Category Archives: Yahoo

China made headlines in 2021 when it first banned all domestic cryptocurrency mining in June and then outlawed cryptocurrencies completely in September. Following Beijings decision, questions remained as to where large scale mining companies would move their operations to next, with China being responsible for much of their worlds mining activity up until the crackdown.

GEM Mining CEO John Warren believes that the U.S. has been able to fill the vacuum left by the Chinese pullout of the crypto space.

What you've seen over the past years with China shutting down, Kazakhstan shutting down, [is that] North America and specifically the United States has really become the Bitcoin (BTC-USD) mining capital of the world, Warren told Yahoo Finance Live. And I think that's a positive thing for the United States.

Warren joined Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the migration of bitcoin mining to the U.S., crypto mining's energy use, and sales tax exemptions. GEM Mining, based in Greenville, S.C., is a privately held, institutional-grade bitcoin mining company which mined over 600 Bitcoin (worth over $25 million) in 2021.

The American South is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing destinations for cryptocurrency mining operations and other crypto-related businesses. Attractive tax incentives and affordable renewable energy are making states like Texas and Georgia hotspots for miners who have been exiled from overseas due to government crackdowns. Politicians there are also enjoying jobs creation and tax revenue bumps within their states.

Cryptocurrency mining is highly energy-intensive, but Warren says GEM Mining has a goal of reaching full carbon neutrality by 2026. The company currently has operations in six states. And according to Warren, energy accessibility plays an important role in selecting areas of the U.S. in which to expand.

GEM Mining, my company, we're 97% carbon neutral. There are very few companies in the U.S. that can say that. But a huge component, as you know, is the energy. And certain states are very friendly to the miners.

Story continues

In regard to sales tax exemptions which make certain states more attractive for mining companies, Warren cited Kentucky as being a trailblazer for signing crypto tax incentives into law. Kentucky passed HB230 in March 2021 with overwhelming support the legislation provides sales and use tax exemptions on the tangible personal property directly used and the electricity used in commercial mining of cryptocurrency.

One of the biggest things is getting an exemption for the sales tax for all the miners, he said. I mean, we have over $300 million deployed in miners. That's a huge sales tax benefit if you don't have to pay it. So ultimately, the miners are located in states where they have that sales tax exemption.

Thomas Hum is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @thomashumTV

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn

View post:

U.S. is now the Bitcoin mining capital of the world: GEM Mining CEO - Yahoo Finance

ZHANGJIAKOU, China While the United States was watching the Super Bowl, China watched its biggest Olympic star American-born freeskier Eileen Gu start her bid to win a second gold medal in these Olympic Games.

A late-arriving motorcade snarled the already wicked traffic around the Genting Snow Park venue. Bing Dwen Dwen, the instantly-beloved mascot of these Games, bounced around in the front row of nearly-full stands. Fans of Gu braved minus-seven degree temperatures minus-23 with the wind chill and waved flags, clapped and cheered as she led off the 27-woman qualifying at freeski slopestyle.

Gu is quite literally the face of these Olympics. Her image is everywhere in China, present on commercials, billboards and every single shopping bag handed out at the Olympics official stores. She's also a flashpoint of geopolitical controversy; raised American but skiing for China, her exact citizenship is a matter of considerable debate.

Whats not up for debate, though, is her skill on the slopes. Gu won freeskis big air gold medal last week, and has two more events slopestyle and halfpipe in which shes favored to match that mark.

Slopestyle involves a combination of rails and jumps over a long, descending course. Gu began her slopestyle qualifying with a less-than-spectacular initial run, falling off one rail early and failing to cleanly land a jump. The crowd below didnt care, cheering her every move. She finished that run with a 57.28 rating, good for 11th in the first of two rounds, with the top 12 advancing to the finals.

At almost the exact same time the Rams were shutting down the Bengals final, desperate drive, Gu stood at the top of the hill, knowing she needed to land a clean run. Several of her rivals had fallen in the first round, and an 11th-place finish was unlikely to hold up.

