Category Archives: History

Midweek winter storm to wreak havoc from the Rockies to the Northeast

Another week, another big winter storm for the U.S. This week's storm will target a 2,000-mile swath of the nation from the Rockies to the Northeast with a nasty mix of snow, ice and rain from later Tuesday through Friday. Cities such as Denver, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit are in the path of the system.Winter storm watches have already been posted for 35 million people from Texas to Michigan, the National Weather Service said. Many areas could pick up snow totals of 6 inches or more along the path of the storm, and some locations could see up to a foot or more. Meanwhile, to the south and east of the corridor of ice, soaking rain and severe thunderstorms are possible.

Tuesday marks the start of Black History Month, a federally recognized celebration of the contributions African Americans have made to the U.S. and a time to reflect on the continued struggle for racial justice. The commemorative month aims to recognize and understand major moments and figures in African American history, as well as those continuing to pioneer the way. Throughout Black History Month, USA TODAY reporters will tell the stories of those who pushed for and brought about lasting change in Black communities.

Did slavery start in 1619?

Mary Elliott of the National Museum of African American History and Culture dispels myths associated with slavery.

Jarrad Henderson, USA TODAY

More than 1 billion people across the world will celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday. Known also as Chinese New Year, Vietnam's Tt Nguyn n or South Korea's Seollal, Lunar New Year is celebrated over several days in many Asian countries and also in parts of the United States. It's a time for families to gather for big feasts; it's also a chance for people to put the past behind and look forward to a fresh start. "We want to send away all the bad things, evil spirits," said Xiaohua Yang, director of the China Business Studies Initiative at the University of San Francisco. In the holiday's cycle of 12 zodiac animals, this year is the Year of the Tiger a strong, hopeful beast that seems auspicious amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to speak over the phone Tuesday, according to a senior State Department official.The threat of aRussian invasion has loomed over Ukraine for weeks as theformer has more than 100,000 troops alongtheborder with its southern neighbor.Russia denies it plans to attack.On Monday,Russia accused the Westof "whipping up tensions" over Ukraineas the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Moscow's troop buildup.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was "attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack."

Ukraine-Russia tensions: Why concerns of a Russian invasion are high

Tens of thousands of Russian troops are at the Ukraine border, leading to fears of an invasion. Here's what we know.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Major League Baseball labor negotiations are scheduled to continueTuesday, about twoweeks before spring training is set to begin.Baseball'sninth work stoppage began Dec. 2 after the expiration of a five-year labor contract, and the sides did not meet again on the central economic issues until Jan. 24, when players withdrew their proposal formore liberalized free agency.Management responded the following day by withdrawing aproposal formore limited salary arbitration.Tuesday's negotiations will be the first on the central issues since then. The twosides don't agree on many economic proposals, leaving very little time to end the lockout without disrupting thescheduled start of spring training workouts on Feb. 16.

Hall of shame: Selfish baseball writers have ruined Cooperstown

Andy Nesbitt explains how baseball writers' grudges of the past have tarnished the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

Contributing: The Associated Press

Excerpt from:

Black History Month, another winter storm, Lunar New Year: 5 things to know Tuesday - USA TODAY

The Phoenix Suns won their 10th straight game Sunday, cementing Monty Williams' spot as head coach of the NBA All-Star Game's Team LeBron as he leads the top squad in the Western Conference. The 40-9 Suns sit atop the NBA, ahead of the West rival Golden State Warriors, who own the league's second-best record at 37-13.

The Warriors boast two All-Stars who will make the trip to Cleveland, as Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins were named starters on Thursday.

The head coach of Team Durant is still up in the air, as the Eastern Conference race remains tight. The Miami Heat are No. 1 in the standings, half a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. The Philadelphia 76ers are 1.5 games back of the top spot, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks are each two games back, just half a game in front of the Brooklyn Nets.

While the Warriors and Suns have a hold on the West, the East race will continue to play out ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

1. Phoenix Suns2021-22 record: 40-9Previous ranking: 1

With their win at Utah on Wednesday, the Suns completed their second 8-0 run in road games in a calendar month this season. (They also went 8-0 on the road in November.) According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Phoenix became the first team in NBA history to go 8-0 or better on the road in multiple calendar months in a single season. Also, at 16-0 in November and 13-1 in January, Phoenix becomes the only team this season with a winning percentage of over .900 in two different months. In fact, no other team has done that once. -- Lopez

2. Golden State Warriors2021-22 record: 37-13Previous ranking: 2

The Warriors completed a 6-1 homestand with a win over the Nets on Saturday. The fact that Golden State did it without Draymond Green, who is still dealing with a disk issue in his back, and with Stephen Curry still in the midst of a shooting slump (just 36.9% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc in January) makes it that much more impressive. -- Friedell

3. Memphis Grizzlies2021-22 record: 35-17Previous ranking: 3

2 Related

Ja Morant, voted in as a starter for his first All-Star selection, is in the midst of the best scoring binge in Memphis franchise history. He has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, the longest such streak by a Grizzlies player, and he had the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history with 30 points in Friday's win over the Jazz. Morant has scored 400 points in January -- the most in any month by a Grizzly -- and still has a game to go.-- MacMahon

4. Miami Heat2021-22 record: 32-18Previous ranking: 4

Miami dropped a triple-overtime thriller to the Raptors on Saturday, but the Heat should be able to keep their strong momentum rolling into February, given how well Jimmy Butler is playing. The 32-year-old swingman is averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists over his past four games. -- Friedell

