Category Archives: Sports

Review of the 2026 Super Bowl

By: Karl Salkowski

(Image Credit Unsplash)

This year, I was one of nearly 125 million people who tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LX featured the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, two standout teams throughout the regular season. Ultimately, the Seattle Seahawks won the game 29-13, earning their second Super Bowl title. The game was played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. As predicted, the Seattle Seahawks dominated for most of the game, eventually leading 12 to 0 by the beginning of the 4th quarter.

Super Bowl ads can cost anywhere from 8-10 million dollars for just a thirty second commercial. This is one of the biggest opportunities for large corporations to gain virality and visibility. Over the last few years, and especially this year, artificial intelligence has become one of the most common topics in these ads, with some commercials having been created completely with AI tools. These commercials tend to be some of the laziest and least creative, making the whole “watching experience” feel more corporate.

In my opinion, the halftime show was one of the highlights. Bad Bunny delivered an incredibly creative and powerful performance. In addition to singing some of his biggest hits, he sent a message of equality, identity, and belonging. This also marked the first halftime show to be performed almost exclusively in Spanish. It included many interesting set pieces, including over 400 people dressed in sugarcane costumes. He ended his performance by listing off all the countries that make up the Americas, ending off with the statement “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Overall, I think this was one of the weaker Super Bowls, as the game felt slow and boring up until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks played incredible defense, with major players such as Kenneth Walker III, and kicker Jason Myers helping to lead to a decisive victory. The definitive highlight of the game for me was definitely the halftime performance. Although I am not really a fan of Bad Bunny, I have been following his music for a couple of years, and it is really cool to see him get the recognition he deserves. Ultimately, I think I would rate this Super Bowl a 7 out of 10.

Sports schedule for: Feb 16-21

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 16 – FEBRUARY 21
MONDAYFEBRUARY 16 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 17  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm Adapted Floor Hockey SectionsHumboldt High School
7:00pm – 9:00pm Baseball Captains PracticeFieldhouse
7:30pm5:30pm | 9:30pmBoys Hockey Sections vs. OsseoAldrich Arena
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 18  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. Como ParkHOME
7:00pm – 9:00pm Baseball Captains PracticeFieldhouse
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 19  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pmTBDBoys Hockey SectionsAldrich Arena
6:00pm4:00pm | 9:30pmBoys Swimming Section PrelimsArt Downey Aquatic Center
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 20  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
 2:15pm | 6:00pmWrestling Individual SectionsCretin-Derham Hall
B: 5:00pm JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm3:30pm | 8:00pmBoys Basketball vs. JohnsonJohnson High School
JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Hope AcademyHope Academy
5:30pm – 8:30pm Boys Volleyball Captains PracticeFieldhouse
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 21  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am6:30am | 3:00pmWrestling Individual SectionsCretin-Derham Hall
1:00pm10:30am | 3:30pmBoys Swimming Section FinalsArt Downey Aquatic Center

History of rigging sports

By: Karl Salkowski

(Image Credit Unsplash)

On January 15th, 2026, 10 to 15 Division 1 basketball players were charged with conspiring to rig games. Many of the best college players would throw games while an outside group bet hundreds of thousands of dollars against them. Using this strategy, these players were able to make millions of dollars over the course of the season.

The United States government has attempted to make fixing games harder through legislation, including the 2019 Macolin Convention against manipulation and the 2020 Rodchenkov Act against doping in sports. Sports betting is a lucrative market, as gambling revenue was more than 11 billion dollars last year, up over 13%.

Fixing professional sports is nothing new; major scandals have been happening for centuries. One of the first notable examples was the 1919 Black Sox scandal. 8 Major League Baseball players conspired together to lose the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in order to receive a payout from a gambling syndicate. This destroyed professional baseball’s integrity and changed the way the sport was run professionally. All 8 players involved were banned from the sport for life, and this event led to many of the stricter rules in baseball.More recently in professional tennis, close to 200 players were proved to have participated in match fixing. In 2023, many lower level professional players would purposely manipulate scores and retire from the game early for betting purposes. Many of these players received fines or lifetime bans from the sport following the investigation.

As sports betting is becoming more and more accessible, there becomes more of an incentive for players to rig games. For the most part, players with lower salaries are more susceptible, as the money is more impactful. This has caused fixing college games to become all too common in the last few years. Even with the strict punishments and the laws in place to prevent it, fixing sports games will only happen more and more often. Not only does rigging games harm the integrity of these sports, but also the betting market.

Sports schedule for: Feb 9-13

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 14
MONDAYFEBRUARY 9 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:10pm | 5:00pmNordic Ski JV ChampionshipsHyland Lake Park
4:30pm Adapted Hockey vs. RobbinsdaleArmstrong High School
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 10  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. WashingtonHOME
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 11  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
Girls: 11:00am Boys: 12:15pmBus Leaves Tuesday at 3:45pmNordic Ski State MeetGiants Ridge
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. Higher Ground AcademyHOME
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. FridleyFridley High School
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 12  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
Boys: 10:00am Girls: 11:00am4:30pmNordic Ski State MeetGiants Ridge
JV: 5:30pm V: 7:30pmJV: 3:15pm V: 5:15pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. IrondaleBlaine Super Rink
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 13  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 14  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am6:30am | 3:00pmWrestling Team SectionsHarding High School
B: 10:00am JV: 10:00am V: 12:00pm Boys Basketball vs. MahtomediHOME
11:00am7:15am | 1:30pmGymnastics SectionsNorth St. Paul High School
JV: 12:00pm V: 2:00pm9:30am | 4:00pmBoys Hockey vs. New UlmNew Ulm Civic Center

