Axios

Americans view prediction market trading as more like gambling than investing, according to a new poll by Ipsos and the American Institute for Boys and Men.

Why it matters: Prediction markets have emerged as an increasingly popular — and controversial — way to bet on everything from sports and politics to business, news and entertainment.

Most people making March Madness brackets will be getting help from AI — and 37% will solely rely on it — according to a Hard Rock Bet survey.

Why it matters: AI can be a helpful tool for bracket-building, but only if used thoughtfully.

U.S. Soccer and Nike released the new national team uniforms ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup.

Why it matters: The tournament will be played on U.S. soil for the first time in over 30 years.

A big change is coming to Major League Baseball, and you can get an early glimpse of it at Spring Training in the Valley.

The big picture: The MLB is debuting the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System to reduce missed calls on balls and strikes this season.

• It aims to improve fairness on borderline judgements, especially in critical situations.

State of play: The new technology and challenge protocol is being used at all Spring Training games this year.

• Five Cactus League facilities tested it last year and it's been used in the minor leagues since 2022.

How it works: Each team starts with two challenges. The batter, pitcher or catcher can initiate a review by tapping their helmet or cap immediately after the call.

Major League Baseball is debuting the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System to reduce missed calls on balls and strikes this season.

Why it matters: It aims to improve fairness on borderline judgements, especially in critical situations.

Team USA's Paralympic roster includes multi-sport athletes, a pilot and a Purple Heart recipient.

The big picture: The United States is sending 72 competitors to Italy, five more than it did for the 2022 Games in Beijing.

Brian Ruppel could have left — instead of spending years on the sidelines as the backup goalie for the University of Maryland men's lacrosse team.

• But he stayed.

Why it matters: He did the invisible work of a supportive player and committed to something greater than himself. That commitment paid off.

• The redshirt senior from Catonsville, Maryland, is finally the starting goalkeeper.

Although transfers are common in college sports, Ruppel says he never considered playing anywhere else.

• "When you commit to a college," he says, "you make a commitment." It's not conditional.

The big picture: Players who put aside ego to support their teammates behind the scenes can be crucial to a team's culture and success.

• They're not just helpful during practice and after — when Ruppel would let teammates take extra shots on him and watch game film — but they're usually ready when called upon.
• Dodgers utility player Miguel Rojas spent most of the 2025 playoff season on the bench. But when he delivered a game-tying homer in World Series Game 7, teammate Freddie Freeman said "the game honors you" for putting in work nobody sees.

"It's about the team," Ruppel says of the Maryland lacrosse culture. "The better you get, the better you can practice, the better you help our team."

• And being a teammate is "bigger than lacrosse," the 21-year-old told Axios. When times are tough, "you have 50 guys around you that you can lean your head on, and that you can talk to."

• Ruppel backed up goalie Logan McNaney in 2024 and 2025, after starting several games in 2023 when McNaney tore his ACL.
• This year, McNaney is the team's director of player development and "one of my best friends," Ruppel says.

The bottom line: Ruppel finally got his starting role. But lessons from the bench may matter more.

• "Things that are worthwhile don't come easy," he said.

At the Winter Olympics this year, I added a new title to my reporting job: credentialed photographer.

The big picture: The gig gave me a literal front-row seat to history in Milan. Covering my third Olympics for Axios, it also dealt me a learning curve I had to navigate for more of the events than in past years.

Armed with some of the best gear on earth, I still felt like a novice — fumbling the focus, missing split-second moments, wondering if I was in over my head.

President Trump during the State of the Union on Tuesday revealed he is awarding Connor Hellebuyck, the Team USA goalie who helped the men's Olympic hockey team win gold at the 2026 games, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Why it matters: The award is considered the U.S. government's highest civilian honor and is usually presented to recognize a lifetime of significant achievements in the arts, public service, science, or other fields, per the Library of Congress.

The Milan Cortina Olympics were a showcase for growth and inclusion in winter sports, but the infrastructure that keeps those sports alive is on thin ice.

Why it matters: If warming weather trends continue, the map of where people can learn to curl, play hockey, or ski will be limited.