5. Philadelphia 76ers2021-22 record: 30-19Previous ranking: 7

As Joel Embiid continues to dominate -- and now has become the favorite to win this year's NBA Most Valuable Player Award -- the wait is on to see if the 76ers will do anything with Ben Simmons between now and the trade deadline. When Embiid plays this season, Philadelphia is 27-11 -- and that's with Simmons sidelined. -- Bontemps

6. Milwaukee Bucks2021-22 record: 31-21Previous ranking: 5

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has made a strong case to be named an All-Star reserve later this week. Holiday's numbers have been consistent in his second year in Milwaukee, with averages of 17.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. But the Bucks are playing at a much higher level when he is on the floor, outscoring teams by 13.9 points per 100 possessions as compared to when he sits. -- Collier

7. Chicago Bulls2021-22 record: 31-18Previous ranking: 6

DeMar DeRozan will become the first Bulls player to start the All-Star game since 2017, but he almost certainly will not be heading to Cleveland alone. Teammate Zach LaVine could be named an All-Star reserve this week, giving the Bulls a pair of All-Stars for the first time since Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol in 2015-16. -- Collier

8. Denver Nuggets2021-22 record: 28-21Previous ranking: 12

Nikola Jokic was already putting up eye-popping MVP numbers, but now the Nuggets are backing up his campaign to repeat with the wins. Denver has won five straight games, a streak that includes decisions over Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Jokic has five triple-doubles in his past nine outings. Denver's streak will be put to the test this week with a tough back-to-back at Minnesota and Utah. Michael Malone and the Nuggets deserve a ton of credit for being in the top five in the West without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. -- Youngmisuk

9. Dallas Mavericks2021-22 record: 29-22Previous ranking: 9

Luka Doncic didn't receive any media votes to be an All-Star starter, but if his recent performance is a sign of what's to come the rest of the season, he will get plenty of All-NBA votes again after being a first-team selection the past two years. Doncic, who sources tell ESPN has dropped about 15 pounds during the season, has averaged 30 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists over the past seven games. -- MacMahon

10. Cleveland Cavaliers2021-22 record: 30-20Previous ranking: 11

It was the best of times: The Cavs beat defending champion Milwaukee by 16 on Wednesday for their eighth win in nine games at the time. It was the worst of times: The Cavs, with three days off following the Bucks win, lost by 10 to a Pistons team with the second-worst record in the league on Sunday. -- McMenamin

11. Brooklyn Nets2021-22 record: 29-20Previous ranking: 10

Brooklyn has had its superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden together for a little over a year. Remarkably, they have only played 10 regular-season games together for a grand total of 234 regular-season minutes, including just 32 this season. Those numbers won't change for another several weeks, either, as Durant remains out with an MCL sprain. -- Bontemps

12. Utah Jazz2021-22 record: 30-21Previous ranking: 8

January has been a miserable month for the Jazz, who have lost 11 of the past 13 games. COVID-19 has swept through the roster and coaching staff, hitting coach Quin Snyder on Sunday. Their franchise cornerstones, Rudy Gobert (strained calf) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion), have missed the past several contests. And Joe Ingles, a critical part of the Jazz's success in recent years on and off the court, is feared to have suffered a serious knee injury Sunday night. -- MacMahon

13. Charlotte Hornets2021-22 record: 28-23Previous ranking: 13

Wednesday, Feb. 2Grizzlies at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.Nuggets at Jazz, 10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 476ers at Mavericks, 10 p.m.

All times Eastern

Charlotte had a 2-2 week but got blown out at home by an undermanned Clippers team on Sunday. The recurring issue for the Hornets remains the same: Are they going to have enough defensively to push them into the postseason? They have given up an average of 119.2 points over their past five games. -- Friedell

14. Toronto Raptors2021-22 record: 24-23Previous ranking: 14

While Toronto won a thrilling game in Miami in triple-overtime Saturday night, it was another reminder of the heavy minutes the team's leading performers are playing each night. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are first, second and third in minutes per game this season, while rookie Scottie Barnes is 12th. At some point, Toronto might have to be concerned about the strain that's putting on them. For now, though, the Raptors will be content with continuing to move up the East standings. -- Bontemps

15. Atlanta Hawks2021-22 record: 24-25Previous ranking: 21

Atlanta ran its win streak to seven games on Sunday with a comeback victory over the Lakers. The Hawks also got a boost in the fourth quarter from Onyeka Okongwu, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the final frame. In 17 games this season, Okongwu is averaging 9.7 points and six rebounds on 74.4% shooting; he hasn't shot below 50% from the field in any game. -- Lopez

16. Boston Celtics2021-22 record: 26-25Previous ranking: 17

While it's been a second straight frustrating season in Boston, one thing that Celtics fans should be genuinely excited about is the play of Robert Williams III. The fourth-year center, whom the Celtics signed to a contract extension before the season, has taken a significant step forward this season -- in his play and because he has been able to stay on the court. He gives Boston a third critical player to build around, along with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. -- Bontemps

17. Minnesota Timberwolves2021-22 record: 25-25Previous ranking: 15

A key component to the Timberwolves' success this season: forcing turnovers. Minnesota forces opponents into approximately 17 turnovers per game, which leads the NBA. The Wolves have caused at least 10 turnovers in 46 straight games. -- Collier

