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Stephen A. Smith isn’t playing when it comes to Taylor Swift. The sports analyst recently hit back at certain NFL fans who’ve complained about the pop star’s attendance at Travis Kelce‘s Kansas City Chiefs games, insisting that her presence may even have a “positive impact” on the tight end’s playing.
“I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift,” a fired-up Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday (Jan. 10). “Everybody’s sitting up there and acting like she’s some kind of impediment — excuse me, she did her job! That Eras Tour? Off the chain. Generated billions.”
“She’s going to support her dude,” he continued. “To show up at a game and the cameras are on her — that ain’t her fault! And excuse me, by the way, she went to the games after the concerts. It’s not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not!”
Smith’s defense of Swift comes amid speculation that the “Anti-Hero” singer’s much-publicized visits to Arrowhead Stadium have been too distracting, be it for Kelce, his teammates or football fans. Earlier on in her relationship with Kelce, the NFL’s zoomed-in coverage of the star was a complaint among some viewers, and it was even the subject of a bombed joke from host Jo Koy at the Golden Globes Sunday (Jan. 7).
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” the comedian quipped as cameras cut to Swift, who reacted with a cold stare.
It’s something that the 12-time Grammy winner herself addressed in her December Person of the Year cover story. “I’m just there to support Travis … I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads,” she told the publication.
And for all intents and purposes, it seems like Smith agrees. “Taylor Swift is that girl,” he added. “Let’s show some respect. She probably is gonna have a positive impact on Travis Kelce’s performance, OK? I’m not trying to disrespect Taylor Swift.”
See Smith defend Swift below:
📹| @stephenasmith defends @taylorswift13 against the criticisms of her attending Chiefs games.”I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift. Everybody’s sitting up there and acting like she’s some kind of impediment and, excuse me, she did her job! That Eras… pic.twitter.com/CujqQ6sM7H— Taylor Swift Updates 🩵 (@swifferupdates) January 10, 2024
He’ll be the prince and she’ll be the princess! The Kansas City Chiefs made a reference to one of Taylor Swift’s most popular songs in a postseason recap shared to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 9), as the NFL team heads into the playoffs. “Valentine’s Day is jealous of the ‘love story’ we have / Who […]
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The 2024 European Figure Skating Championships launch at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Wednesday (Jan. 10), featuring 167 figure skaters from around the globe.
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More than 30 hours of live coverage will broadcast and stream live accross NBC, E! and Peacock.
Defending champions and 2022 Olympians Adam Siao Him Fa and Anastasia Gubanova will compete in the men’s and women’s singles. Two-time Olympian and reigning world bronze medalist Loena Hendrickx is expected to compete in the women’s singles division. Olympians Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri will compete for their second, consecutive European title.
Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, three-time U.S. champion Jonny Weir and sportscaster Terry Gannon will provide a live play-by-play of the 2024 ISU European Figure Skating Championships, which take place Jan. 10-14.
Keep reading for more details on how to watch and stream.
ISU European Figure Skating Championships: Schedule, Best Ways to Watch
The 2024 European Figure Skating Championships will include the men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating and ice dance. Live coverage will be available to stream on Peacock as well as E! and NBC for select competitions.
Fans who don’t have access to cable or local channels can stream the competition on Peacock or a platform that offers live television such as Sling TV, DirecTV and Fubo.
Peacock is $5.99/month for the Premium plan and $11.99/month for the commercial-free, Premium Plus plan.
Looking for streaming deals? Subscribe to Peacock’s annual plan to save 17% off.
Aside from sports, Peacock features exclusive TV series and must-watch movies such as Poker Face, Dr. Death, The Holdovers, Extended Family, Ted and Love Island: Love Games along with Bravo favorites such as The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Vanderpump Rules.
Want a streaming plan with live TV? Peacock’s Premium Plus Plan offers live access to NBC, but if you’re interested in more channels, DirecTV offers a free trial for five days and you’re not tied to a contract, so you can cancel anytime.
DirecTV’s streaming packages come with 75-plus channels including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, E!, Bravo, CNN, ESPN, A&E, AMC, BET, MTV, VH1, Food Network, FS1, FS2, Lifetime, Logo, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network. Save $25 for the first two months when you subscribe to Choice plan. The streaming package is discounted to $89.99/month (reg. $108.99/month) for a limited time.
Sling TV is another affordable choice, plans start at just $20 per month for a limited time.
If you’re streaming internationally, ExpressVPN lets you access several streaming platforms. Coverage of the figure skating competition will be available on Eurosport for viewers in Europe and SBS on Demand in Australia.
Day one of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships kicked off Wednesday with the pairs’ short program, which streamed on Peacock at 6 a.m. ET, followed by the men’s short program at 10:15 a.m.
The men’s short program will air on the E! network and stream on Peacock at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
The women’s short program leads the list of programming for Thursday. The competition will stream live on Peacock at 6:15 a.m. An encore presentation of the event will air on E! at 11 a.m.