Gu began her run, and the volume of the crowd dropped from passionate to silent. Hundreds of Chinese fans watched her run on the large-screen television at the base of the hill. This time, though, Gu had no troubles, sequencing cleanly through the pipes and jumps. She totaled two 900s 2 1/2 rotations and a 720 cork, a flip that included two rotations.

Story continues

At the base of the hill, she munched on a bun while waiting for her score: 79.83, good enough for third place and a clean path into the finals.

Qualifiers are always scarier for me than the finals, Gu said afterward. Finals, the pressures off. I just go do my thing.

As it turned out, Gus first score wouldnt have held up; had she not landed her second run cleanly, she would have finished the qualifying session in 16th place. But shes on to the finals on Tuesday, with a clear chance at a second straight gold.

From Team USA, Maggie Voisin qualified fourth and Marin Hamill qualified sixth. Darian Stevens failed to qualify, and Caroline Claire did not compete.

China's Eileen Gu gestures as she waits for her score in the freeski slopestyle qualification run during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park H & S Stadium in Zhangjiakou, China on February 14, 2022. (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Originally posted here:

While Americans watched the Super Bowl, China was honed in on Olympic star Eileen Gu - Yahoo Sports

After a stumble in the Olympic qualifiers, Erin Jackson's gold-medal dreams were over. Jackson failed to qualify for the 500-meter event at the Beijing Olympics, but then something beautiful happened. Her teammate Brittany Bowe gave up her spot, giving Jackson a second chance. Jackson did not waste it, picking up a gold medal in the 500-meter event Sunday in Beijing.

Jackson was the final member of Team USA to skate Sunday. She took part in the second-to-last skate of the day. Jackson had a tall task ahead of her. Miho Takagi of Japan put up a 37.12 early in the event, and remained in the top spot the entire time.

Jackson the No. 1 ranked skater in the world proved she was up to the task. Jackson got out to a strong start, and kept up that momentum throughout her skate. She finished with a time of 37.04, narrowly beating Takagi for the gold.

With the performance, Jackson became the first Black woman to win an individual speedskating medal at the Olympics.

It was the first time since 1994 an American woman brought home the gold in the 500-meter race. Bonnie Blair was the last American woman to win the 500-meter event at the Olympics. She did it three times 1988, 1992 and 1994.

Jackson nearly didn't make it to Beijing. Her stumble during Olympic trials was enough to keep her from qualifying for the games. Two days later, Bowe gave up her 500-meter event spot to Jackson so that Jackson could take part in the event.

Bowe's kindness was rewarded. The United States eventually received a third spot in the 500-meter event. Bowe received that spot, and took part in the event Sunday.

Brittany Bowe was the first member of Team USA to skate Sunday. Bowe got out to a strong start, and finished with a time of 38.04. That put Bowe in line for the bronze, but with so many other skaters left, it was expected Bowe would drop in the standings as more event progressed. That's exactly what happened. Bowe finished 16th, though was not expected to medal in the 500-meter event. Bowe excels in the 1,000-meter race. She's expected to be one of the favorites in that event, which will occur Thursday.

Kimi Goetz was second to skate for Team USA. Goetz was making her Olympics debut after failing to qualify in 2018. Goetz was expected to make the team in 2018, but sustained a concussion on the first day of Olympic qualifiers and dropped out. Goetz finished with a time of 38.25. She finished in 18th place.

Erin Jackson brought home a gold medal for Team USA. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Read this article:

Erin Jackson wins historic gold medal in 500m after nearly missing the Olympics - Yahoo Sports

Cannabis companies have long had a problem with banking in the U.S. They may be legal in certain states, but they cant access many financial services because federal law outlaws marijuana.

The situation has hampered the industry, and a fix called the SAFE Banking Act has stalled for years. If passed, that bill would bar federal banking regulators from punishing financial institutions for providing services to a "legitimate" cannabis-related business.

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) has led the effort in the House to pass the SAFE Banking Act five separate times, only to see the Senate block it each time.