18. LA Clippers2021-22 record: 26-26Previous ranking: 19

No Kawhi Leonard. No Paul George. And yet the Clippers not only remain in the West playoff race with a 26-26 record, they've proved beyond any doubt they will continue to fight no matter what the odds are. Ty Lue's team has won three of its past four, including coming back from 35 down to stun the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday. During this month alone, the Clippers have won three games after coming back from 24 or more down, becoming the first team to win three such games in the past 25 seasons. Luke Kennard is playing like the versatile guard that the Clippers envisioned when they gave him a four-year, $64 million deal in 2020. The team's chemistry is growing, and the Clippers' defense has been stingy, holding high-scoring Charlotte to 90 points on Sunday. The Clips will end their eight-game road trip on Monday in Indiana, before returning home to face the Lakers on Thursday.-- Youngmisuk

19. Los Angeles Lakers2021-22 record: 24-27Previous ranking: 16

Russell Westbrook's play picked up considerably after being benched late in the game against Indiana. Since the controversial substitution, Westbrook has averaged 22 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.7 turnovers in six games. The highlight of the stretch was his 35 points without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Charlotte, nearly taking down the Hornets sans his cohorts. -- McMenamin

20. Washington Wizards2021-22 record: 23-26Previous ranking: 18

Things are unraveling in Washington. All those feel-good wins to start the season have been replaced by serious doubt and frustration. The Wizards have lost five straight games, including suffering one of the worst defeats in franchise history when Washington blew a 35-point lead at home to the Paul George-less Clippers on Tuesday. The frustration was palpable after that debacle. The Wizards have a lot of players fighting for minutes and new contracts, and they aren't on the same page right now. And it's only getting harder. Washington's next five games are at Milwaukee, at Philadelphia and at home against Phoenix, Miami and Brooklyn. -- Youngmisuk

21. New York Knicks2021-22 record: 23-27Previous ranking: 20

It's gone from bad to worse in New York, where Cam Reddish remains exiled to the end of the bench and the Knicks have now lost six of their past seven. Home games against Sacramento and Memphis to begin the week will be followed by a five-game West Coast trip through the Feb. 10 trade deadline. What will the Knicks look like when they return home? -- Bontemps

22. Portland Trail Blazers2021-22 record: 21-29Previous ranking: 22

After a stretch that saw them win six of eight games and get healthier, the Blazers have stumbled again. Portland has lost three of the past four games, including blowout losses at the hands of Dallas and Chicago. Still, Portland hovers at the 10th spot in the West. It will be interesting to see what the Blazers do as the trade deadline approaches. -- Youngmisuk

23. New Orleans Pelicans2021-22 record: 18-31Previous ranking: 23

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Already without Zion Williamson (foot) for the entire season so far, the Pelicans have struggled without Brandon Ingram in the lineup. New Orleans is 16-20 in games Ingram has played but 2-11 in games he sits. The Pelicans' 3-point shooting has suffered, as they are 28-of-118 (23.7%) from deep in the past four games. Ingram has missed all of them with a sprained right ankle. -- Lopez

24. San Antonio Spurs2021-22 record: 19-32Previous ranking: 26

While the Spurs sit toward the bottom of the league in 3-pointers made, forward Keldon Johnson's shooting this season has been a bright spot. Johnson was 13-of-22 on treys as a rookie in limited action during the 2019-20 season, but his shooting rate dipped to 33.1% a season ago. This season, he is trending in the right direction, shooting 43.7% (86-of-197), which is fourth in the league among qualified players. -- Lopez

25. Indiana Pacers2021-22 record: 18-33Previous ranking: 24

After missing a week with a sprained ankle, Domantas Sabonis has picked up right where he left off, missing out on a triple-double in consecutive games by two assists during a back-to-back this weekend. He still averaged 22.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.5 blocks and a steal in his first two games back. -- Collier

26. Sacramento Kings2021-22 record: 18-33Previous ranking: 25

Twenty-five years ago, a disgruntled star was traded from an East Coast team to Sacramento and ushered in the greatest era in Kings history. Ben Simmons will not pull a Chris Webber to celebrate the silver anniversary of the franchise-changing deal, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported this week, as the Kings have pulled out of the Simmons sweepstakes. -- McMenamin

27. Oklahoma City Thunder2021-22 record: 14-34Previous ranking: 28

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined at least through the All-Star break after spraining his right ankle during Friday's overtime loss to the Pacers. With the Thunder early in a rebuild -- and eyeing the elite frontcourt talent at the top of the next draft class -- count on them being extremely patient with their 23-year-old star's recovery. OKC is 30-48 when Gilgeous-Alexander plays and 6-36 without him over the past two campaigns. -- MacMahon

28. Houston Rockets2021-22 record: 14-35Previous ranking: 27

Rookie Jalen Green, the 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick, is battling through another really rough stretch. He is shooting 33.3% from the floor and 24.7% from 3-point range in January. That includes going 7-of-38 from the floor during the Rockets' current three-game losing streak, missing all 11 of his shots in a loss to the Warriors. Coach Stephen Silas wants Green to stay aggressive as he goes through growing pains, praising the rookie for earning nine free throws in Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers. -- MacMahon

29. Detroit Pistons2021-22 record: 12-37Previous ranking: 29

Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham scored 34 points with eight rebounds, eight assists and four blocks against the Nuggets this week, becoming the first rookie to record that stat line since Michael Jordan in 1984-85, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Cunningham, however, is two years younger than Jordan was when he put up those numbers. -- Collier

30. Orlando Magic2021-22 record: 11-40Previous ranking: 30

Orlando has won three of its past four games and appears to have found a little rhythm. Forward Chuma Okeke has had a solid run over his past two games, combining for 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in wins over the Pistons and Mavericks. -- Friedell

View original post here:

NBA Power Rankings, Week 16 - Philadelphia 76ers are climbing in the Eastern Conference - ESPN

Published: January 31, 2022 Author: Staff reports

The Contemporary History Institute will host a conversation on voting rights in the United States with Ohio University historians Katherine Jellison and Kim Little on Thursday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. via Teams.

