It was a short but heavy week. Today’s newsletter has the latest on the sports world’s response to Texas’ most recent anti-trans legislation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — we’re sending love to everyone impacted.

• In lighter news, keep an eye on your inbox for not one, but two (!!!) extra emails from us: a super exciting announcement later today (we’ve been waitin’ for this one) and an MLS season preview tomorrow. Okay, here we go.

With the platform we have, we really wanted to show why this team is different and why we do things that are much bigger than just the game. It was just a way to show awareness, especially because we were playing in Texas.

The GIST: The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine is sending shockwaves across the globe, and the sports world certainly isn’t exempt.

The response: The reaction was widespread across the global game of soccer. Barcelona and Napoli men’s players displayed a “Stop War” banner before yesterday’s Europa League match, German club Schalke removed the logo of a state-owned Russian energy company from their jerseys and UEFA is expected to move the men’s Champions League final out of St. Petersburg.

• Plus, Poland, Sweden and Czechia — who have World Cup Qualifiers scheduled in Russia next month — issued a joint statement saying they won’t play there.

• Elsewhere, F1 star Sebastian Vettel said he won’t race at this year’s Russian Grand Prix, while the Haas F1 team has removed all Russian sponsor logos from their cars. A s(w)erve.

On the ground: WNBA players who were playing in Ukraine are no longer in the country, but players in Russia — including Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale (pronounced ah-REE-kay oh-goon-bow-WAH-lay) — are still overseas and enduring this horrific reality.

• And some men’s Brazilian soccer players on Ukrainian clubs remain stuck in the country due to the attack. Terrifying.

• Meanwhile, many Ukrainian athletes are speaking out against the invasion. Soccer star Viktor Tsyhankov took to Instagram and wrote, “This is our home and no one will take it away from us.”

The bigger picture: Sports are often seen as a unifying force and an opportunity to escape from the world. But, as we’ve said time and time again, they’re also inherently political.

• And, as seen with last night’s matchup between Washington Capital Alex Ovechkin (a noted supporter of Russian president Vladimir Putin) and NY Ranger Artemi Panarin (a vocal critic of the president), sports can embody these global tensions.

• This invasion is far from over, and neither is its ripple effect on sports. Unfortunately, there’ll be much more to come.

The GIST: You might have noticed that six-time major champion Phil Mickelson’s been trending on Twitter. Yeah, let’s just say he’s not in the news for a good reason.

The no-background: It’s all related to the Saudi Arabian–backed Super Golf League (SGL) — a still yet-to-be-launched league intended to rival the PGA Tour. Led by former Tour member Greg Norman, the SGL’s been trying to poach top talent from the PGA.

• “Trying” is the operative word here. Many players have remained loyal to the PGA despite eye-popping potential contract offers from Norman. Do you get déjà vu?

The latest: Last week, Mickelson came under fire for his comments on the Saudi-backed SGL. “We know they…have a horrible record on human rights,” he said. “They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates.” Umm, WTF?

The backlash: While Mickelson tried to walk back his head-scratching comments by claiming they were “off the record,” the “apology” didn’t stop long-time sponsor KPMG and others from ending their relationship with the PGA Tour vet.

• Fellow Tour member Rory McIlroy called Mickelson’s comments “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant” and the fallout led top players Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau to publicly back out of the SGL.

What’s next: Mickelson could be suspended or even banned from the PGA Tour over his support for the SGL, an already controversial league that’s unlikely to survive this scandal. We’ll chalk this one under, “think before you speak.”

The GIST: We know that protein is essential to keep the body moving. And while we might not eat a pound of protein per meal like Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, we can feel better knowing where our meat comes from, thanks to ButcherBox.

Not clucking around: ButcherBox is taking the guesswork out of the freezer aisle by delivering high-quality, humanely-raised meat straight to your door. Simply design your monthly package of free-range organic chicken, 100% grass-fed beef and/or wild-caught seafood, then relax as you wait for your shipment to arrive. Easy-peasy.

Go hog wild: Not only does your ButcherBox order always ship for free, but you’ll receive two pounds of 100% grass-fed ground beef with every box for the duration of your membership if you sign up today! Talk about good eats.

⚾️ MLB: Look away, baseball fans. Yesterday marked the fourth straight day of negotiations between the league and the Players’ Association, but little progress has been made towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and ending the lockout.

• The date to watch? February 28th — aka this Monday. The MLB warned that some regular season games will be lost if there’s no deal by then. Start the clock.

🎓 NCAAW: 🏀 From the announcement of No. 7 UConn star Paige Bueckers’ return from a knee injury (tonight at 7 p.m. ET vs. St. John’s) to No. 1 South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston notching her SEC record 20th straight double-double during last night’s 89–48 win over Texas A&M, it was a hell of a night on the hardwood.

• 🥎 And there could be history on the diamond this weekend: No. 1 Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo is one home run away from breaking former Oklahoma infielder Lauren Chamberlain’s record for most dingers in NCAA history. Ayipioeeay!

🎾 Tennis: For the first time since 2004, a player not named Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray will hold the top spot in the ATP rankings. With Djokovic’s loss in yesterday’s Dubai Championship quarter-finals, Daniil Medvedev will be named the new world No. 1 on Monday. The ultimate jab.