Sports
Japan's Totsuka takes halfpipe gold, Aussie James settles for silver
Feb 11, 2026; Livigno, Italy; Yuto Totsuka of Japan competes in men’s snowboarding halfpipe qualification during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images LIVIGNO, Italy — Yuto Totsuka of Japan won the gold medal in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the Winter Olympics on Friday in a hard-fought battle that ended with Australian Scotty James just missing out on the big prize that has eluded him through five Games.
James took the silver for the second time, and the bronze went to Totsuka’s compatriot Ryusei Yamada.
In the halfpipe, riders slide across a 22-foot-tall, U-shaped ramp and perform acrobatic maneuvers in the air. Judges award points based on amplitude, variety, difficulty and other factors, with a maximum score of 100. The best score out of three runs determines the winners.
Totsuka, part of a powerhouse Japanese team, put up a high score of 95 in his second run to lead the field during a nighttime event in the Alpine town of Livigno. Floodlights illuminated the course on a clear night, providing a striking backdrop for Totsuka’s high-flying spins. He and the other riders stepped up the complexity they had displayed in the qualifying round two days earlier.
“I’ve competed in many events before, but today’s competition was among the highest caliber,” the 24-year-old Totsuka said.
James made his tricks look effortless at the start of his first run but ran out of room to land and skidded to a stop at the very end. On his second run, he executed well and shot up to second place with a 93.50.
The 31-year-old nearly put down a flawless effort to give himself a chance at the gold, but he fell when attempting to end the night with a backside 1620, an advanced trick with four and a half spins in the air. The move has never been successfully performed at the Olympics.
After he got up, James stood at the bottom of the pipe on his board and hung his head. He cracked a slight smile on the podium and wiped his eyes with his signature red boxing-style gloves.
He told reporters he felt a mix of emotions, from frustration to pride.
“I’m very proud because regardless of the color of the medal, I got to come out and ride in one of the hardest-fought finals ever in my country colors and represent Australia,” he said.
He added that he thought he would have prevailed if he had landed his final jump, and he was glad he tried it.
“It’s OK, I can own that,” he said.
James, Australia’s flag-bearer at Pyeongchang 2018, made no secret of wanting to add an Olympic gold to his medal collection at the Milan Cortina Games. He took bronze at the Games in South Korea and silver in Beijing four years ago, and has won nearly every other major award in snowboarding.
Asked if he plans to compete at the next Olympics, James said “absolutely.”
“I hate losing, so this has motivated me now,” he said.
Among other riders, defending halfpipe champion Ayumu Hirano of Japan fell forward in his first run and skidded on his stomach. The 26-year-old returned with an impressive second run and then fell backward on his final attempt. He finished seventh.
Jan Scherrer of Switzerland, who took bronze in 2022, hit his head in practice before the qualifiers and had to withdraw.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Choi Ga-on won gold and denied American Chloe Kim a three-peat in the women’s snowboard halfpipe.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Wake Forest desperate to build off 1st win in weeks vs. Stanford
Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Tre’von Spillers (25) reacts to his go ahead score with forward Juke Harris (2) during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Wake Forest has finally regained a bit of confidence and now the Demon Deacons will see how far that carries them.
Stanford will arrive as the opponent for Saturday’s game at Winston-Salem, N.C., after Wake Forest snapped a five-game losing streak last time out versus Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
“We were down a little bit throughout the season and we picked it back up,” Wake Forest guard Juke Harris said. “You see how great we can be.”
Wake Forest (12-12, 3-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) has work to do, especially in home games. The Demon Deacons lost their last four at home.
Stanford (16-9, 5-7) began its two-game trip by winning 70-64 at Boston College on Wednesday, giving the Cardinal a multi-game winning streak for the first time in more than a month. They beat Georgia Tech to end a five-game skid last Saturday.
Travel to the East Coast has become less stressful for the Cardinal.
“Last year, it felt like we were astronauts doing something no one’s done before,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said of the team’s first go-around in the ACC. “Now it’s like, you know what, we’ve got our little routine.”
Another boost from guard Mekhi Mason could do wonders for Wake Forest. He racked up 17 points in the Georgia Tech game for his first double-figure output since prior to Thanksgiving. Mason made four 3-pointers to match his season high.
“He was a starter earlier in the year and he’s struggled a little bit, but he’s had great resilience and he’s been a great teammate,” coach Steve Forbes said. “Good things happen to good people.”
Harris has consistently been Wake Forest’s leading scorer, including in seven of the team’s last nine games. He eclipsed the 20-point mark in the past three games, pushing his scoring average to 21.2 points, which is the third-highest mark in the ACC.
Second on the scoring list is Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie at 22.4 points.
Harris averages 2.7 makes from 3-point range, barely ahead of Stanford’s Benny Gealer (2.5). Okorie accounts for 1.9 made threes per game.
The key for the Cardinal might be excelling in open-court situations.