Voting rights as well as access and barriers to the polls have been in the news almost daily since the run-up to the 2020 election. These issues are raising questions such as:

These questions are not new in the 21st century. The right to vote was far from universal for adult Americans for the first century and a half of U.S. history. African American men gained the right to vote with the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, but barriers to access to the polls remained for at least another century.

Women did not gain the right to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 seemed to be the culmination of a progressive evolution toward universal access to the polls for U.S. citizens, and the 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

The speakers at the Feb. 10 event will discuss if current public discourse and partisan debates mirror the often sharp disagreements at these earlier inflection points.

Jellison, Ph.D., will start off by talking about the suffrage movement around the turn of the 20th century, bringing out the problems for women of color in actually exercising their right to vote. She is professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Central Region Humanities Center.

Little, Ph.D., will follow up with a discussion of the voting rights wing of the civil rights coalition in the 1960s, paying specific attention to Freedom Summer and the resistance activists faced from white southerners. Little is professor of instruction and associate director of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Both speakers will join in a brief commentary regarding contemporary restrictions on the Voting Rights Act before opening the event up to questions.

Read more:

Contemporary History Institute to host conversation on voting rights on Feb. 10 - Ohio University

Stephen J. Davis

Stephen J. Davis, who studies ancient and medieval Christianity with a focus on the eastern Mediterranean, has been appointed the Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of History, effective immediately.

Davis is a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) in the Department of Religious Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations.

His work illuminates the history of Christianity in the Mediterranean, particularly in Egypt, through critical engagement with ancient texts and material cultures. Davis has authored five monographs. The first of these was The Cult of St. Thecla (2001), which reconstructed the role that communities of women played in early Christian piety. In The Early Coptic Papacy (2004) and Coptic Christology in Practice (2008), Davis deepened his study of the institutions, theologies, and religious practices of Christians in Egypt. His book, Christ Child: Cultural Memories of a Young Jesus (2014), a finalist for the American Academy of Religion Book Award for Excellence, presents a history of interpretation related to the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas, drawing on sociologies of cultural memory to situate stories about the childhood of Jesus in the context of medieval Jewish-Christian and Christian-Muslim encounter. Daviss most recent monograph, Monasticism: A Very Short Introduction (2018), explores monastic practice in a global historical context from antiquity to the present day. Davis is also principal editor and author of the multi-volume Catalogue of Coptic and Arabic Manuscripts in Dayr al-Suryan (2020), which has made a previously undocumented medieval monastic library accessible to researchers, a generational contribution to scholarship that has opened up new possibilities for future work on a major archive. He has also published dozens of articles on early Christian archaeology, monasticism, pilgrimage, the cult of the saints, and the history of biblical interpretation.

Davis is founder and executive director of the Yale Monastic Archaeology Project (YMAP), which has sponsored survey, excavation, analysis, and cultural heritage management at several ancient Coptic monasteries in Egypt. The project has garnered more than $1.5 million in external and internal funding. In addition, Davis is founding editor-in-chief of Christian Arabic Texts in Translation and is author or co-editor of five book-length editions and/or translations based on Coptic and Arabic texts. He has also co-edited two volumes of essays and has served as an editorial board member for leading journals and book series in the field. In recognition of his global stature as a scholar, Davis has been invited to speak at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Brown, Vanderbilt, and New York University, as well as several international institutions, including Oxford University and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitt in Frankfurt. He has held major research grants from the American Research Center in Egypt, the National Geographic Society, the Dumbarton Oaks Library and Collection, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Davis is currently the Head of Pierson College and has a distinguished record of service at Yale. He was Chair of the Council of Heads of College from 2015 to 2018, has served terms as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, and has been on numerous university-wide committees. He teaches courses that introduce students to new perspectives on religious history, exploring and connecting communities around the world through the interdisciplinary study of sites and sources.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton, a masters degree from Duke, and his Ph.D. from Yale.

Continued here:

Davis named Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of History - Yale News

This event honors the Black history of the community and reflects upon the history of Black leaders and community members.

The theme this year is "Hidden Figures: Celebrating Our Unsung Heroes," aimed at recognizing and celebrating community leaders whose efforts often fly under the radar.

"Perhaps they helped someone go through a tragic incident like a fire, or inspired others through motivational speaking," said Celeste Peoples-Gibbons, president of The City of Tampa Black History Committee. "We just want to make sure they are honored, and we want to be able to say, 'Thank you.'"

This event also launches the 2022 The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. Scholarship Program, which provides opportunities for African American high school seniors, as well as students who will be attending a vocational or technical school, to apply.

"We know that a traditional college isn't for everyone," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "Ensuring that scholarship money is available to students who are looking to go to a trade or technical school is critical. The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. has truly gone above and beyond providing support to ambitious, hardworking students preparing to enter the workforce."

To date, The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. has awarded nearly $275,000 in scholarship money to students. This year, it is aiming to hit the $300,000 mark.

Guests will hear from the keynote speaker, ESPN sports commentator Tiffany Greene. She is the first African American woman to serve as a play-by-play commentator for college football on ESPN.

Delia Dangerfield, news reporter at Spectrum News 9, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

Entertainment will be provided by NJ Ladyfingers, a local jazz group.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Unsung Heroes Celebrated At 34th Black History Event In Tampa - Patch.com

It is the simplest of propositions, something we've all done since childhood.