On Friday, Perlmutter appeared on Yahoo Finance Live to discuss effort number six and explained the political dynamics that have stymied his efforts ever since Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012. Early efforts were thwarted when figures like Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), then Senate Banking Committee Chair, raised various objections in 2019, citing the potency of marijuana and the possibility the bill could facilitate money laundering.

U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) listens to testimony before the House Committee on Rules at the United States Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

I passed it first...when the Republicans were in charge of the Senate and Senator Crapo at that time, basically said the bill was too big and too broad, Perlmutter said.

Most of those concerns have been allayed, but now Perlmutter is facing pushback from fellow Democrats including Senators Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker, who are instead focused on comprehensive cannabis reform.

"From Schumer and Booker's point of view, the bill is too limited and too narrow, Perlmutter says.

Booker wants to solve the banking problem by legalizing marijuana at the federal level. In the past, the New Jersey senator has vowed he will lay myself down to block efforts to pass the marijuana banking legislation before larger cannabis reform.

Republicans have also pushed for legalization, with Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) leading one effort. The only place this is controversial is in Washington, D.C., she has told Yahoo Finance in the past.

Story continues

For his part, Perlmutter supports a broader bill but also wants to pass a law addressing the banking issue this year. If they could add research, if they could add some criminal justice reform, if they could add taxation components, I'm all for it, Perlmutter said. But we need to get something passed and on to the president this year.

Industry analysts, like Barclays, have said that they dont see cannabis being legalized under the Biden administration. Perlmutter agrees that there aren't enough votes in the Senate currently for a broader bill.

However, he often notes that a bipartisan group of lawmakers support the banking provisions and says his bill, if passed, can break the ice towards larger efforts.

Ben Werschkul is a writer and producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit.

Read more here:

One lawmaker's crusade to legalize cannabis banking in the US - Yahoo Finance

Buffalo may have gotten bounced in the divisional round of the 2021 NFL playoffs, but quarterback Josh Allen and his team left the kind of impression on bettors that Bills Mafia leaves on tables. The AFC East champs opened as +750 co-favorites on BetMGM to win the 2022 Super Bowl and nearly a fifth of all the money wagered so far is betting on them to finally break through and claim the Lombardi Trophy next year.

The four most popular Super Bowl bets hail from the AFC. A tick over 14% of bettors have futures on Buffalo, followed by the Chiefs (8.6%), Bengals (6.9%) and Titans (5.9%). Those four represent the final four AFC teams left standing after this year's wild-card round. Kansas City shares the same +750 odds as the Bills, while Cincinnati is +1200 and Tennessee is +2200.

The public is about as enthused to wager on the newly crowned champion Rams as their fan base is to attend regular season home games. Only 5.3% of tickets are betting on a successful Hollywood sequel next season, which would pay +1100.

Despite finishing 7-10 this year, the Broncos (+1600) opened with the sixth-best odds to win it all in 2022 and have received the sixth-most action (5.1%). These odds and wagers are factoring in the possibility of Denver acquiring the one glaring piece they're missing to be a Super Bowl contender: a quarterback. Could this price be a Rodgers rate? The Broncos have cap space in the neighborhood of $48 million and could afford to reunite Aaron Rodgers and maybe even wide receiver Davante Adams with former Packers offensive coordinator and current Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

Cincinnati opened 2021 as a +8000 long shot to win the Super Bowl, then saw those odds balloon to +15000 during the early part of the season. Lions fans believe their team can replicate that magical Bengals run. Michigan bettors, notorious for laying hard-earned cash on their sports teams, have made Detroit the seventh-most popular bet on the board at 4.5%. Dan Campbell's Lions are +15000 to win the Super Bowl, tying them with the Texans and Jets for longest odds. New York ranks 13th in terms of support, with 2.8% of tickets on the Jets. That's more bet slips than the Ravens, Steelers, Colts or Patriots have seen.

Story continues

In bettors' minds, the Lombardi Trophy's not going to Carolina. The Panthers are the least bet on team, coming in at just 0.4% of tickets. Atlanta and Cleveland round out the bottom three. Tampa Bay, who fielded the most Super Bowl futures of any team throughout the 2021 season and heading into the playoffs, ranks 26th in ticket percentage now that Tom Brady is retired.

