Temperatures in the US have been running in the negative range as a result of 'Polar Vortex' that has paralysed most of the states, plunging them deep in the historic freeze.
The historic freeze that "polar vortex" is pushing into much of the US is reportedly not just another winter storm and it is the coldest in 20 years in many areas.
Both the US and Canada side of the legendary Niagara Falls has frozen over, and it is a bizarre winter wonderland. See some of the pictures.
The U.S. side of the Niagara Falls is pictured in Ontario, January 8, 2014. The frigid air and "polar vortex" that affected about 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada will depart during the second half of this week, and a far-reaching January thaw will begin, according to AccuWeather.com. REUTERS/Aaron Harris (CANADA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT TRAVEL)
A partially frozen American Falls in sub freezing temperatures is seen in Niagara Falls, Ontario February 17, 2015. Temperature dropped to 6 degrees Fahrenheit (-14 Celsius) on Tuesday. The National Weather Service has issued Wind Chill Warning in Western New York from midnight Wednesday to Friday. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario (CANADA - Tags: TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT)
Water flows around ice, formed on the American Falls in Niagara Falls, New York, due to subzero temperatures, viewed from the Canadian side, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Moe Doiron TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Ice sits at the base of the American Falls due to cold temperatures in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S., February 21, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A woman takes a photo at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
A man walks in the snow along the Niagara Parkway in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
A man has his photo taken at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman walks her dog in the distance, along the Niagara Parkway in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
A photographer takes a photo at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Two men take photographs at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A person has their photo taken on the US side of the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, New York, on January 27, 2021, as taken taken from the Canadian side. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
Ross Atkins told reporters Thursday that it was "heartbreaking" that the proper channels were not in place in Cleveland for those facing harassment to seek support.
Analytics are an everyday part of sports consumption, but Mark Scheifele raised a good point: perhaps it's more helpful for the viewer than a professional athlete.
The Toronto Raptors are once again severely short-handed heading into Thursday's game against the Celtics in Boston. For the second straight night, the Raptors will be without five players, head coach Nick Nurse and six other members of the coaching staff due to the NBA's health and safety protocols. Starters Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby will not be available, as well as Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw. Without the key players and members of the coaching staff, the Raptors were thumped 129-105 by visiting Detroit on Wednesday with assistant coach Sergio Scariolo in charge for the second straight game. Meanwhile, Jalen Harris has returned to Toronto's G League affiliate, Raptors 905. Harris and Donta Hall were added to the Raptors from the 905 squad Wednesday. Thursday's announcement was expected. General Manager Bobby Webster said in an availability Tuesday that it was unlikely that any player or member of staff who missed Wednesday's game would be available for the contest in Boston. The NBA goes into its all-star break after Thursday's action, which will offer a welcome respite for the Raptors. Toronto's next game is March 11 against Atlanta. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2021. The Canadian Press
Quebec mogul king Mikael Kingsbury is calling for the return of sport in schools. In an open letter on Wednesday to Quebec Premier François Legault, the reigning Olympic and world moguls champion says urgent action is needed amid the COVID-19 restrictions. "I am worried about the situation of young athletes," wrote the 28-year-old freestyle skiing star. "The health of thousands of young people is at risk." Inspired in part by his own experiences growing up, Kingsbury is lending his voice to the efforts of a 16-year-old high school student, Isaac Pépin, who has been urging the provincial government to show flexibility in its approach to sport in schools. Kingsbury recently returned to action after sustaining a back injury in November prior to the start of the freestyle season. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Kingsbury told CBC Sports in an exclusive interview on Thursday that the plea is something he understands all too well. "Having grown up skiing and playing baseball with my friends, sport is a motivator. a source of meaning," he said, adding that sport was a big part of what helped keep him coming back to class. For the 28-year-old native of Deux-Montagnes, Que., it's also a question of mental as well as physical health. "I am worried that young people are lost. That they are abandoning sport in favour of screens," Kingsbury wrote in his letter to Legault. This is why Kingsbury supports Pépin's calls for the resumption of supervised sport. 