Flip a coin.

Yet this simple act literally a 50-50 proposition plays a big role in the single biggest sporting event in North America.

Here is everything you need to know about the history of the pregame coin flip in the Super Bowl heading into this season's showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. The Big Game will take place on Feb. 13 in Inglewood, Calif. (with all NFL odds via FOX Bet).

For more, from the Super Bowl opening lines to gambling-friendly schedules featuring live, updating odds to expert analysis and the day's most-bet games, check out the all-new "NFL Odds" section on the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com!

The pregame coin flip is the purest of all sports bets. No +/- to account for underdogs/favorites, no 10% vigorish to the books when you place your wager at FOX Bet.

History does not have any influence on the upcoming coin toss. And, the result of the coin toss in last season's Super Bowl has no bearing on this year's coin flip.

Heads: +100

Tails: +100

"We love this market as it allows even the most recreational bettor to have a market they can understand and get involved in," said Jacob Blangsted-Barnor, FOX Bet content integration specialist. "Not to mention it's settled before the game even starts, allowing bettors to place live bets if they have some coin toss winnings, which is great for all involved."

FOX Bet sports trader AJ Devine said 52% of bettors are on tails, 48% are on heads.

Based on recent history, winning the coin toss in the Super Bowl does not end well for that team. The loser of the coin toss has won the previous seven Super Bowls. The winner of the coin toss has lost the game 31 times.

And while winning the coin toss might be a bad omen for a team fighting to win the Super Bowl, does a team have better luck with heads or with tails?

Like the tote board next to the roulette wheel that shows the results of previous spins, here are the coin toss results for previous Super Bowls. So for those keeping score at home, the coin flip has landed on tails 29 times and on heads 26 times. So maybe the old phrase, "tails never fails," is sort of true kind of maybe when it comes to the winning team of the coin toss?

It seems 52% of bettors at FOX Bet hope so.

Super Bowl LV (2021): Heads, ChiefsSuper Bowl LIV (2020): Tails, 49ersSuperBowl LIII (2019): Tails, RamsSuper Bowl LII (2018): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl LI (2017): Tails, FalconsSuper Bowl 50 (2016): Tails, PanthersSuper Bowl XLIX (2015):Tails, SeahawksSuper Bowl XLVIII (2014): Tails, Seahawks-xSuperBowl XLVII (2013): Heads, Ravens-xSuper Bowl XLVI (2012): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl XLV (2011): Heads,Packers-xSuper Bowl XLIV (2010): Heads,Saints-xSuper Bowl XLIII (2009):Heads,CardinalsSuper Bowl XLII (2008): Tails, Giants-xSuperBowl XLI (2007): Heads, BearsSuper Bowl XL (2006): Tails, SeahawksSuper Bowl XXXIX (2005): Tails, EaglesSuper Bowl XXXVIII (2004):Tails, PanthersSuper Bowl XXXVII (2003):Tails, Buccaneers-xSuper Bowl XXXVI (2002): Heads, RamsSuperBowl XXXV (2001): Tails, GiantsSuper Bowl XXXIV (2000): Tails, Rams-xSuper Bowl XXXIII (1999): Tails, FalconsSuper Bowl XXXII (1998):Tails, PackersSuper Bowl XXXI (1997): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl XXX (1996): Tails, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XXIX (1995): Heads, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XXVIII (1994): Tails, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XXVII (1993): Heads, BillsSuper Bowl XXVI (1992): Heads, Washington Football Team-xSuper Bowl XXV (1991): Heads, BillsSuper Bowl XXIV (1990): Heads, BroncosSuper Bowl XXIII (1989): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XXII (1988): Heads, Washington Football Team-xSuper Bowl XXI (1987): Tails, BroncosSuper Bowl XX (1986): Tails, Bears-xSuper Bowl XIX (1985): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XVIII (1984): Heads, Raiders-xSuper Bowl XVII (1983): Tails, DolphinsSuper Bowl XVI (1982): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XV (1981): Tails, EaglesSuper Bowl XIV (1980): Heads, RamsSuper Bowl XIII (1979): Heads, CowboysSuper Bowl XII (1978): Heads, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XI (1977): Tails, Raiders-xSuper Bowl X (1976): Heads, CowboysSuper Bowl IX (1975): Tails, Steelers-xSuper Bowl VIII (1974): Heads, Dolphins-xSuper Bowl VII (1973): Heads, Dolphins-xSuper Bowl VI (1972): Heads, DolphinsSuper Bowl V (1971): Tails, CowboysSuper Bowl IV (1970): Tails, VikingsSuper Bowl III (1969): Heads, Jets-xSuper Bowl II (1968): Tails, RaidersSuper Bowl I (1967): Heads, Packers-x

*X denotes the coin flip and eventual Super Bowl winner

PROP BETS

Lastly, if you're looking for something else in addition to the coin flip and the game itself to wager on, FOX Bet has already posted player and team props for Super Bowl LVI, as well. Here are just a few of the biggest ones:

Joe Burrow passing yards over/under: 275.5 yards

Matthew Stafford passing yards over/under: 275.5 yards

Cooper Kupp to score a TD: -154

Ja'Marr Chase to score a TD: -105

Joe Mixon to score a TD: -105

Odell Beckham Jr. to score a TD: +155

Play FOX Super 6 every week for your chance to win thousands of dollars every week. Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today!

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Super Bowl 2022 odds: Coin toss prop bet lines and betting history - FOXSports.com

TCU heads to Norman on Monday night for their second Big 12 Conference matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners. TCU took the first matchup in overtime 59-58, thanks to some clutch late defense and 11 points each from Chuck OBannon and Micah Peavy. That win snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Sooners.

