| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Feb 14, 2022 | | ❤️ Happy Valentine's Day! I love you. Today's word count: 2,012 words (8 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏆 The win-now Rams get it done |  | | | Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Andrew Whitworth. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images | | | | In an era of perpetual rebuilds and "trusting the process," the Rams went all-in on the present. One Hollywood ending later, they're Super Bowl champions, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. ICYMI: The Rams beat the Bengals, 23-20, in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, becoming the second straight NFL champion to celebrate on their home turf. - MVP: Cooper Kupp concluded his historic season with another tour de force (8 catches, 92 yards, 2 TD), setting the record for most receptions in a single postseason (33).
- Zoom out: This is the Rams' second Super Bowl title, and L.A.'s first since 1983 (Raiders). The Bengals, now 0-3 in Super Bowls, remain one of 12 teams without a ring.
- Key play: Matthew Stafford's go-ahead TD to Kupp with 1:25 left capped an epic 15-play, 79-yard drive.
By the numbers: It was an incredibly even game on the stat sheet. Both teams had 13 drives and finished with nearly the same exact number of plays (Rams 66, Bengals 61) and yards (Rams 313, Bengals 305). - 7 sacks: Joe Burrow was sacked a Super Bowl record-tying seven times, upping his postseason total to an NFL-record 19. Overall, he was sacked 70 times this season, third-most ever.
- 36 years old: Sean McVay, 36, passed Mike Tomlin by about 10 months to become the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl.
- 8 in a row: For the eighth straight Super Bowl, the team that lost the coin toss won the game. Wild.
- 17 of 21: For the 17th time in the past 21 Super Bowls, the underdog covered the spread (Bengals +4). Also wild.
Between the lines: Star power isn't a foolproof recipe for success, but Sunday ultimately boiled down to the best players on the field stepping up when it mattered most. - Aaron Donald, perhaps the greatest defender to ever play the game, bulldozed Cincy all night and made the game-sealing play.
- Kupp was L.A.'s entire offense on their final drive. Sometimes football is simple: let your superstars cook.
Looking back ... Sunday capped the most thrilling postseason in NFL history. The scores of the final seven games: 19-16 (walk-off), 13-10 (walk-off), 30-27 (walk-off), 42-36 (OT walk-off), 27-24 (OT walk-off), 20-17, 23-20. Looking ahead ... The Chiefs (13-2) open as Super Bowl favorites next season, followed by the Bills (7-1), Rams (10-1), Bengals (12-1), 49ers (14-1), Packers (15-1), Cowboys (16-1), Bucs (18-1), Titans (20-1) and Ravens (20-1). Go deeper: Winners and losers (The Ringer) |     | | | | | | Bonus: 📸 Scenes from SoFi | | Cooper Kupp celebrates with his family. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images Cooper Kupp, a zero-star recruit, won the triple crown, OPOY and Super Bowl MVP this season. Jerry Rice is the only other WR to accomplish those feats ... in an entire career. Just an incredible story. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg opened the 10-song halftime show with "The Next Episode," 50 Cent made a surprise appearance, and Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem played all the hits. Rams fans taking in the postgame sights. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images 70,048 were in attendance at SoFi Stadium, including numerous celebrities. Bengals fans appeared to outnumber Rams fans, and while masks were required, most fans didn't wear them. More: | | | | | | | | 2. 📆 The future of "Super Bowl Monday" |  | | | Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios | | | | Super Bowl Monday is one of the least productive days of the year, and that's when it's not also Valentine's Day. Thankfully, our national nightmare may soon be coming to an end. Driving the news: Cincinnati Public Schools canceled school today, a decision that was made weeks ago. It's part of a growing push to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday. Reality check: New federal holidays are extremely rare. The U.S. has established just 12 in its history, ranging from New Year's Day (1870) to Columbus Day (1937) to Juneteenth (2021). What to watch: While a new holiday is unlikely, an existing one could come into play: If the NFL adds an 18th game, as many expect, the Super Bowl would be the Sunday before Presidents Day, a federal holiday. - "The Big Game" moved from January (1967–2001) to the first Sunday in February (2002–2021) to the second Sunday in February (2022). What's another week?