See more here:

NFL betting: The public is jumping all over a Bills Super Bowl title in 2022 - Yahoo Sports

The Brooklyn experiment ended mercifully, almost abruptly. The long dalliance with the Philadelphia 76ers finally consummated with a trade that could rank among the best in recent history considering the star power.

James Harden forced his way off the team after forcing his way to Brooklyn one year ago. Kyrie Irving keeps himself as a part-time player, which no doubt rankled Harden in the process. Kevin Durant, the man this revolves around, has watched his grand plan blow up in smoke, and was no doubt weary of Harden no longer being onboard.

Getting Ben Simmons depending if Simmons mind, body and soul are right seems like the best possible consolation prize, and make no mistake, the Nets dont make this move without Durants blessing or urging.

They wouldve been better off choosing the Knicks. Perhaps it wouldve been just as predictable and combustible, but at least it wouldve been memorable and under the backdrop of Madison Square Garden.

Scary hours? Meet nightmare on Broad Street.

Championships, fun times and reformed reputations were supposed to be how this played out. Instead, there was no depth or consistency and flaky characters playing true to their histories.

This venture ended with Nets coach Steve Nash publicly claiming till the last minute Harden would be a Net, even though Harden seemed to have long checked out of this franchise. Its hard to pinpoint exactly when it all went downhill, but we cant point to the high moment because there isnt one.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday before the NBA trade deadline. (Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

But the commonality seems to be, when someone is ready to leave the party, everyone knows it long before the music stops.

Harden was arguably one day away from furniture moving in the locker room in Houston before being sent to Brooklyn, and his hamstring has tightened up at precisely the right time this year exactly when whatever joy hes played with has been replaced by a forlorn look of disengagement and desperation.

He stomped his feet, grabbed his hammy and went home. Even if his discontent came from a sliding scale of rule application concerning Irvings in-out-in status, he benefited from that power structure many times before.

Story continues

Remember that Ill inject him [with the COVID-19 vaccine] myself statement he made about Irving? Remember him jettisoning Chris Paul from Houston when that relationship went sour? Its no fun when someone else has the gun.

When Irving is ready to exit, scorched earth is usually behind his suitcases a smirk and who me explanation is often to follow. For Durants part, hes not as much an active participant in the four-alarm fire, but he wont tell you where the fire extinguisher is.

Harden will probably look close enough to his old self in Philadelphia as a second option next to Joel Embiid and being next to that old, comfortable blanket and binky, Daryl Morey. But his act has been so much of the focus, its taken the eye off his play taking a sharp decline as he approaches his mid-30s.

Making the assumption hell be reborn with a change of address and a long-term deal underscores that lately weve rarely seen the best of him and as his salary will continue to increase, hell be compared to his MVP-like standards against the heavy-handed approach from Philadelphia 76er fans.

And we all know Harden stands tall in the face of pressure, never backing down or running away from adversity.

That would require any of this to be about basketball, though, because its been about the drama or if you squint hard enough, the dramedy. Its not quite player empowerment gone bad, but the checks and balances seemed to be in short order on Atlantic Ave.

Irving could very well be the best soloist in the game today. Matched up with Durant and Hardens exploits, it should have made beautiful music.

They were supposed to be the best touring show since Durant took his talents to California, dazzling crowds and puzzling opponents.

But it felt so soulless, so empty, so devoid of any lasting impact. But even when the Miami Heat three were brought together, it felt at least like they were bringing everyone else along, that even when they played the villains it was the entire lot. With the Nets, those three were making their own rules but didnt confer with each other on the actual rules.

It looked disjointed and felt contrived and ugly when it shouldve been anything but. Perhaps the unpredictable pandemic hastened things, but like in any other line of life, it presented a mirror and exacerbated the ills of all involved.

But the feeling isn't because of the way they were brought together, not in sum.

In some ways, the Lakers 2020 title in the Orlando bubble felt hollow, but not because of the way LeBron James engineered a trade to get Anthony Davis out of the Bayou and into Los Angeles it left us wanting more because of the circumstances, not the people.