Thursday’s pairs’ free skate program is slated for noon and 1 p.m. on Peacock and will broadcast on E! at 1 p.m.
Rhythm dancing leads the pack for Friday, but you’ll have to get up early to catch the action. Coverage will begin streaming at 5 a.m. on Peacock. The men’s free program is slated for Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Peacock. The program will air on E! at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule will include the women’s free program, which will stream on Peacock at 6 a.m., followed by the free dance at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Peacock (the free dance will broadcast on E! at 1 p.m.). If you miss the women’s free program, NBC will air an encore presentation on Sunday at noon.
The exhibition gala will stream on Peacock on Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
See the full schedule below.
Wednesday, Jan. 10
Pairs’ short program – 6 a.m. ET on Peacock
Men’s short program – 10:15 a.m. ET on Peacock
Men’s short program – 1 p.m. ET on E!, Peacock
Thursday, Jan. 11
Women’s short program – 6:15 a.m. ET on Peacock
Women’s short program – 11 a.m. ET on E! (encore presentation)
Pairs’ free program – 12 p.m. ET on Peacock
Pairs’ free program – 1 p.m. ET on E!, Peacock
Friday, Jan. 12
Rhythm dance – 5 a.m. ET on Peacock
Men’s free program – 11 a.m. on Peacock
Men’s free program – 1 p.m. on E!, Peacock
Saturday, Jan. 13
Women’s free program – 6 a.m. ET on Peacock
Free dance program – 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock
Free dance program – 1 p.m. ET on E!, Peacock
Sunday, Jan. 14
Exhibition gala – 8:30 a.m. on Peacock
Women’s free program – 12 p.m. ET on NBC (encore presentation)
Millions of Taylor Swift fans and the entirety of Chiefs Kingdom pretty much know exactly who the most famous person in Travis Kelce‘s contact list is. Even so, the tight end laughed off a question about the biggest celebrity in his phone and revealed which person — besides his superstar girlfriend — fits the bill.
In a video posted to the Kansas City Chiefs’ TikTok on Monday (Jan. 8), Kelce and a few of his teammates were asked to name the numbers of the most A-list stars they have saved on their phones. “You guys know the easy answer,” the Ohio native responded, heavily alluding to Swift.
Kelce went on to reveal that, second to the “Anti-Hero” singer, the biggest star in his contacts is “JT, Justin Timberlake.”
But in regards to whether the *NSYNC boy bander would pick up the phone if Kelce were to call right that second, the star said, “Not a chance.” “I appreciate you, Justin,” added the New Heights podcast host. “But he’s a busy man.”
As famous as Timberlake is, it’s hard to compare with Swift’s current celebrity status, which, if anything, has only been elevated since she started dating Kelce. The pair struck up a romance over the summer, and the 12-time Grammy winner addressed their relationship for the first time in her December TIME Person of the Year cover story.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she said in the interview. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Kelce and the Chiefs are fresh off a very close victory (13-12) against the Los Angeles Chargers following Sunday’s (Jan. 7) game. That night, Swift attended the Golden Globes alongside her good friend Keleigh Sperry.
See the Chiefs’ TikTok below:
Super Bowl weekend 2024 needs something just like this! The Chainsmokers and Kygo are set to headline Sports Illustrated‘s SI The Party on Feb. 10 at the Wynn Las Vegas’ XS Nightclub. “Sports Illustrated hosts an amazing event for Big Game weekend every year. I remember playing their Super Bowl event with them a few […]
New Year’s Eve was a fairy tale for Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end opened up briefly about how nice the last day of 2023 was for him in the Wednesday (Jan. 3) episode of New Heights, the podcast he cohosts with brother Jason Kelce. While discussing the Chiefs’ big New Year’s Eve […]
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The Michigan Wolverines will officially take on the Washington Huskies during the final game of the college football season for 2024. After some exciting semi-final matches during their respective New Year’s games, the top two teams will now face off against one another for the championship title. You can watch the game live on ESPN and ESPN+ on Monday (Jan. 8) starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Michigan has previously won nine football championships, making this the third season in a row that the team has made it to College Football Playoff.
Both teams will head to Houston, TX, to the NRG Stadium where the championship game will take place for the first-time ever. With various travel deals going on, you might be able to snag last-minute tickets to watch the game live and in-person. Can’t make it this year? You’ll still be able to livestream the college national championship online at home.
Keep reading to see the streaming options available.
How to Watch Michigan vs. Washington
The college football championship game will be taking place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday (Jan. 8) on ESPN and ESPN+. If you have cable, you’ll be able to watch the game live on any channel that offers ESPN. Don’t have cable? You might be able to watch Michigan vs. Washington through a HD antenna like one here from Amazon.
ESPN+ is also the official streaming platform for ESPN and its affiliates, which will be streaming the game live. If you have a subscription already, just log into your account and you’ll gain access to the livestream for no additional cost.
