Los Angeles 

The NBA All-Star Game took place this weekend in California, and many fans were disappointed by the lack of competitiveness — a common complaint in recent All-Star games. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has experimented with a few different formats, from the previous standard game to what is now a miniature tournament with four teams, in order to appease the fans. 

This year’s attempt was unsuccessful, and the negative noise was amplified when Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James announced he would be sitting out. Pundits such as Shannon Sharpe and Chandler Parsons felt the LA superstar should have announced his absence sooner so that another deserving player could have taken his place, while other fans claimed he should have pushed through the pain. James, who is focused on the success of the Lakers this season, felt differently.

“With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild wild West, I felt like it was very important for me to take care of myself,” James told reporters ahead of Wednesday night’s game.

After Luka Dončić was shockingly traded to the Lakers on Feb. 2, a new sense of excitement has taken over the LA basketball scene. Despite being 40 years old, James is still averaging 24 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, and with a chance to win his fifth championship, James is taking no chances – especially not for an All-Star game that has traditionally disappointed fans.

Madrid 

Real Madrid soundly defeated Manchester City 6-3 over two games to reach the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The first leg of the matchup was a closely contested 3-2 Real Madrid victory. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored two goals to keep the contest close going into the second leg in Madrid.

Haaland was unable to play in the second leg, and Real Madrid took advantage. Outside of a late, meaningless goal, Manchester City never posed any offensive threat. Real Madrid was on the attack for most of the match, and French striker Kylian Mbappé scored his first hat trick at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with Mbappé’s performance and how the entire team stepped up.

“There’s the icing on the cake, which is Mbappé. Everyone was waiting for this hat trick and it has arrived,” Ancelotti said. “He’s not the only one, we have many who make the difference, and they make the difference with their collective work.”

Real Madrid’s next Champions League fixture will be in the round of 16 where they will either face in-city rival Atlético Madrid or German side Bayer Leverkusen.

Shanghai

When the 2025 F1 Academy season starts in Shanghai next month, Shi Wei, a native of Inner Mongolia, will be competing as a wild card driver. She will be the first Chinese driver to participate in the F1 academy, and is also the first female driver to earn an FIA F4 China win.

The F1 Academy is a program started by the Formula One Group for the best and most promising female racers. It serves to prepare them for high levels of racing, such as Formula 1. Though it is a major accomplishment for Wei, she still has a long way to go to get to where she wants to be and has been training extensively in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province in China, which is just a few hours south of Shanghai.

“I will be competing against the world’s best female drivers,” Shi told Shanghai Daily. “This is a big honor although it comes with a lot of pressure. On the track, I want to give it my all.”

Motorsport is one of the few sports where men and women are allowed to compete against each other, but the sport is still disproportionately represented by men. 

“Although currently I’m the only female driver in China’s Formula races, the number of female participants in other categories of racing is increasing,” Shi said.