Had James Heat been disbanded after one year, not winning a title and flaming out dramatically against the Dallas Mavericks, the footprints still would be felt today.

Youd still feel something.

The greatest moment for these Nets wasnt even a team moment it was Durants, and his alone. Harden was a shell due to a hamstring injury and Irving injured his ankle, leaving Durant by his lonesome. He carried the Nets on his back and earned more credit with those 40-balls than even his historic Finals performances against James.

Who knows what Durant picked up from his time in the Bay Area, if he noticed that while it mightve felt chaotic, there was structure between all that freedom and freelancing. When theres anarchy, he wants order. When theres order, he wants to breathe.

Theres no perfect melody or harmony to be derived from this experience, although Nash and Sean Marks and Morey and Doc Rivers will put the best PR face on it in the immediate aftermath.

What can we get out of this?

Maybe an emotionally charged Nets-76ers playoff series one where Simmons wont play in Philly, but Irving will ONLY play in Philly.

Ay-yi-yi.

Excerpt from:

As James Harden exits to Philly, the Nets' experiment ends in failure - Yahoo Sports

Minty Bets says goodbye to an amazing NFL season.

MINTY BETS: Welcome to The Mint, a sports betting show where we're not trying to make you money, we're just trying to make sure you don't lose it all. I'm Minty Bets. And this week, we need to say goodbye to the NFL season. First of all, this was a great season. We saw blowouts, bad beats, a lot of overtime-- maybe a little too much overtime-- and quite a few missed kicks. Although it's officially the Year of the Tiger, it was the Year of the Dog in the NFL. Underdogs led the way in the regular season, covering at a 52% rate.

- Pretty good. Pretty good.

MINTY BETS: This has probably been one of the more difficult seasons to bet on, as we saw a lot of crazy unwarranted line moves, making it near impossible to find an edge early in the week. We saw crazy fans back in the stands. We saw Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger finally retire. We saw the Cincinnati Bengals make it to the Super Bowl for the first time since the '80s. And we saw Aaron Rodgers win MVP for the second year in a row.

- He is good.

MINTY BETS: It's a good thing that game show hosting didn't work out, right. The NFL blessed us with an extra week of games to bet on. Yet it somehow didn't feel like enough. Hopefully, we were able to make you some money this NFL season. And if not, my advice to you is to always fade the Chiefs.

- You should listen to her.

MINTY BETS: I'm Minty Bets. And this has been The Mint. Bet $10 and win $200 in free bets by signing up at betmgm.com/yahoovip. New customers only. Must be 21 and older. Terms apply.

See the original post here:

Betting: Saying goodbye to the NFL season - Yahoo Sports

IOC president Thomas Bach was scheduled to spend his Tuesday bouncing around to various Olympic events. Snowboarding in the morning, then some speed skating and finally shooting up to the mountains to watch a little bobsled.

It was another carefree day of fandom, full of first-class travel and security details. Lots of pomp. Lots of circumstance.

He would avoid the IOC's daily press briefing, which ran late due to all the questions about doping. He offered no public statements to a world filled with concerns about fair play.

He certainly would go nowhere near the figure skating venue, where controversy over a positive drug test involving Russian star Kamila Valieva had overwhelmed not just that event, but the entire Olympics itself.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach attends a luge event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Sliding Centre on February 09, 2022 in Yanqing, China. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Olympians have spent the past few days expressing outrage at a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow the 15-year-old Valieva to skate in the womens individual competition despite having a banned substance in her system in a pre-Olympics test.

She should not be allowed to compete, said American Tara Lipinski, who won the 1998 womens figure skating gold. I believe this will leave a permanent scar on our sport.

It is a shame, said German Katarina Witt, who won the gold in 1984 and 1988. The responsible adults should be banned from the sport forever.

Yet Bach has said nothing and has done nothing. Hes busy casually checking in on the bobsled like everything is fine.