- Yes, but: It wouldn't be a perfect solution. Presidents Day is the third Monday in February, so it arrives earlier when Feb. 1 is a Monday.
Between the lines: Moving the game to Saturday is a popular idea, and the "no work tomorrow!" energy in the stadium and at parties could be a boon. But Sunday nights draw the biggest ratings, so it's a tough sell. - Of course, moving the Super Bowl to the Sunday before Presidents Day would have this same effect.
- And if that ultimately means fewer viewers, maybe it's not something the NFL wants after all.
The bottom line: The bad news is that you have work today (unless you called in "sick"). The good news is that in the future, you might not. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The podcast to power your day. | | |  | | | | Every weekday, host Niala Boodhoo catches you up on the biggest news and interesting stories you won't get anywhere else. In 10 minutes, you'll hear the latest in US and world news. Listen now for free. | | | | | | 3. 👑 The Scoring King: LeBron passes Kareem |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | LeBron James moved into first place on the NBA's all-time points list (regular-season and playoffs) on Saturday, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Why it matters: While Abdul-Jabbar still has the most regular-season points — making him the "official" leader — James is now the NBA's scoring king. No player has scored more points in official games. - James: 44,157 points
- Abdul-Jabbar: 44,149
- Karl Malone: 41,689
- Kobe Bryant: 39,283
- Michael Jordan: 38,279
- Dirk Nowitzki: 35,223
- Wilt Chamberlain: 35,026
- Shaquille O'Neal: 33,846
- Tim Duncan: 31,668
- Hakeem Olajuwon: 30,701
Between the lines: James has scored 36,526 career points in the regular season (1,350 games), and 7,631 career points in the playoffs (266 games). His totals by team: - Cavaliers: 27,692 points (23,119 reg. season; 4,573 playoffs)
- Heat: 10,257 points (7,919 reg. season; 2,338 playoffs)
- Lakers: 6,208 points (5,488 reg. season; 720 playoffs)
🔥 Hot streak: James has scored 25+ points in 22 straight games, the longest streak of his career — at age 37. We should be making a way bigger deal about all of this, just saying... | | | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images | | | | ⛳️ Golf is fun: The party returned to the Phoenix Open this weekend, with fans going nuts and golfers popping their tops. That's certainly one way to reach the youths. ⚽️ All hail, Chelsea: Chelsea beat Palmeiras, 2-1, on Saturday to win the FIFA Club World Cup, joining Juventus, Man United, Bayern Munich and Ajax as the only clubs to win every major trophy in existence. 🏈 Going out strong: Tom Brady is the first NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB player to finish top-2 in MVP voting in his final season since Sandy Koufax in 1966. 💵 Good read: A gambling sharp breaks into the NFL (Danny Funt, New Yorker) "Warren Sharp says he's the only analyst 'in the betting space' who works with N.F.L. teams. Do those dual roles constitute a conflict of interest?" | | | | | | | | 5. 🥇 Olympics: Weekend roundup |  Data: IOC; Chart: Connor Rothschild/Axios Norway, which has roughly the same population as South Carolina, leads the way with 21 medals so far, followed by Russia (18), USA (16), Canada (15), Austria (14), Germany (14) and the Netherlands (12). Headlines: - Doping case: Russia's Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women's figure skating competition, where she's favored to win gold, despite failing a pre-Olympics drug test. Lots more to come...
- Snow falls: After a week of competing on courses lined with fake snow, the real stuff fell throughout the weekend, with blizzard-like conditions during some events.
- Simply incredible: Six years after stepping on the ice for the first time, Team USA's Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win an individual medal in speedskating, taking gold.
- Ukrainian protest: Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych flashed a sign for the cameras that read "No war in Ukraine."