'I got dizzy' "I stopped this week and wondered what I would do if I was this young man deprived of sport for a year in a period of a pandemic," Kingsbury wrote. "I got dizzy! I wouldn't have had the capacity to survive a full year without my passion. I tell you very simply: I would be adrift. I am convinced that sports clubs, sports organizations and federations have the capacities, the means, but above all the determination necessary to protect young people and their families. Before, during and after sports practice." And Kingsbury feels it the time to act now. "It's been a year where people across Canada, but especially in Quebec, have not been able to play collective sports," he told CBC Sports. "It's like a year the kids are losing and will never get back again." Legault said he understands the frustration, but also the importance of sport on mental health during a COVID-19 update on Wednesday. "People who know me know that I do a lot of sports," Legault said. "Sports is important. There's nothing better to decrease stress levels, and it's important for mental heath. But we all agree that certain sports, at the very least, we might get too close and bring about contagion." While discussions with sports federations are still ongoing, Legault will offer more of an update next week and acknowledged that "as of March 15th, everywhere in Quebec will be able to start outside school activities." Meanwhile, Kingsbury – who only recently returned to action in February after fracturing his T4 and T5 vertebrate in November prior to the opening of the freestyle ski season – is in Kazakhstan gearing up for freestyle skiing world championships in Almaty. WATCH | Kingsbury reflects on consecutive World Cup victories: He says the passion that Pépin and fellow organizers have exhibited for sport has given him extra motivation to win. "[They] are only asking for one thing: to breathe new life into young people by allowing them to reconnect with their passion." Kingsbury won't be able to stand with protestors at a planned rally in front of the provincial parliament on Sunday, but remains hopeful activities will open up when he returns to his home province. "On behalf of all athletes in Quebec, amateurs and professionals, I hope that when I return home in mid-March, sport will find its rightful place."
Republicans in the Tennessee Senate want to stop college athletes from protesting at games after ETSU men's basketball players kneeled during the national anthem.
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says it was a "failure" on his part that he was unaware of any incidents of sexual harassment by former pitching coach Mickey Callaway during their time together with the Cleveland Baseball Team. Atkins told reporters in a video conference Thursday that it was "heartbreaking" that the proper channels were not in place in Cleveland for those facing harassment to seek support. "As a leader it's our responsibility to ensure that our staff feels safe, supported, and I deeply apologize to anyone who ever faced harassment or didn't feel comfortable to come forward," he said. "This is the type of behaviour that should not be tolerated and something that we need to work harder on in the game and the industry and this world to ensure that it doesn't happen." Atkins' comments come after a report published Tuesday by The Athletic that said several former Cleveland employees had come forward in the last month to say the team's front office was aware of Callaway's conduct. One employee told The Athletic that Callaway’s behaviour was “the worst-kept secret in the organization.” Atkins joined Cleveland's front office in 2001, and five years later was promoted to director of player development, a position he held when Callaway was hired in 2010. Atkins was promoted to vice-president of player personnel after the 2014 season before joining former Cleveland president Mark Shapiro in Toronto in 2015. Callaway was with the team until 2017 — serving as the pitching coach for five years — before he was hired as manager of the New York Mets. He has been suspended as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach, pending the outcome of Major League Baseball's investigation into the sexual harassment allegations. When asked about being part of the front office that hired Callaway in 2010, Atkins said Cleveland's vetting process "clearly was not good enough." "We have always been process-focused and values-driven in how we hired," he said. "Respect is a huge part of our values and always has been a huge part of Mark's, but we didn't have a good enough process at that time." Atkins said during his time at Cleveland, as a player, coach and executive, that he felt drawn to the team's "inclusive nature." "Although we failed, that those allegations occurred and we didn't have the right channels for people to come forward, I did at the time feel very good about all the people that were leading me and the culture that Mark created there," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2021. The Canadian Press
Yahoo Sports