Social media was a cauldron of anger. Journalists raged to the point that ones from Russia and Great Britain nearly came to blows. The failure of the IOC to adequately punish, even ban, Russia from the Olympics after previous state-sponsored doping scandals came under renewed scrutiny.

These entire Games, already beset by awfulness ranging from substandard facilities for athletes caught in Chinese COVID protocols to allegations of slave labor, torture and genocide of the Uyghur ethnic minority, had found a new bottom.

Story continues

One of the Winter Olympics' signature events womens figure skating is so beset by doping suspicions that the IOC itself won't stage a medal ceremony if Valieva, the gold medal favorite, is on the podium. The reasoning is there remains a decent chance she'll have to give the medal back (she is allowed to skate, but can still be found guilty later).

It would be very difficult to allocate medals in a situation that is not final, said IOC member Denis Oswald of Switzerland. "There is a chance you will not give the right medal to the right team. That is why we decided it would be wiser to wait.

Why should anyone tune in then?

This is the kind of disaster that calls for leadership. Even if Bach couldnt wave a magic wand and make it alright, he could at least be expected to show up and try.

There is no single, simple reason why the Olympics have found themselves in its current state attracting awful television ratings in America, getting hammered for its cozy relationship with a torturous Chinese Communist Party, stuck trying to reach the finish line inside a near joyless, passionless COVID-extreme bubble.

Yet Thomas Bach is as good a place to start as any. Every step of his now almost nine-year run as IOC president has found a new depressing low, one failure begetting another failure. It's hard not to see the IOC, and the Olympic movement in general, as anything but outdated and irrelevant; corrupt, craven and cash-obsessed.

When the CCP needed Bach to help spread its propaganda about the treatment of the Uyghurs or the supposed safety of tennis star Peng Shuai, Bach couldnt have snapped to attention quicker. He gave speeches, chatted with media and made appearances alongside Peng, who after accusing a high-level government employee of rape, has lived a life that looks a lot like that of a hostage.

On the skating controversy, however, that has done all it can to kill the spirit of sportsmanship as the Russians potentially doped up a child prodigy?

Nowhere to be seen. Nothing to be said. Does Vladimir Putin own him?

Oswald was left to explain the dizzying protocols, alphabet soup governing bodies and arbitrators of justice and offer up excuses that, while potentially well-intentioned, stood no chance in the global court of public opinion.

The average person can understand the simple: this teen from Russia who has already delivered the three highest scores of all time had a banned substance in her system but gets to compete anyway.

That isnt fair.

Trying, meanwhile, to navigate, let alone comprehend the roles of CAS, WADA, RUSADA, ITA, ISU, ROC and who knows what else, requires a PhD in the parlance of the IOC.

Oswald kept saying that the IOC had essentially outsourced all of the difficult disciplinary and doping decisions to supposedly independent organizations so it could avoid the appearance of conflict. Perhaps that seemed like a good idea.

In practice, the entire Olympics has descended into conflict.

Only there was no one to reassure the world that an actual competent adult was in charge that might eventually steady the ship.

Appearances matter. Even just appearing matters.

This is who Thomas Bach has proven himself to be, though. An empty suit at home in a comped hotel suite, a distant, arrogant tool of totalitarian strongmen, a president who couldnt even be bothered to acknowledge that his organization was cratering the last few days.

He was busy fiddling as a fan while the Olympics burned.

The rest is here:

While doping scandal engulfs Olympics, the one person we need to hear from is hiding - Yahoo Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals lost Super Bowl LVI to the Los Angeles Rams, and there were myriad reasons that can be attributed for their defeat.

Among them ...

Here's another one we can't forget: Winning the turnover battle by two, no less! and not taking better advantage of it.

Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions, and the Bengals turned those into a combined three points. The Bengals did not give the ball away all game.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor agrees that the turnover advantage should have played in their favor more.

If there's ever a game where the turnover margin has been a big deal historically, it's the Super Bowl. The Rams became just the third team in 56 such games to lose the turnover battle by two or more and win. (Even teams that were minus-1 in the turnover margin were a mere 4-8 in Super Bowl history.)

