Drake Maye versus Sam Darnold. Two stingy defenses. A second-year head coach versus a veteran coach in his second act.

Super Bowl 60 is set and it’s a rematch: The New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks.

The Patriots will seek their NFL-record seventh Super Bowl victory when they face the Seahawks on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Led by Maye, coach Mike Vrabel and a stifling defense, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won their sixth ring together seven years ago.

The Patriots (17-3) beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 on Sunday in the AFC championship game to advance to their 12th Super Bowl.

Darnold, Mike Macdonald and a suffocating defense have led the Seahawks to the big stage for the fourth time in franchise history. They’re seeking their second Lombardi.

Darnold, a No. 3 overall pick in 2018 now with his fifth team, played one of his best games to lead the Seahawks to a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

“That doesn’t matter to me,” Darnold said about the doubters he’s proven wrong. “I just come to work every single day with these guys. These guys in the locker room, that’s what it’s about to me, man. The way we’ve come to work ever since April in OTAs, training camp, one day at a time and we’re here. We did it.”

It was a wacky finish when Brady and the Patriots beat Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll’s Seahawks 11 years ago.

Brady threw four TD passes and rallied New England from a 10-point deficit to win the fourth of his seven rings when Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson’s pass from the 1-yard line to secure a 28-24 victory on Feb. 1, 2015. Seattle fans still lament why Marshawn Lynch didn’t get the ball on a handoff at the 1.

“We did not care,” Macdonald said about coming into the season as underdogs in the NFC West behind the Rams and 49ers. “It’s about us. It’s always been about us and what we do and now we’re going to the Super Bowl.”

Maye scored on a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter in Denver after a critical turnover by Jarrett Stidham, who made his fifth career start filling in for injured Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

“The Pats are back, baby,” Maye said. “Now, gotta win one.”

Playing through a snowstorm in the second half, Maye only threw for 86 yards and ran for 65. Stidham had 133 yards passing and one TD, one interception and one costly fumble.

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The 23-year-old Maye, a finalist for AP NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, will become the second-youngest QB to start a Super Bowl behind Dan Marino. He’s the fourth second-year QB in the past seven years to lead his team to the NFL title game. Patrick Mahomes (2018) won it while Joe Burrow (2021) and Brock Purdy (2023) lost.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a linebacker for the Patriots in the 2000s, turned the team around in his first season as coach. New England went from 4-13 last year under Jerod Mayo to 14-3.

Vrabel is trying to become the first person to win a Super Bowl as a head coach and player for the same team. Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson won Super Bowls playing for one team and coaching another.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be associated with these guys and this organization,” said Vrabel, who is a finalist for AP NFL Coach of the Year. “I won’t win it. It’ll be the players that’ll win the game, I promise you. It won’t be me that’ll win it and I promise you I’ll do everything that I can and our staff to have them ready for the game.”

No team has played in the Super Bowl more than the Patriots, who are 6-5. They’re tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most wins.

It’s been a long road back to the top for New England, which came off consecutive four-win seasons and only had one winning season after Brady’s departure in 2020.

The Patriots have averaged just 18 points per game in the playoffs, the fewest by any team to make the Super Bowl since the 1979 Rams, who averaged 15. New England’s defense has allowed just 26 points in the three games, an average of just 8.7 per game. The only team to allow fewer points in three playoff games before a Super Bowl appearance was the 2000 Ravens, who gave up 16.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/super-bowl-60-new-england-patriots-seattle-seahawks/ 

SÍDNEY (AP) — Cathy Freeman emocionó a los australianos cuando ganó la medalla de oro en los 400 metros femeninos en los Juegos Olímpicos de Sídney 2000, vistiendo un traje de correr ajustado con capucha. Luego generó controversia al dar una vuelta de victoria llevando la bandera australiana y una bandera que representa a los pueblos originarios de Australia.

Freeman fue galardonada el lunes con el más alto honor civil de Australia en la lista anual de honores que conmemora el feriado nacional del Día de Australia. El honor, dijo, significa que a sus 53 años es momento de empezar a tomarse las cosas más en serio.

Freeman ha sido nombrada Compañera de la Orden de Australia (AC) en reconocimiento a sus servicios al atletismo, su impacto social en toda Australia y como modelo a seguir para la juventud. Fue una de las diez personas que recibieron el honor, incluidas cinco mujeres.

Además de ser una de las principales atletas femeninas de Australia, Freeman ha sido una defensora de larga data en temas que afectan a los pueblos indígenas de Australia.

