Let All the Games Begin
Between the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, it’s a big weekend for all things sports. From how women became more than just a headline in Olympic history to the Italian dish suddenly in the spotlight, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in.
Cortina last hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, a Games remembered for two defining moments for women ... 👇🏽
First, a female athlete swore the Olympic oath for the first time during the Opening Ceremony.
Another moment came on the ice. American figure skater Tenley Emma Albright, a polio survivor, suffered a serious injury just two weeks before the Olympics yet pressed forward. “I'll skate even if the leg is broken,” she told TIME in 1956. She skated through her injury and became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. She went on to become a surgeon, leading researcher and teacher at Harvard medical school.
That resolve echoes today, as alpine skier Lindsey Vonn plans to hit the slopes with a ruptured ACL. “I know there’s still a chance,” she said. “And as long as there’s a chance, I will try.”
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🇺🇸 Team USA Watchlist: About 230 athletes will represent the United States at the Winter Olympics. Here’s a list of the names to know.
🏅Technical Triumph: U.S. Olympian Ilia Malinin (who will compete in the male individual and team ice skating competitions) is the only skater in history to land the quadruple axel. NBD.
🍝 Olympic Flavor: The Winter Games bring Italy’s regional cuisine into focus. On the menu? Beet-filled ravioli from Cortina d’Ampezzo (mountainous Cortina provides the wintry ski slopes as co-host of the games with the city of Milan, hence the olympics referenced as the "Milano Cortina Winter Games"). Would you try it?
🏂 Double Cork: Not about wine — it’s a snowboarding term. Here's some other Winter Olympics lingo to know.
🎤 Super Shows: Bad Bunny made history at the Grammys last weekend, taking home three awards. This weekend, the singer takes the spotlight on the Super Bowl halftime stage. Meanwhile, Kid Rock and other artists plan to headline a “counterprogrammed” Super Bowl halftime show hosted by conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA.
🎶 Tell Me Why: 🎤 Ain’t nothin’ but a Super Bowl ad. Besides the Backstreet Boys, here’s a sneak peek at other star-studded commercials for the Big Game.
And here's a little behind-the-scenes for you from T-Mobile ... 👇🏽
🏈 “We made it to 60”: This trio of friends — ages 84, 86, and 90 — are the only football fans left who can say they've attended every single Super Bowl.
📺 New CEO: Disney tapped theme parks chief Josh D’Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as CEO in March. The goal? “More magic, less drama.”
💪 82 Years Young: The actual age of an ultramarathoner who is “as fit as a 20-year-old.” Scientists are studying how — and why.
🚌 School Bus: The length a rare jellyfish can grow — and researchers just caught it on camera in the deep sea near Argentina.
🎬 $7 Million: What Amazon’s ‘Melania’ documentary grossed during its opening weekend, marking the biggest opening of a nonmusical documentary in 10+ years.
❌ So Long Social Media: At least for some teens in Spain, as the country becomes the first in Europe to ban social media for kids under 16.
📆 Perfect Pattern: If symmetry is your thing, the calendar month of February this year is a perfect square — and it’s oddly satisfying.
🎙️ This Week From Jenna:
Substitute Teaching In The "Off Season"? ~ A Former NFL Super Bowl Quarterback Tells All ... 👇🏽
"We weren't earning money so we had to have a job in the off season."
From earning less money than a public school teacher his first season, to getting ready for games in nearby college classrooms, NFL Quarterback Bob Lee takes us on a short trip down memory lane to what the National Football League really was like 50 years ago in its infancy. A truly unique conversation with a SmartHER connection that may surprise you!
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
🎙️ SCOOP (approx. 62 minutes) I’m named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Watch or Listen. (SCOOP Insiders can attend this live broadcast once a week and get their news questions answered; they also receive the special video report EXCLUSIVELY delivered to their inbox along with a "cheat sheet" for the week ahead — learn more HERE).
🎙️ Podcast (approx. 25 minutes): The Center Of The Controversy: Sanctuary Cities, The Super Bowl & A Czar. Watch or Listen.
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
We have the last-minute Valentine's Day gifts for everyone on your list. Our favorite? This necklace — and it's on sale!
“It’s one of the best things I’ve experienced in my life. There’s no better feeling than coming home to a wife that loves you and cares for you.”
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, 23, on why he and his wife Ann got married so young. Did you know? While Drake might be the second-youngest quarterback to ever play in the Super Bowl, Ann has become a TikTok sensation with her viral baking videos.
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