Coincidentally, the last Super Bowl team to lose the TO margin by two or more and win was the 1979 Steelers ... against the Rams. The game was played just down the road from SoFi Stadium at the Rose Bowl, too, for what that's worth.

And Super Bowl teams that committed zero turnovers in the game? They were 19-2 coming into Sunday. The Bengals made it 19-3.

Here's another odd coincidence: The last zero-turnover Super Bowl team to lose before Sunday? The Tennessee Titans, who dropped Super Bowl XXXIV to ... the Rams. (Of course, the Rams also had no turnovers in that game.)

[Join Yahoo's free Big Game prop quiz for a chance to win up to $10K]

On the surface, it's fair to say the Bengals had zero turnovers. No interceptions plus no lost fumbles equals no turnovers. Simple math.

But if you really want to count empty possessions i.e. handing the ball over to the opponent not via a punt then we need to consider two other results: missed field-goal attempts and fourth-down stops.

Story continues

The Bengals were 2-for-2 on FG tries. But they were 0-for-2 on fourth downs. Both fourth-down failures were big, too.

The first one came on the Bengals' opening possession. Facing a fourth-and-1 at the Los Angeles 49-yard line, Joe Burrow's pass attempt to Ja'Marr Chase was incomplete. Suddenly, it was Rams ball in great field position, and six plays later they converted it into a 7-0 lead.

The final fourth-down failure, of course, came on the final drive. Burrow was hit by Aaron Donald, forcing the ball to hit the turf at the feet of Bengals running back Samaje Perine.

And on both fourth-down stops, Perine was stuffed on third-and-1 the play before. Those two non-conversions loomed large, to say the least.

We understand by Perine was in the game both times at least in theory.

For one, he has been used as the team's short-yardage back from time to time. Although the question is why. This season, Perine ran the ball nine times with 2 or fewer yards to go; he converted only four of those and had a long run of 2 yards.

Joe Mixon, who had a strong Super Bowl, converted first downs on 28 of his 46 runs this season with 1 or 2 yards to go. Of his failures in those situations, only nine came on third or fourth down (and on one of those plays, Mixon made up for his third-down failure by converting on fourth).

Mixon is the better player, the better short-yardage runner and was having a good game. Taylor was asked about giving it to Perine on the final third down, although he was not asked about why Mixon didn't get the ball there.

Yeah, they were getting a little softer and we thought we could steal a first down there and come back and take some shots at the end zone, Taylor said. Just didnt work out.

Our best guess on why Perine got it instead of Mixon: The Bengals were in their hurry-up offense at that point and could not substitute. Although it's fair to wonder why Mixon wasn't in there to start the final drive. He played 44 of the 61 offensive snaps and touched the ball 20 times in the game, but ... it's the last possession of the Super Bowl, you know?

Taylor's point is that the Bengals should win most games when they're plus-two in turnovers. Then again, he of all people should know history notwithstanding that the turnover margin isn't some end-all, be-all metric.

The Bengals had lost two prior games this season when winning the turnover margin by two-plus this season road losses to the Browns and Jets and were only 3-3 in such games this season.

Adding insult to injury, the Bengals had a shot to win at the end.

Trailing 23-20 and facing a second-and-1 at the Los Angeles 49-yard line with 56 seconds remaining, the Bengals were given a 31.64% chance to win, according to Pro Football Reference. Even after an incomplete pass on second down, the Bengals' win probability fell to only 27.64%.

Getting stuffed on third down hurt badly, especially after losing a timeout because of it. That dropped their chances to a mere 13.75%.

Had they protected Burrow on fourth down, perhaps the Bengals could even have scored.

Burrow had no realistic chance to get the ball to him, but Chase beat the Rams' Jalen Ramsey on the Bengals' final offensive play, streaking wide open downfield with no safety nearby. The Rams appeared to be in Cover 1 (single-high coverage).

In an alternate universe, we were this close to Chase catching a 49-yard TD with about 35 seconds remaining and the Rams likely needing to go for six for the win.