The win came during a tough stretch for Mike Miles, who scored just six points on a 3-12 shooting night. Miles seemed to break out of an extended slump on Saturday with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists against LSU.

Head coach Jamie Dixon noted after the win over LSU that TCU out-rebounded the Sooners by one in the first matchup, saying We beat them by one, we beat them on the glass by one. There aint no way we win up there unless we out-rebound them by a bigger number.

TCU is, of course, one of the best rebounding teams in the country, pulling down 41.44 rebounds per contest, including over 14 offensive boards per game. Theyre 3rd in the country in rebounding margin, pulling down an average of nine more rebounds per game than their opponent.

Most importantly, TCU is 13-2 this season when outrebounding their opponent.

The Frogs will need that type of performance on the glass to pace them if they want to do something that hasnt ever been done in program history before: win in Norman.

If any TCU squad can be the first to get a win in Norman, its this one. TCU is 3-1 on the road this season, already matching their road win total from a season ago.

Since their last meeting TCU is 2-2, with wins over ranked Iowa State and LSU, and losses to Oklahoma State and Texas. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is just 1-3 since their previous encounter with the Frogs, dropping games to three top 10 teams in the country in Kansas, Baylor, and Auburn. Their lone win in that stretch came on the road against West Virginia.

The game tips off at 8pm on ESPN 2, so tune in and chat here as we follow along with the Frogs.

NOTES

- TCU (14-4, 3-3) plays at Oklahoma (13-8, 3-5) on Monday in Norman at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

- TCU improved to 2-1 against Top 25 teams after defeating No. 19 LSU, 77-68, on Saturday. It was the Frogs second win over a ranked team in seven days.

- TCU has the seventh toughest remaining schedule nationally.

- TCU is 3-1 on the road this season, already as many wins as last seasons team.

- TCUs turnovers have been down with 13 in each of its last two games.

- Preseason All-Big 12 guard Mike Miles Jr. is the only player that ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in scoring (fifth, 15.6) and assists (fourth, 4.1). He is one of four in the Power 5 that is averaging at least 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Miles scored 19 points against No. 19 LSU.

- Chuck OBannon Jr. is second on the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game and is shooting a team-best 40.0 percent from three. Hes coming off a 19-point performance against No. 19 LSU.

- Emanuel Miller leads eight TCU newcomers with 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Big 12. Miller has four double-doubles this season and his 2.7 offensive rebounds per ranks third in the Big 12.

- Damion Baugh ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 4.1 assists per game. He had 23 points and seven steals at No. 16 Iowa State.

- Micah Peavys defensive points per possession is .5, which ranks in the top percentile nationally.

- Eddie Lampkin Jr. has two double-doubles this season. His 5.3 rebounds per game rank 17th in the Big 12 and his 2.9 offensive rebounds per game ranks second.

- TCU leads the Big 12 and ranks in the top 10 nationally in rebounding margin (third, 9.7), offensive rebound percentage (fourth, 38.8%), offensive rebounds per game (fifth, 14.1) and rebounds per game (seventh, 41.4).

- When outrebounding its opponent, TCU is 13-2 this season and 94-28 under Jamie Dixon. This season, TCU has been outrebounded just three times.

- TCUs adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 91.7 ranks 20th nationally and is TCUs best number since KenPom began tracking stats in 1996-97.

LAST TIME OUT

- Facing the top defensive team in the country, TCU led the entire second half in a 77-68 win over No. 19 LSU Saturday afternoon. The Tigers entered the game allowing just 58.4 points per game and 35.9 percent shooting. The Horned Frogs hung over 70 points on them for the first time this season while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, their second-best mark of the season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

- Oklahoma has lost five of its last six games and coming off an 86-68 loss at No. 1 Auburn on Saturday.

- The Sooners are led by Tanner Groves 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

- OU is tied with Kansas for the top shooting team in the Big 12 at 48.9 percent.

SERIES HISTORY

- Oklahoma leads the all-time series 27-5.

- TCU won the meeting earlier this month, 59-58 in overtime to snap an eight-game losing streak to OU.

- TCU is looking for its first win in Norman.

Go here to read the rest:

TCU vs. Oklahoma Game Thread: Frogs looking to make history - Frogs O' War

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was easy to forget after back-to-back Super Bowl appearances the past couple of years, but the Kansas City Chiefs have a tortured playoff history.

They added another chapter to the sorry list in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, a 27-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs led 21-3 in the second quarter but collapsed, with the Bengals running off 21 straight points to take a 24-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw touchdowns on each of the Chiefs' first three possessions, but they didn't score again until Harrison Butker's 44-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Chiefs won the coin toss, but Mahomes threw an interception on the first possession and the Bengals drove for the winning field goal.

Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC) First look at Rams-Bengals Full bracket, schedule and format See more playoff content

The Chiefs won't be haunted just by wasting an 18-point lead but by a decision they made late in the first half. Leading 21-10 with five seconds left and no timeouts remaining, they tried a pass play from the Cincinnati 1 rather than kick a field goal.

Mahomes completed a pass to Tyreek Hill but short of the end zone, and Hill could neither get into the end zone nor out of bounds before time expired.

"I knew the time was low and I knew we needed to get points," Mahomes said. "We called a play where we were trying to get somebody over the middle quick [or] I was supposed to throw the ball away. I got a little greedy there. ... In the long run of things it looks bad but if we got another chance I would have went for another play again."

