1) College football reckons with controversies amid playoffs
After Ole-Miss-turned-LSU coach Lane Kiffin and former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore took turns in the spotlight, last week saw the return of a character most fans thought had been vanquished to obscurity: Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. A mere three weeks removed from controversially “celebrating” his second-place Heisman finish, the Commodore quarterback has applied for additional eligibility for the second time. Citing former NBA draft pick James Nnaji’s recent approval to play basketball at Baylor, Pavia and 26 other players have appealed their collegiate statuses. The courts are unlikely to approve the request; Pavia has already played six seasons of college football, albeit spending two at the junior college level. Nevertheless, an unexpected ruling from a federal judge would throw yet another wrench into the seemingly lawless world of college football.
Oh, and some important games were played last week. In Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal opener, Miami strolled past Ohio State 24-14, silencing critics who doubted its playoff credentials. Oregon blanked Texas Tech’s offense to kick off Thursday’s tripleheader, forcing four Red Raider turnovers in a dominant 23-0 win. Led by Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, Ole Miss beat Georgia in the game of the weekend. However, Fernando Mendoza’s Indiana — undefeated with 14 wins and counting, just two years after occupying the Big Ten’s desolate cellar — still remains the team to beat in the CFP. The Hoosiers’ 38-3 dismantling of Alabama is a clear sign: Do not bet against Curt Cignetti’s men.
2) FIFA World Cup ticket prices skyrocket
If you thought the NCAA was corrupt, meet the peace prize people. Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have soared to unprecedented levels, with the cheapest tickets for most games tripling compared to the 2006-2022 average.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently defended the exorbitant pricing scheme — an overall fivefold increase from four years ago, according to The Guardian. “We have 6, 7 million tickets on sale, and we started two weeks ago,” Infantino said. “I can tell you in two weeks, 15 days, we received 150 million ticket requests. This shows how powerful the World Cup is.”
Infantino’s defense fails to mention that 2026 is the first World Cup to include 48 teams, thus expanding both the field and the number of matches; increased requests should have been expected. This summer’s tournament will also be the first since 1994 to take place — at least in part — in the United States, where ticket prices for sporting events are generally more expensive than in Europe. Yet FIFA’s prices go beyond a function of demand, instead revealing a pattern of flagrant greed.
The cheapest tickets to the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey are, with the teeniest of exceptions, over $4,000. By contrast, the most expensive tickets to the final in Qatar four years ago were under $2,000. After including airfare and hotel costs, traveling fans will be forced to fork up a small fortune — if they are even allowed entry. Not bad for a nonprofit.
3) A preview of the 2026 Winter Olympics, 1 month away
Despite looming questions about the feasibility of certain venues, the 25th Winter Olympics are set to begin in northern Italy on Feb. 6. February’s Games are the first to be held in Italy since 2006 — and the first to be co-hosted by multiple cities, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Unless the hockey venue is not completed — somehow still a possibility — NHL players will be allowed to return to the medal stand for the first time since Sochi 2014. Team Canada will be looking to secure a repeat of last year’s Four Nations Face-Off success, while Team USA searches for its first gold medal since 1980’s “Miracle on Ice.” Russia, a perennial gold-medal contender, has been banned from the competition along with Belarus since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Individual Russian and Belarusian athletes may compete under a neutral banner but cannot participate as a team. A test of the hockey venue in Milan is scheduled for Jan. 9, only 33 days before the first scheduled match.
In non-hockey news, 41-year-old American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has qualified for her fifth Olympic Games after coming out of retirement last year. Italy will also host the first-ever Olympic edition of ski mountaineering — somewhat of a combination between alpine and cross-country skiing.
