023.

The documents said the woman, then 22, alleged Sørensen, then 23, held her down against her will on a bed and raped her after a party at a condominium near Hartford, Connecticut. The woman is not being identified because USA TODAY Sports does not publish the names of victims of alleged sexual abuse.

In October 2024, Sørensen was suspended for a minimum of six years by Canada’s Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner for “sexual maltreatment.” The suspension was overturned in June 2025 by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada on jurisdictional grounds, but an arbitration board has since ruled that decision must be reviewed, meaning the ban could be put back into place.

Fournier Beaudry has said she’s been dating Sørensen the past 12 years, and both she and Cizeron continue to support him. Sørensen has appeared in the stands at competitions supporting the French team, according to various social media posts.

In the Netflix documentary ‘Glitter & Gold: Ice Dancing,’ Fournier Beaudry spoke about the impact of Sørensen’s ban, saying, ‘This was extremely difficult because it was not only about skating, it was about my integrity, it was about his integrity. I know my boyfriend 100%. I know him. And we (stood) strong together.’

On Feb. 6, the survivor of the alleged sexual assault texted this statement to USA TODAY Sports:

‘The comments by the French team in the press and on a Netflix documentary create a dangerous environment for skaters who need to report abuse. The comments of the reigning Olympic champion and a team in contention for the upcoming Olympic title carry weight, and using their voices to publicly undermine a survivor’s truth further enforces the culture of silence in figure skating.”

When asked that same day by USA TODAY Sports about the survivor’s comment, Fournier Beaudry said, ‘We have no thoughts.”

That’s one part of the story of the new French team. There is another.

A book reveal and the fallout that followed

In January, Papadakis, a skating commentator for NBC, published a memoir, “To Not Disappear.’ In the book, Papadakis wrote of a power imbalance in the sport and described Cizeron as ‘often controlling, demanding and critical,” and said she would not skate with him unless a coach was present at practices. 

Cizeron called the book a ‘smear campaign’ and said his lawyers were demanding a halt to what he called defamatory claims against him. Within days, NBC removed Papadakis from her role as an ice dance analyst at the Olympics, saying the book created ‘a clear conflict of interest” and that the network’s ‘responsibility is to deliver coverage that our audience can trust to be free of bias — whether actual or perceived — and we regret that is no longer possible given the circumstances.” 

When asked about NBC’s decision on a special edition of USA Today’s Milan Magic podcast, available Wednesday, Papadakis said, “I think it’s a bigger societal issue because we often wonder why survivors don’t speak out about abuse and why things don’t change, and this is because it has tremendous negative impact on the survivors’ lives, and as long as a society we don’t do anything to change that, things won’t change and ignoring the problems don’t make them go away.”

On the Netflix documentary, NBC Olympic commentator and 2018 U.S. Olympic team bronze medalist Adam Rippon said, ‘There is some sinister energy around the partnership.”

In her interview on Milan Magic, Papadakis said that her skating relationship with Cizeron “was a dynamic that was profoundly harmful and dangerous to me, that took me a very, very, very long time to understand.”

“I was trying to write about how these dynamics creep (into) a partnership and in a relationship,” Papadakis said, “how these dynamics can become incredibly dangerous.”

Milan Magic is USA TODAY Sports’ flagship Olympics podcast hosted by Christine Brennan and Brian Boitano. You can listen on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon.

Casey Wasserman will remain in place as chairman of LA28, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee, the organization announced on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Wasserman has been under pressure to step down after he was mentioned in the latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files.

The 51-year-old shared flirtatious emails with Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2003. At the time, Wasserman was married with a young family.

Wasserman also took a trip with Epstein on his private plane in 2002, traveling to Africa on a humanitarian mission.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and died by suicide that year in a Manhattan jail cell.

Maxwell was convicted on sex trafficking charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

The LA28 Organizing Committee said that it brought in outside counsel from O’Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct an investigation into Wasserman, who was fully cooperative.

After meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, the committee decided that Wasserman would not leave his position.

‘We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,’ the committee said in a statement.

‘Twenty-three years ago, before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell’s deplorable crimes, Mr. Wasserman and his then-wife flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation. This was his single interaction with Epstein. Shortly after, he traded the publicly known emails with Maxwell.  

‘The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games.’

After his name appeared in the latest batch of Epstein files, Wasserman apologized for his association with the late financier and Maxwell.

‘I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,’ Wasserman said in a statement.

‘I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.’

The American League East should be baseball’s finest pennant race this season, with three to five teams battling for a title that ended last year with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees each landing on 94 wins.

And now a most unlikely character has emerged to stir the pot.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa played for the Yankees from 2022-23, joined the Blue Jays at the 2025 trade deadline and played a key role in their run to the World Series. Now, he’s a Boston Red Sox, and did not hold back in propping up his new team and tweaking the Yankees.

The Blue Jays won the division over the Yankees on a tiebreaker, then awaited the winner of a Boston-New York wild-card series in the ALDS. And Kiner-Falefa didn’t hesitate to say who the Blue Jays preferred to play in the ALDS.

‘We definitely felt (Boston) was a tougher matchup for us,’ Kiner-Falefa told reporters upon arriving Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Red Sox’s spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla. ‘Once we saw the other team, we were a lot happier.

‘It was definitely a topic.”

The Blue Jays proved as much, dispatching the Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS. Kiner-Falefa said the Red Sox proved themselves a far scrappier team than the Yankees, and he feared the presence of ace Garrett Crochet could tip the balance of the series.

That didn’t leave his old boss, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, in too cheery a mood.

‘I guess he was right,’ Boone said of Kiner-Falefa in his first spring press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11 in Tampa. ‘Little surprising to hear IKF say that.

‘But whatever, that’s fine.’

Kiner-Falefa does have a knack for attracting main character energy, given his .660 career OPS and status as a utility infielder. He fielded hateful messages from Blue Jays fans all winter after he was forced out at home representing the potential World Series-winning run in the ninth inning of Game 7.

Following instructions, Kiner-Falefa stayed close to the bag to avoid a back pick, then, he explained Feb. 10, was intent on breaking up a double play at home to ensure Ernie Clement – the Blue Jays’ hottest hitter at the time – got a chance to hit with two outs.

Kiner-Falefa did not see Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas slip after fielding the ball.

‘From my instinct, from where I was, I was initially just thinking, break up that double play right there and get our best, hottest hitter up at the time,’ says Kiner-Falefa. ‘It almost paid off. Ernie almost got the job done on the next one, but at the end of the day it’s just a great learning experience. And I’m ready to flip the page.’

Kiner-Falefa also wished he’d had a chance to explain that way back in November. But in the chaos of an 11-inning Game 7 loss, reporters did not approach him about the play and the controversy did not emerge until there was greater scrutiny on various angles of his forceout at home.

‘It blew up without me getting a proper interview, so I thought that was unfair,’ he says.

Now, he’s got a lot to say, and follows in Sonny Gray’s footsteps as former Yankees tweaking their old team now that they’re on Boston’s side of the rivalry.