It's the latest troubled playoff chapter for the Chiefs. In recent years they wasted a 28-point lead during a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round (2013 season), lost by two points without allowing a touchdown to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round (2016), blew an 18-point lead in a loss to the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round (2017) and lost in overtime to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game (2018).

The 18-point comeback for the Bengals matches the largest in the conference championship round (2006 Indianapolis Colts over the New England Patriots) and matches the second-largest road comeback in NFL postseason history.

"In the second half we were just off a tick and that's all it takes to lose a football game," Mahomes said. "Ive got to be better. We were up 21-3 at one point and you can't lose it. I put that on myself."

See the article here:

Kansas City Chiefs got 'greedy' and add another chapter to haunted playoff history - Kansas City Chiefs Blog- ESPN - ESPN

As we begin Black History Month, here is the nub of todays racial politics in two points.

First, the Republican Party is the white peoples party.

The GOP is 83 percent white, according to Gallup, based on 2021 polls.

It is also the party that wins the support of the majority of non-college educated whites (57 percent) and of rural Southerners (60 percent), according to a 2020 Pew Research Center report.

Second, the Democrats are the multiracial party.

Forty-three percent of their voters are Black, Latino or Asian, according to Gallup. Democrats also have majority support among women (56 percent) and white college graduates, according to Pew.

And in stark contrast to those rural, southern Republicans, Democrats have 72 percent support in the big cities of the Northeast, according to Pew.

Those clear, hard racial divisions make it obvious why the GOP has no interest in making it easy for Blacks, Latinos, educated folks and working women in cities and suburbs to vote.

Those people are not their voters.

In fact, to maximize their chances of winning, the GOP has an interest in suppressing their votes.

Im laying this out because Senate Republicans took offense when President BidenJoe BidenCongress in jeopardy of missing shutdown deadline Senate to get Ukraine, Russia briefing on Thursday As Social Security field offices reopen, it's time to expand and revitalize them MORE recently called out the racial impact of the GOPs total opposition to bills to protect voting rights.

Biden said the senators had to decide if they wanted history to mark them as being on the side of Dr. King or George Wallacethe side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?

Senate Republicans called it an unfair racial attack.

The implication of the presidents remarks was that Senate Republicans held sinister, even racist inclinations, said Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt Romney Romney tests positive for coronavirus Build Back Smaller: What's the best path forward for Democrats? Romney participating in fundraiser for Liz Cheney MORE (R-Utah).

It was a deliberately divisive attack on Republicans, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellCongress in jeopardy of missing shutdown deadline Biden's 'New Political Order' Cotton says he will keep an 'open mind' on Biden's Supreme Court nominee, but doubts GOP will support them MORE (R-Ky.). He said Bidens words were both incorrect and beneath his office as president.

The one Black member of the Senate GOP, Sen. Tim ScottTimothy (Tim) Eugene ScottSunday shows preview: Justice Breyer announces retirement from Supreme Court White House confirms Judge J. Michelle Childs under consideration for Supreme Court Clyburn predicts Supreme Court contender J. Michelle Childs would get GOP votes MORE (R-S.C.) was indignant. He said any suggestion that Republicans wanted to limit Black voter turnout was a slap at all who remember Black people being lynched for voting and the millions of Americans who fought, bled and died for the right to vote.

As the author of several books on civil rights history, I feel compelled to push back.

While todays Republicans are not resorting to the violent tactics used by white segregationists before passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, they are aiming for the same goal by making it harder for this generation of Black voters to find a polling place.

And, yes, they are limiting early voting.

Yes, they are changing the rules for mail-in voting.

And Republican-majority state legislatures are passing laws that give them the power to go around nonpartisan election officials and make the final decision on which votes to count and who wins.

The most generous interpretation of Senate Republicans refusal to protect voting rights against this onslaught is that they are creating the best chance for their party to win future elections.

But it is heartbreaking to see any group of patriotic Americans turn their eyes away from these underhanded attempts to erode the right to vote and to diminish the power of the minority vote. These tactics are a threat to every Americans constitutional right to representative government.

History will condemn todays Senate Republicans for standing idle while their party colleagues at the state level do the dirty work of tripping up voters of color.

Once upon a time, back in 2006 when white voters made up a bigger share of the electorate, Senate Republicans had less trouble voting to reauthorize the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Sixteen Republicans who are still in the Senate today cast votes for reauthorization at that time, including McConnell.

But now Senate Republicans act only in service to political power. They remain locked into former President TrumpDonald TrumpUS pushes for talks with North Korea after latest missile launch Democrats topped GOP in raising, spending 'dark money' from undisclosed donors in 2020: report Hutchinson warns fellow GOP governors: Talking about 2020 election a losing strategy MOREs fiction about voter fraud as the reason he lost the 2020 election.

It fits with their worry over what happened when Black voters turned out, fraud free, in the 2020 presidential race, tipping swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to Biden. Black voters even gave Biden a win in Georgia.

Republican fears worsened when Black voters in Georgia turned out in large numbers in a run-off election to elect two Democrats to the Senate last January, leaving the Senate in a 50-50 split and leaving the tie-breaking vote in the hands of Vice President Harris. Again, there was no evidence of fraud.

Now McConnell and Senate Republicans point to such strong Black turnout as proof that there is no need for new federal laws to protect voting rights. McConnell went so low as to say Blacks are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.

McConnell claimed he had misspoken. But dont get distracted by his offensive comment his whole argument is a dodge.

The new laws are being put in place to prevent a repeat of high Black voter turnout in future elections.