“It was hard enough in the halfcourt,” Smith said after the Boston College game. “Anyone is a lot better in a broken field. … The transition probably gave us the best chance.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
NFLPA still plans to collect team report cards despite arbitration ruling
Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft before the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images An NFL memo sent Friday morning informed all teams that the players association no longer can publish its annual report cards, which rank the franchises on everything from the locker room to the owner to the treatment of families.
That is the result of a grievance filed by the league against the NFL Players Association, according to the memo.
“We are pleased to report that the NFL prevailed in the grievance filed against the NFL Players Association, challenging its practice of creating and publicizing annual ‘Team Report Cards’,” the memo said. “The arbitrator held that the publication of Report Cards disparaging NFL clubs and individuals violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement and issued an Order prohibiting the NFLPA from publishing or publicly disclosing the results of future player Report Cards.”
The 2025 report was the third produced by the NFLPA. The NFLPA made it clear in a statement that it still plans to collect the report cards even if the results can no longer be made public.
“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs,” the NFLPA statement said. “While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact. Players will continue to receive the results, and teams will continue to hear directly from their locker rooms.
“Importantly, the arbitrator rejected the NFL’s characterization of the process, finding the Team Report Cards to be fair, balanced, and increasingly positive over time. Our methodology is sound. The Team Report Cards exist to serve players. That mission remains unchanged. We will continue working to ensure players’ experiences are heard, respected, and acted on – by their teams, by their union, and wherever else possible.”
The survey was designed to improve overall working conditions for the players but also to give them the information they need when considering factors to help them make career decisions, such as free agency.
Teams were given letter grades in 11 categories that concerned ownership, coaching, strength and conditioning programs, as well as areas such as travel, locker room facilities, nutrition and treatment of player families.
Last year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first overall out of the 32 teams, with No. 1 votes in seven of the categories. Owner Stephen Ross was the highest-graded owner. He received an A-plus rating, as did head coach Mike McDaniel, who was fired after the conclusion of the season.
Coming in at No. 2 were the Minnesota Vikings, who ranked first in treatment of families and locker room. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and the owners, the Wilf family, ranked third overall.
In last place were the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were dinged, especially, for their facilities, but players also said the team needed an upgraded food and dining area. Coach Jonathan Gannon received an A grade from players — the only A on the Arizona report card — while ownership ranked No. 30 overall with a D-minus grade.
Gannon also was fired at the end of the season.
Coming in No. 31 were the New England Patriots. After the 2024 survey, owner Robert Kraft made improvements, such as investing $50 million in a new facility next to the stadium, currently under construction, and improving services for family members.
Still, Kraft –whose teams have won six Super Bowl games — ranked only No. 30 among team owners with a D.
The Patriots, under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, won the AFC title in 2025 but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX last weekend.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Victoria Mboko, Karolina Muchova to square off in Doha title match
Jan 25, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Victoria Mboko of Canada in action against Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the women’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko delivered six aces while recording a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jelena Ostapenko on Friday to reach the final of the Qatar Open at Doha.
Mboko took down Ostapenko one day after upsetting Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in a quarterfinal match.
The Canadian will face Czech Karolina Muchova in Saturday’s title match. The No. 14 seed beat Maria Sakkari of Greece 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in her semifinal match.
Mboko, 19, will be seeking her third career WTA title on Saturday. She also will enter the Top 10 on Monday, regardless of whether she wins (at No. 9) or loses (No. 10) in the championship match.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Mboko said afterwards. “I never expected something to happen so fast for me. I just have been taking it day by day, tournament by tournament. Every tournament I enter, I want to do well. I don’t really hold that much expectation of myself. It’s not like when I enter a tournament I’m going to say I’m going to win it, but you always want to try your best.
“I think this came relatively fast, but it’s a nice feeling. It’s nice to see that, to have that milestone, to see that number. So, yeah, I’m pretty happy with that.”
Ostapenko of Latvia started strong by winning the first two games of the match. Mboko then took over and won 11 of the next 12.
Mboko said she will stick to her plan in the title match.
“I don’t want to change something up because what I’ve been doing has been working so far,” Mboko said. “I just want to rest up the best I can, focus for tomorrow, tomorrow’s a new day, and just play my game.”
Muchova, 29, has won just one singles title and that came in Seoul in 2019. The clash with Mboko will be her seventh WTA final.
“It’s going to be the first time,” Muchova said of facing Mboko. “I watch her here and she’s playing incredible. I know her since last year, probably all of us, she has this boom. I think she’s an incredible, strong athlete. So it’s for sure going to be a very tough battle.”
Muchova had four aces against Sakkari, who saved 11 of 17 break points. Sakkari wilted in the final set as Muchova won the first five games en route to closing out the win.
“I tried to play a little more aggressive, I would say,” Muchova said of her third-set strategy. “I tried to change it up more. I wanted to go more for the returns, go for more lines. I think that it paid off because then we didn’t play such long rallies, which I think she’s striving at, and I was able to get some faster points on my side.”
Muchova saved 6 of 10 break points against Sakkari.
–Field Level Media
Wake Forest desperate to build off 1st win in weeks vs. Stanford
NFLPA still plans to collect team report cards despite arbitration ruling