New to ESPN+? The sports streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but it does offer budget-friendly plans starting at just $10.99/month or you can save over 15% with an annual plan for $109.99/year. Click here to start your membership or the button below.
Along with having access to the live Michigan vs. Washington game, having a subscription will also grant you access to the entire ESPN+ library including other live sports such as NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, soccer, UFC, PPV events as well as exclusive ESPN+ programs, documentary specials and originals such as Al Davis vs. The NFL, Vick, Be Like Water, Breakaway, Man in the Arena with Tom Brady, The Captain, More Than An Athlete with Michael Strahan and Our Time Baylor Basketball.
Looking for more affordable streaming options? You can also watch the through live TV streaming options like Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo. Most of the streaming options come with free trials and promos for less than $80/month.
For less than $75, DirecTV Stream and Fubo both offer free trials as well as a mix of live TV channels including ESPN.
Hulu + Live TV will offer you the most content offerings with live TV channels and the entire Hulu library as well as a 30 day free trial.
Before you get comfy on the couch or jet off to the stadium, don’t forget to stock up on Michigan merch or Washington merch to show you pride and support for your team during the big game.
Sure, Ciara is married to NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, but she’s got some sporty DNA in her as well. The “Level Up” singer took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 2) to share a snippet of her upcoming episode of Finding Your Roots, in which she finds out that she’s distant cousins with former New York […]
Snoop Dogg is trading in the LBC for Paris in 2024 … briefly, anyway. NBCUniversal has announced that the iconic rapper is joining its team to report on the Olympic Games this summer, and will be onsite to deliver “regular reports” on the Olympic Primetime Show beginning July 26. The announcement arrived during the New Year’s Eve Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game.
“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop said in a statement. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”
The “Gin and Juice” rapper — who previously reported for NBC during the Tokyo Olympics four years ago — also shared a brief video teaser of him dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower. “New year mood. Paris 2024 Olympics. C u this summer 👊🏿✌🏿Official. 🇫🇷 🏀 🏐 🏃♀️,” he captioned his Instagram clip.
According to NBC, Snoop will be chatting about the Paris Games with NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico, offering up “his unique take on what’s happening in Paris.” He’ll also be checking out the landmarks, visiting with athletes and their friends and family, and of course, attending some of the competitions.
“Snoop is already an Olympic gold medal commentator, generating tens of millions of views for his highlights commentary on Peacock of the dressage competition during the Tokyo Olympics,” Molly Solomon — executive producer and president, NBC Olympics Production — said in a statement. “That performance alone has earned Snoop a job as our Special Correspondent in Paris. We don’t know what the heck is going to happen every day, but we know he will add his unique perspective to our re-imagined Olympic primetime show.”
The Paris Games are set to take place July 26 through Aug. 11. NBC and its streaming service, Peacock, will be providing coverage of the Olympics.
See Snoop and NBC Olympic’s teasers of the rapper’s coverage of this year’s Games below:
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Source: Matthew Stockman / Getty / Udonis Haslem
Miami Heat’s legendary enforcer Udonis Haslem shook the sports table with comments about the late Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell.
Udonis Haslem has never been one to bite his tongue about anyone or anything, so his latest comments shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
On a recent episode of The OG’s podcast, Haslem’s former teammate, center Bam Adebayo, shared a story about a 2022 pregame speech Haslem gave before the Heat took on the Celtics where he expressed his full disdain for his Eastern Conference rival.
Per NBC Sports Boston:
“We playing Boston, so you know his feelings,” Adebayo said. “So we’re in the huddle. Cap (Haslem) come in there, he gave his pregame speech, and you know they retired Bill Russell’s jersey for everybody in the league. So they got 6 in our rafters. And he ends his pregame speech like, ‘F— Bill Russell, too.’ I said, ‘This man dead, OG!”
Haslem tried to explain his stance, explaining he meant no disrespect, noting he was more upset about the fact a Russell’s Boston Celtics jersey was hanging in the Kaseya Center’s rafters, an honor Haslam says will never be given to a Heat player.
The NBA paid respect to Russell by retiring his jersey across the league following his passing in July 2022. LeBron James switched his number from 6 to 23 to honor the legendary big man.
“Tell me when you’re going to see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston,” Haslem said. “I had to repent that, I love Bill. No disrespect to Bill,” Haslem stated. “He just caught that stray. Respect to Bill Russell.”
He continued, “The s— that comes out of people’s mouths to us when we playing there (in Boston)? I might not take back what I said, now that I think about it.”
As you can imagine, the NBA X, formerly known as NBA Twiter, was not feeling his comments, mainly because he didn’t have the same smoke for Michael Jordan’s jersey hanging up in the Kaseya Center’s rafters.
Boston Celtic all-star Jaylen Brown liked a tweet bringing that fact up.
Interesting.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty
2. Yes, please
8. Bam Adebayo cleaing things up