There is no escaping the racism involved with a wall of Republican opposition. Every one of the Senates 50 Republicans, along with two defectors on the Democrats side, stopped consideration of the voting rights bills.

Those senators really did side with George Wallace and Bull Connor.

Juan Williams is an author, and a political analyst for Fox News Channel.

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Juan Williams: Biden is right GOP is on wrong side of history | TheHill - The Hill

Memes didnt start with the internet. Some linguists argue that humans have used memes to communicate for centuries. Memes are widely known as conduits for cultural conversations and an opportunity to participate in internet trends (trust us, the Times is on it). Even if youre not extremely online, youve probably participated in a meme trend, knowingly or not.

The word meme has been used in the New York Times Crossword 60 times since the puzzles inception in the 1940s, according to XWordInfo. Although its difficult to identify the first meme ever, the British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is credited with introducing the term in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. In Mr. Dawkinss original conception, a meme was analogous to a phoneme, the smallest unit of sound in speech, or a morpheme, the smallest meaningful subunit of a word, Kirby Conrod, a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, said. I would explain the concept of a meme a self-replicating chunk of information by asking someone about an inside joke they had with friends or an advertising jingle thats been stuck in their head for 20 years, Professor Conrod said. That chunk of information, the joke or the jingle, self-replicates because we humans like to share and repeat stuff. When we repeat the joke, or sing the jingle, thats an instance of the meme reproducing itself. The word meme first appeared in the New York Times Crossword in 1953 with the clue Same: French. Its most recent appearance was on Dec. 24, 2021, with the clue Something that gets passed around a lot.

Humans have used memes to communicate for as long as they have used any symbolic system, Professor Conrod said. D. Andrew Price, the head of content at Memes.com, agreed. Mr. Dawkins merely coined the term for something thats existed literally forever, he said. A meme is just an idea that rips through the public consciousness.

In French, the word mme translates to same and the Greek word mimomai means to imitate. In his book, Dawkins said, We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. He wanted to use a monosyllable that sounded like gene. Dawkins said, It could alternatively be thought of as being related to memory, or to the French word mme.

Websters New World College Dictionary defines a meme as a concept, belief, or practice conceived as a unit of cultural information that may be passed on from person to person, subject to influences in a way analogous to natural selection.

Like many words in the English language, the word meme has undergone a semantic shift over time. In an internet-saturated world, memes and their meanings are co-constructed by multiple users in a social context, Jennifer Nycz, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at Georgetown Universitys Department of Linguistics, said. This is really no different from any other process of communication or knowledge creation, she added. Its just especially salient in the case of memes because people explicitly construct them and then post them to the world for commentary.

The popular meme creator Saint Hoax, who has three million Instagram followers, defines a meme as a piece of media that is repurposed to deliver a cultural, social or political expression, mainly through humor. It has the ability to capture insight in a way that is in complete alignment with the zeitgeist, Saint Hoax said.

Memes can also accelerate the popularity of certain forms of entertainment. Memes now have the ability to help new TV shows or even songs gain popularity by becoming the basis of a viral trend, said Samantha Sage, co-founder and chief creative officer of Betches, a media company geared toward millennial women.

Noteworthy pop culture events are breeding grounds for meme creation. In fact, this year, Instagram hired Saint Hoax to cover the Met Gala as its first-ever meme correspondent, knowing that interesting, culturally relevant content would come from the event and spread on social platforms. Memes are basically editorial cartoons for the internet age, Saint Hoax said. The power of a meme lies in its transmissibility and unique knack for being cross-cultural. And memes have the uncanny ability to capture a moment while distracting people from reality. They encapsulate the era we are living in while also reminding us that its not all that serious, Lola Tash, one of the founders of the meme account My Therapist Says, said.

Memes are shareable by nature. In a world where you are scrolling through news feeds for hours a day, the meme format catches your eye, and most of them can be read and understood within seconds, said Samir Mezrahi, the deputy director of social media at BuzzFeed, who also runs Kale Salad, a meme account with nearly four million followers.

Creating and sharing memes facilitates a sense of community online while maintaining a feeling of exclusivity. Memes bring people together through humor and can act as a catalyst for creating social or political commentary, said Kit Chilvers, the chief executive and founder of Pubity Group, a collection of social media accounts that has more than 80 million total followers. Often, memes can be quite exclusive, as only people who are familiar with the origin of the meme will understand it, Chilvers added.

It would take a long time to dive into every popular meme that has graced the internet, but there are a few notable meme culture moments that provide a foundation for understanding the constantly evolving mode of communication. For example, many people I spoke to referred to LOLcats, a trend that included funny photos of cats with text superimposed on them, as one of the original meme trends. Another example of a widespread meme trend is Rickrolling, which involved adding unexpected links to the music video for the singer Rick Astleys 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up. The music video now has more than 1.1 billion views on YouTube.

Meme culture is constantly evolving, and the future of memes is unpredictable, but some of the internets most popular meme creators have thoughts on where it might be headed. I think memes will become NFTs (nonfungible tokens) and we will see creators selling their best work as digital assets, Haley Sacks, founder of the Instagram account @mrsdowjones, said. I would buy a meme NFT, she added. Mr. Price, of Memes.com, predicted that in five years or sooner every cultural moment and every news story will have an accompanying meme, and that meme will be a large part of the mainstream conversation about that event. Memes on the internet took what is already naturally occurring in the way that we communicate and supercharged it by making it global and simple, he said.

What can I say? The girls that get it, get it and the girls that dont, dont.

Read more here:

What Is a Meme? The Meaning and History - The New York Times