Sports schedule: Feb 2-7

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 7
MONDAYFEBRUARY 2 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:00pm Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Community of Peace AcademyHOME
7:00pm5:30pm | 8:45pmBoys Swimming vs. Humboldt / WashingtonHumboldt High School
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 3  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am Nordic Ski Section ChampionshipBattle Creek
4:30pm Adapted Hockey vs. BrainerdHumboldt High School
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 4  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm Adapted Hockey vs. OsseoMaple Grove Junior High
B: 5:00pm JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm3:30pm | 8:00pmBoys Basketball vs. HardingHarding High School
5:00pm3:30pm | 7:00pmBoys Conference DivingHumboldt High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pmJV: 3:20pm V: 5:00pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. HopkinsHopkins Pavilion
5:00pm and 6:15pm Wrestling Triangular vs. North Branch and North St. PaulHOME
6:00pm Gymnastics Twin Cities MeetHOME
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 5  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. New Life AcademyHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. Mound WestonkaCharles M Schulz Highland Arena
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 6  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm2:30pm | 8:00pmGirls Individual Wrestling SectionsSouth St. Paul High School
6:30pm Boys Swimming  Conference ChampionshipsSt. Catherine University
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 7  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am6:30am | 3:00pmGirls Individual Wrestling SectionsSouth St. Paul High School
B: 10:00am JV: 10:00am V: 11:30am Boys Basketball vs. CentralHOME
7:30pm Girls Hockey Sections vs. WoodburyM Health Fairview Sports Center

Sports schedule for: Jan 12-17

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE JANUARY 12 – JANUARY 17
MONDAYJANUARY 12 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Hope AcademyHOME
TUESDAYJANUARY 13  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:00pm JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm3:15pm | 8:30pmBoys Basketball vs. CentralCentral High School
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. CentralHOME
4:30pm Adapted Soccer vs. Dakota UnitedHope Fieldhouse
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pmJV: 3:30pm V: 5:15pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. SimleyVeteran Memorial Community Center
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. St. FrancisWSP Ice Arena
5:00pmHP: 3:20pm SPA: 3:25pm | 7:15pmBoys Swimming and Diving vs. HardingHumboldt High School
WEDNESDAYJANUARY 14  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:20pm | 5:15pm 2 BusesNordic Ski – RaceBattle Creek
5:00pm3:30pm | 8:30pmWrestling vs. Como Park and CamdenComo Park High School
THURSDAYJANUARY 15  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 2:45pm V: 4:15pm Girls Basketball vs. WashingtonWashington Tech
JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm4:00pm | 8:00pmBoys Basketball vs. WashingtonWashington Tech
FRIDAYJANUARY 16  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. St. Paul AcademyHOME
SATURDAYJANUARY 17  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
 JV: 7:00am | 4:00pm V: 7:00am | 5:00pmJV Wrestling Invite Varsity Wrestling InviteJV: North High School V: St. Croix Lutheran Academy
10:00am Gymnastics InvitationalPark High School
11:00am8:30am | 2:30pmBoys Swimming and Diving True Team SectionsOak Grove Middle School
JV: 1:00pm V: 3:00pm Girls Hockey vs. WaconiaWSP Ice Arena
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pmJV: 3:30pm V: 5:00pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. Southwest ChristianRichfield Ice Arena

Sports schedule for: Jan 5-10

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 10
MONDAYJANUARY 5 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYJANUARY 6  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:00pm | 5:00pm Two BusesNordic Ski RaceTheodore Wirth Park
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. JeffersonWSP Ice Arena
WEDNESDAYJANUARY 7  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. HumboldtHumboldt High School
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. HumboldtHOME
THURSDAYJANUARY 8  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm Wrestling Tri vs. Medford and Washington TechHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. SPADrake Arena
FRIDAYJANUARY 9  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. HardingHOME
JV: 5:00pm V: 6:30pm Girls Basketball vs. HardingHarding High School
5:00pm & 7:30pm3:15pm | 8:30pmWrestling TriangularMahtomedi High School
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. HastingsWSP Ice Arena
SATURDAYJANUARY 10  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
 V: 5:00am | 4:30pmVarsity Nordic Ski: Mesabi Invite JV Nordic Ski: Loppet InviteV: Giants Ridge JV: Theodore Wirth Park
JV: 5:00pm V: 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. ChisagoCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena

Sport schedule for: Dec 29-Jan 3

 ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE DECEMBER 29 – JANUARY 3
MONDAYDECEMBER 29 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: TBD V: TBD Girls Hockey TournamentNew Hope Ice Arena
JV: 12:30pm V: 2:30pm Boys Hockey TournamentPrairie Island Arena Red Wing
TUESDAYDECEMBER 30  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: TBD V: TBD Girls Hockey TournamentNew Hope Ice Arena
JV: TBD V: TBD Boys Hockey TournamentPrairie Island Arena Red Wing
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 31  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: TBD V: TBD Girls Hockey TournamentNew Hope Ice Arena
THURSDAYJANUARY 1  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
FRIDAYJANUARY 2  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
SATURDAYJANUARY 3  
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
JV: 12:00pm V: 2:00pm Boys Hockey vs. WinonaCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena
2:00pm12:30pm | 5:00pmBoys Swimming Maroon and Gold InvitationalJean K. Freeman Aquatic Center