Fue la primera australiana indígena en ganar una medalla de oro en los Juegos de la Commonwealth cuando, a los 16 años en 1990, formó parte del equipo australiano ganador del relevo cuatro x 100m. Continuó ganando cuatro oros en la Commonwealth y campeonatos mundiales en los 400 en 1997 y 1999.

En 2007 fundó la Fundación Cathy Freeman, más tarde renombrada como la Fundación Espíritu Comunitario, que apoya oportunidades educativas para niños indígenas en comunidades remotas.

Freeman afirmó al Sydney Morning Herald el lunes: “Me propuse ser la mejor atleta que pudiera ser para mí misma y, de repente, todo este mundo se desplegó ante mis propios ojos, y simplemente continúa expandiéndose, y sigue siendo un viaje salvaje, ¡déjame decirte!”

Dijo que el honor significa que tendrá que “tomarse un poco más en serio las cosas que voy a perseguir ahora”.

“Es tan adulto, es tan formal, es tan serio. La responsabilidad que viene con ello… este es un honor serio. Así que, caray, tengo que ser seria. Tengo 53 años, así que creo que debería comportarme con un poco más de seriedad, de todos modos.”

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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/la-campeona-olmpica-de-400-m-y-activista-indgena-cathy-freeman-recibe-el-mayor-honor-de-australia/ 

Not much happened for a while at the United Center on Sunday. The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, whom they opened the season against, and neither team could gain an advantage for two periods.

The shots, scoring chances, forechecks and goalie saves were neck-and-neck through periods one and two. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot silenced the crowd with a goal at 15:33 that squeaked past Spencer Knight (20 saves, .833 save percentage), giving the champs a 1-0 second-period lead.

Tyler Bertuzzi sounded the horn for the 25th time this year with 30 seconds to spare in the second, scoring the much-needed answer to end the period tied at one.

Maybe not a playoff-type of atmosphere, but it was a postseason-type of game. The Panthers have had a lot of those, so it was the Hawks’ turn to see how they handled the pressure of a contender.

Having not lost a playoff series in almost three years gives Florida the confidence to handle these situations. The confidence that the young Hawks are currently looking to build.

“It’s the learning curve for us as a young team, understanding how to build your confidence and who we are,” team captain Nick Foligno said. “Sometimes as a young player — and even us as older players — you get a little bored with it because it’s not breaking, it’s not happening, and you don’t trust that it’s going to happen. That’s just because we don’t have experience.”

Column: Random thoughts on a budding Chicago sports bromance and other hot topics

The Hawks (21-23-8) saw their three-game point streak end at the paws of the Panthers 5-1 on Sunday. The defending champs (28-20-3) scored four unanswered goals in the third period, making the box score uglier than the game action.

“It wasn’t a good enough third period for sure, (and) there have been times when we’ve had really good thirds,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “This is how it’s going to be if we want to be a good team.”

Knight saw a second puck slide in slow motion behind him at 5:22 in the third, where defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was inches away from stopping right winger Mackie Samoskevich’s goal. The Hawks lost all momentum from that point, as Carter Verhaeghe (7:24), Sam Reinhart (18:11) and Bjornfot (19:38) added salt to the wound.

“I think when something goes wrong, it’s still understanding we have to keep making plays and keep playing our game,” Kaiser said. “There’s a fine line between being very simple and also having poise with the puck, clean breakouts, making plays through the neutral zone, when to dump it in.”

It’s a tale of two faces when it comes to the Hawks’ special teams.

The Hawks still own the NHL’s best penalty kill (85.5%) after killing defenseman Louis Crevier’s hooking penalty. On the other hand, the Hawks are in the middle of the league in power play success (20.5%).

That percentage is rapidly dropping because the Hawks are goalless in their last 18 man advantages. Shots aren’t flying as they should be, and the chemistry seems to be off in that area.

“I don’t think our breakouts have been very good, probably our breakouts and retrievals haven’t been good enough,” said Blashill, who mentioned a power-play confidence hit before Sunday’s game. “Ultimately, we have to break the puck in better and we have to win more loose puck recoveries.”

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The Panthers showed the up-and-coming Hawks what it takes to be a championship-level team. They’ll take the gut punch of a lesson in stride.

“They’re really confident in who they are and the way they play, so they know that, over time they’re going to break you down or get those opportunities,” Foligno said. “It’s a good lesson for us, if there’s anything you can take away from this game, (it’s) how you have to stay with it (like) how championship teams do it.”