- Internal investigation: U.S. Ski & Snowboard has launched an investigation into sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior following accusations from a former snowboarder.
| | | | | | | | 6. 🥇 The Nick Baumgartner story |  | | | Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner pose with their medals. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images | | | | Nick Baumgartner, Team USA's oldest member, arrived in Beijing with three Olympic appearances but no medals. He'll leave as perhaps the best story of the Games, Jeff writes. Driving the news: Baumgartner, 40, and Lindsey Jacobellis, 36, won gold on Saturday in the new mixed team snowboard cross event, becoming the oldest and second-oldest snowboarders ever to medal. "You're never too late to take what you want from life. You let yourself down if you quit too early, doesn't matter how old you are." — Baumgartner, after winning gold The backdrop: Baumgartner's story harkens back to the modern Olympics' humble beginnings, when athletes came together every four years to represent their countries before returning to their ordinary lives. - Baumgartner doesn't have any big-money sponsors. He lives with his wife and 17-year-old son in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where he makes a living pouring concrete and practices on a homemade track.
- Despite that dedication, his Olympic career has been marked by near-misses and disappointment, including his 10th place finish in the individual event last week. Now he's on top of the world.
The bottom line: "If the superstars make the Olympics worth watching, then the grinders make them worth caring about," writes Slate's Justin Peters. P.S. ... Jacobellis has quite the story, too: 16 years after a devastating fall cost her gold, and just a few days before her and Baumgartner's victory, she finally won the individual event. | | | | | | | | 7. 📸 Exclusive: Behind the camera | | Getty Images photographers picked their favorite photos from the Olympics so far and provided commentary on how they got the shot. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Caption: Switzerland's Dominik Peter soars through the air during the men's large hill individual qualification round. I knew the Olympic rings were placed here, so I got there early to scout out the best spot for this shot. There were over 50 jumpers, but not all of them wore reflective goggles. On Dominik's first jump, I noticed he had his mouth open while jumping, but I didn't get the reflection right. I was hoping to get it right the second time around, and I did. — Ezra Shaw Photo: Elsa/Getty Images Caption: The U.S. women's hockey team huddles up prior to their 8-0 win over Switzerland in the preliminary round. One of my favorite moments of Olympic ice hockey is when the teams huddle up right before the game starts. What I love about this photo is the tightness of the team around goaltender Alex Cavallini. — Elsa Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images Caption: Jonna Sundling (gold medal), Maja Dahlqvist (silver medal) and Emma Ribom of Team Sweden embrace following the women's cross-country sprint free final. Pure emotion from Team Sweden after a dominant performance by Jonna and Maja. The image shows the juxtaposition between their joy and the dejection of the skier in the background. — Matthias Hangst | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Pop chases history |  | | | Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images | | | | The Spurs visit the Bulls tonight (8pm ET, NBA TV), with Gregg Popovich one win shy of passing Lenny Wilkens for second on the all-time list (1,332). He's also four wins shy of passing Don Nelson (1,335). More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 Super Bowl trivia |  | | | A dejected Zac Taylor looks on during the fourth quarter. Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images | | | | Only four teams have lost more Super Bowls than the Bengals (0-3). - Question: Can you name them?
- Hint: Two have won multiple Super Bowls, two have won zero.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Top plays of the weekend |  | | | Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images | | | - 🏀 Embiid slam
- ⛳️ Ace
- ⛳️ Another ace
- 🏒 Insane finish
- 🥏 Nailed it
- 🏈 Ja'Marr
- 🥍 Air mail
- 🏀 Windmill alert
- ⚾️ Catcher, leapfrogged
- ⚽️ Bend it like Nkunku
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The podcast to power your day. | | | | | | | | Every weekday, host Niala Boodhoo catches you up on the biggest news and interesting stories you won't get anywhere else. In 10 minutes, you'll hear the latest in US and world news. Listen now for free. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Farewell, football" Baker Trivia answer: Patriots (6-5), Broncos (3-5), Bills (0-4), Vikings (0-4) 🙏 Thanks for reading. For more sports, follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. As always, friends can sign up here. |  | Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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