Yet it wasn't meant to be. Donald pressured Burrow, his last pass was incomplete, and that was that.

Forcing two more turnovers than you commit certainly gives your team a great chance of winning. Teams achieving that in the 2021 regular season were a combined 98-14-1.

But missing on two fourth-down conversions, especially when one could have been a touchdown, must be factored in. The Bengals can add that to the list of reasons why they lost the Super Bowl.

Original post:

The Bengals lost a Super Bowl in a way no other team has in 42 years - Yahoo Eurosport UK

When 29-year old Julia Beliak and her husband started looking for a home in upstate New York in October, 2020, they knew there would be competition, but certainly didnt expect there would be 14 offers in three days on a four bedroom, two-bath property that had been abandoned and neglected for years.

The layout was cramped and dysfunctional, the bathrooms were unusable, the vinyl floors needed to be ripped out and replaced, and the garage was on the verge of collapsing. The house needed a gut renovation, said Beliak, who figured with a little TLC, the home could still be beautiful.

I had a vision, said Beliak, who with her husband shelled out $50,000 over asking to win the bidding war and allocated another $100,000 for renovations. And my vision was to make this our dream house.

Instead, it turned into a nightmare. After closing on the home in March, 2021, Beliak has hired and fired nine contractors and dealt with "every imaginable disaster," including fraud, extortion, overcharging, and harassment. The house was even made uninhabitable through unsafe work, she added.

Some of the walls and beams were removed that should not have been," she said. "The electrical outlets were done so poorly that we were afraid to use them, and the stovetops didnt work for several months after the installation.

Homeowners are running into all kinds of problems with contractors who are in demand. (Photo: Getty Creative)

Welcome to the world of contractor hell.

This is an industry thats long been known for its unsavory, unethical characters, said Jody Costello, a home renovation planning and consumer fraud expert. Its a risky industry.

These risks are escalating, said Jack Gillis, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America.

The insatiable demand by consumers to fix up their homes after being locked up for two years is outstripping supply," he said. "This has exasperated the situation, and with this comes abuse.

This abuse comes in many forms, said Costello, from falsely claiming to be licensed, insured, or bonded to demanding large payments upfront to attempting to perform services without a written contract to requesting payment in cash and more.

Story continues

Many homeowners, desperate to get the work done quickly, are skipping the vetting process. Some are being drawn in by lowball offers. Others are simply hiring the first contractor who returns their calls. This often results in shoddy, unfinished work, which tops the list of consumer complaints made to state and local agencies, said Gillis.

People are too trusting and thats what often gets them into trouble, Costello said.

Many homeowners, desperate to get the work done quickly, are skipping the vetting process when hiring contractors. (Photo: Getty Creative)

Just ask 40-year-old Robert Puharich.

I got burned twice on trust, he said.

Now $150,000 over his initial budget, Puharich is relying on his third contractor to clean up the mess the previous two made renovating his 1,800-square foot home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia in Canada.

Everything was done incorrectly framing, pipes, insulation, and I made the mistake of giving the initial guy $25,000 upfront which he used to buy a new truck, he said.

New homeowners who have never owned a home are the most vulnerable, and theyre everywhere, said 52-year-old Deborah Spence of Pottsdown, Pennsylvania. But Ive been in the industry for seven years as a real estate broker and property manager, and Ive had the wool pulled over my eyes, too.

In fact, shes about to spend $40,000 redoing three small projects.

Theres a take it or leave it attitude," she said, and if you complain about something like wires that were installed incorrectly and how thats creating unsafe electrical conditions, they get huffy or disappear altogether.

YF Plus

Personal Finance Journalist Vera Gibbons is a former staff writer for SmartMoney magazine and a former correspondent for Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Vera, who spent over a decade as an on air Financial Analyst for MSNBC, currently serves as co-host of the weekly nonpolitical news podcast she founded, NoPo. She lives in Palm Beach, Florida.

Get the latest personal finance news, tips and guides from Yahoo Money.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn.

Visit link:

Homeowners confront 'every imaginable disaster' trying to renovate their homes - Yahoo Tech