The United Center had a purple tint as the Hawks held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer night. Cancer survivors were honored, including a kid named Drew, who rang the bell in front of 19,313 fans to celebrate the end of his cancer treatment.

Included in the honors was former Hawks center Troy Murray, who announced his cancer diagnosis on Aug. 9, 2021. He spent the first 12 years of his career with the Hawks — scoring 488 points (197 goals, 291 assists) and winning the Selke Trophy in the 1985-86 season — and is currently the Hawks color analyst for WGN radio.

“With the love and support of my family, friends, the Wirtz family, the Chicago Blackhawks organization and WGN radio I’m confident that together, we will beat this,” Murray had said in a 2021 statement.

WGN Hawks studio host Charlie Roumeliotis, CHSN and NHL on TNT analyst Darren Pang and others held up their light purple “I fight for” signs with different variations of Murray’s name. The United Center crowd held a standing ovation in support of Murray during a tribute video.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/chicago-blackhawks-florida-panthers-unanswered-goals/ 

As an alternative to new federal vaccine recommendations, the Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics released its own childhood vaccine schedule Monday with the backing of a dozen of the nation’s most prominent medical groups and associations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule differs from the new federal one in a number of ways, largely sticking to previous recommendations. For example, it continues to recommend routine flu vaccinations, hepatitis B vaccinations for all infants and COVID-19 vaccines for all children from the ages of 6 to 23 months, whereas the new federal schedule does not, instead leaving it up to parents and doctors whether to vaccinate individual children, in most cases.

“The recommendations from the CDC, I think, are confusing for parents and for pediatricians,” said Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and a member of the Academy’s committee on infectious diseases. “These recommendations … are very different from what CDC recommended a year ago or two years ago or five years ago. It’s not that the science has changed. It’s that the people running CDC have changed.”

The Academy’s hope is that pediatricians and families will follow the Academy’s schedule when deciding how to vaccinate children, Ratner said.

The Academy’s vaccine schedule “is based on the best available vaccine science and knowledge that we have,” Ratner said. “It’s not a schedule that is based on political whims.”

A dozen major medical associations including the Chicago-based American Medical Association have thrown their support behind the American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule.

“Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance when making decisions about their children’s health,” said American Medical Association Board Chair Dr. David H. Aizuss in a statement. “At a time when unprecedented changes to the federal vaccine schedule threaten decades of scientific progress, the AMA strongly supports the American Academy of Pediatrics’ childhood and adolescent immunization schedule to keep children safe and healthy.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule comes after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently moved to remake the childhood vaccination schedule, to recommend children be vaccinated against 11 illnesses, whereas it previously recommended broad immunization against 17 illnesses.

Notably, the CDC is no longer broadly recommending shots that protect against the flu, rotavirus, COVID-19, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, instead leaving it up to parents and doctors whether to give them to individual children. The CDC is still recommending some of those vaccines for children who are high-risk.

Federal officials said the new CDC schedule came after a review of other countries’ vaccine practices and the scientific evidence behind them, conducted at the instruction of President Donald Trump.

“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in a news release at the time the most recent changes were announced in January. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

The federal changes don’t affect vaccine recommendations in Illinois, which had already adopted the CDC’s previous immunization schedule, said Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health Director, earlier this month.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ new vaccine schedule is the group’s latest break with the federal government since Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, took charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In July, the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with four other medical groups, sued Kennedy over changes made to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women. The Academy and other groups have since filed an amended version of that lawsuit that alleges newly appointed members to a federal vaccine advisory committee lack the credentials and experience to serve in their roles and that the group’s votes should be declared null and void. That lawsuit is ongoing.

The Academy filed another lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in late December after the department cut nearly $12 million in grants to the organization. The Academy argued that the funding cuts violated the First Amendment and were in retaliation for speaking out against actions by the administration. A federal judge granted the Academy’s request for a preliminary injunction earlier this month to temporarily stop the government from terminating the grants while the Academy’s lawsuit proceeds.

“(The American Academy of Pediatrics) continues with their attempts to hinder this Administration’s work through procedural and legal challenges while trying to preserve a broken status quo,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, of the lawsuits, in a statement. “(The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS ensures policy is based on rigorous evidence and gold standard science.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/american-academy-of-pediatrics-vaccine-schedule/ 

INGLEWOOD, California, EE.UU. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard anotó 21 de sus 28 puntos en la primera mitad mientras los Clippers de Los Ángeles construyeron una ventaja de 38 unidades en el segundo cuarto y vencieron 126-89 a los Nets de Brooklyn el domingo.

James Harden anotó 19 tantos, John Collins agregó 18, y Jordan Miller tuvo 16. Ivica Zubac terminó con 11 puntos y diez rebotes mientras los Clippers, que venían de una victoria sobre los Lakers el jueves, ganaron por octava vez en nueve juegos.

Danny Wolf anotó 14 puntos y Egor Demin tuvo 12 para los Nets, que lanzaron un 28% en la primera mitad y un 34% (29 de 86) en total, incluyendo un 21% (nueve de 43) desde la línea de tres puntos. Brooklyn perdió su cuarto partido consecutivo y ha caído en diez de sus últimos 11 juegos y 13 de 15.

Los Nets venían de una derrota en doble tiempo extra el viernes ante los Celtics de Boston, que están en segundo lugar en la Conferencia Este. Dos días antes, Brooklyn fue derrotado 120-66 por los Knicks de Nueva York.

Los Clippers se adelantaron con una ventaja de 24 puntos en el primer cuarto y extendieron la distancia a 38 en el segundo, llevándola diferencia a 68-37 al descanso. Los Ángeles mantuvo su amplia ventaja en el tercer cuarto y estaba por delante 96-66 al entrar en el cuarto.

Fue otra victoria contundente para los Clippers sobre los Nets en Los Ángeles. Cuando los equipos se enfrentaron en Los Ángeles el 15 de enero de 2025, los Clippers ganaron 126-67, y el margen de victoria de 59 puntos es la única victoria por 50 puntos para los Clippers.

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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/kawhi-leonard-y-james-harden-lideran-inicio-rpido-clippers-aplastan-a-nets-126-89/ 

America Can’t Secure Its Future On Imported Minerals

Tyler Durden
Sun, 01/25/2026 – 23:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/america-cant-secure-its-future-imported-minerals 

Kaneland maintains the top spot, while Burlington Central and Batavia both enter the rankings.

Top 10

With records through Sunday and previous rankings in parentheses.

1. Kaneland 20-0 (1)

Connor Kimme, who commits to NCAA Division III Concordia Wisconsin, keeps Knights rolling.

2. Geneva 17-3 (2)

Nathan Palmer converts big 3-pointer in lifting the Vikings to a 45-43 win over West Aurora.

3. Oswego 14-8 (3)

Sophomore guard Ethan Vahl tops 1,000 points for his career in 83-60 loss to Bolingbrook.

4. Aurora Christian 15-3 (6) 

Coach Dan Beebe pushes career win total past 200 as Eagles battle in tight league title race.

5. Oswego East 14-7 (4)

Wolves look to bounce back after lopsided losses to Evanston and New Trier.

6. Burlington Central 12-7 (NR)

Patrick Magan and Rockets top Wheaton Warrenville South 62-56 in OT for sixth straight win.

7. Batavia 13-8 (NR)

Brett Berggren scores 15 points in leading the Bulldogs to 55-37 win over Hinsdale Central.

8. Waubonsie Valley 13-8 (5)

Evan Malushi provides spark in 57-50 win over Oak Park-River Forest at MLK Showcase.

9. Metea Valley 12-10 (7)

Collin Booker scores 19 points as Mustangs avenge earlier loss to Waubonsie Valley 54-43.

10. Yorkville Christian 13-7 (10)

Jayden Riley scores 26 points for Mustangs, but tough Metamora prevails 81-69.

Player of the Week

Patrick Magan continued his hot streak for Burlington Central, scoring a game-high 24 points in a 62-56 overtime win over Wheaton Warrenville South at the Batavia Night of Hoops. The 6-foot-6 junior forward is averaging a team-high 15.1 points.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/rick-armstrong-ihsa-boys-basketball-rankings-player-of-the-week-aurora-elgin-4/ 

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Bam Adebayo anotó 22 puntos, Jaime Jaquez Jr. agregó 20 y el Heat de Miami venció la noche del domingo por 111-102 a los diezmados Suns de Phoenix.

El Heat tuvo un breve descanso después de vencer a Utah 147-116 el sábado por la noche, pero aprovechó que Phoenix jugó sin dos jugadores clave que sufrieron lesiones el viernes por la noche en una derrota 110-103 en Atlanta.

Devin Booker, un cuatro veces All-Star, se torció el tobillo derecho en el tercer cuarto contra los Hawks y será reevaluado en una semana. Jalen Green salió después de sentir dolor en su segundo juego de regreso tras perderse 33 por una distensión en el tendón de la corva.

Los Suns lucharon sin los 25.4 puntos por juego que lidera el equipo de Booker, lanzando un 37% y siete de 35 desde el triple. Dillon Brooks lideró a Phoenix con 26 puntos y Grayson Allen agregó 18 a pesar de lanzar cuatro de 18 desde el campo, incluyendo uno de 11 desde el triple.

El cuarto equipo con mayor puntuación de la NBA, Miami lideró por cinco después de tres cuartos y lo amplió a 101-83 a mitad del cuarto camino a terminar un viaje de cinco juegos 3-2. Norman Powell agregó 16 puntos y diez rebotes.

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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/heat-vence-111-102-a-suns-con-22-puntos-de-adebayo-en-un-partido-de-rpida-recuperacin/ 

Por ROB MAADDI

Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold. Dos férreas defensivas. Un entrenador en jefe de segundo año vs. un entrenador veterano en su segundo acto.

El Super Bowl 60 está listo y es una revancha: Los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra vs. los Seahawks de Seattle.

Los Patriots buscarán su séptimo título de Super Bowl, un récord de la NFL, cuando se enfrenten a los Seahawks el 8 de febrero en el Levi’s Stadium en Santa Clara, California.

Liderados por Maye, el entrenador Mike Vrabel y una defensiva asfixiante, los Patriots están de vuelta en el Super Bowl por primera vez desde que Tom Brady y Bill Belichick ganaron su sexto anillo juntos hace siete años.

Los Patriots (17-3) vencieron 10-7 a los Broncos de Denver el domingo en el juego de campeonato de la Conferencia Americana para avanzar a su duodécimo Super Bowl.

Darnold, Mike Macdonald y una defensiva sofocante han llevado a los Seahawks al gran escenario por cuarta vez en la historia de la franquicia. Buscan su segundo trofeo Lombardi.

Darnold, una selección general número tres en 2018 ahora con su quinto equipo, jugó uno de sus mejores partidos para llevar a los Seahawks a una victoria de 31-27 sobre los Rams de Los Ángeles en el juego por el título de la Conferencia Nacional. Lanzó para 346 yardas y tres touchdowns sin pérdidas de balón.

“No me importa”, dijo Darnold sobre los escépticos a los que ha demostrado estar equivocados. “Solo vengo a trabajar todos los días con estos muchachos. Estos muchachos en el vestuario, eso es lo que importa para mí, hombre. La forma en que hemos venido a trabajar desde abril en las OTAs, el campamento de entrenamiento, un día a la vez y aquí estamos. Lo hicimos”.

Fue un final loco cuando Brady y los Patriots vencieron a Russell Wilson y los Seahawks de Pete Carroll hace 11 años.

Brady lanzó cuatro pases de touchdown y remontó a Nueva Inglaterra de un déficit de diez puntos para ganar el cuarto de sus siete anillos cuando Malcolm Butler interceptó el pase de Wilson desde yarda uno para asegurar una victoria de 28-24 el 1 de febrero de 2015. Los fanáticos de Seattle aún lamentan por qué Marshawn Lynch no recibió el balón en una entrega en la yarda uno.

“No nos importó”, dijo Macdonald sobre entrar en la temporada como desvalidos en el Oeste de la NFC detrás de los Rams y 49ers. “Se trata de nosotros. Siempre ha sido sobre nosotros y lo que hacemos y ahora vamos al Super Bowl.”

Maye anotó en una carrera de touchdown de seis yardas en el segundo cuarto en Denver después de una pérdida de balón crítica de Jarrett Stidham, quien hizo su quinta apertura en su carrera reemplazando al lesionado mariscal de campo de los Broncos, Bo Nix.

“Los Pats están de vuelta, bebé”, dijo Maye. “Ahora, hay que ganar uno.”

Jugando a través de una tormenta de nieve en la segunda mitad, Maye solo lanzó para 86 yardas y corrió para 65. Stidham tuvo 133 yardas por pase y un touchdown, una intercepción y un costoso balón suelto.

Maye, de 23 años, finalista para el Jugador Más Valioso de la NFL de AP y Jugador Ofensivo del Año, se convertirá en el segundo mariscal de campo más joven en iniciar un Super Bowl detrás de Dan Marino. Es el cuarto quarterback de segundo año en los últimos siete años en llevar a su equipo al juego por el título de la NFL. Patrick Mahomes (2018) lo ganó mientras que Joe Burrow (2021) y Brock Purdy (2023) perdieron.

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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/el-super-bowl-60-est-listo-y-ser-una-revancha-de-hace-11-aos-patriots-vs-seahawks/