Bruce Mouat had now had to settle for Olympic men’s curling silver in two successive Games, as well as consecutive fourth-place finishes in the mixed doubles.

Life has not always been easy for the 31-year-old from Edinburgh, who came out as gay in 2013 after a life-changing conversation with a sports psychologist. He says telling his team-mates “was possibly the best thing I ever did for my career”.

So, with the benefit of that experience both in life and in curling, what would Mouat tell his younger self if he had the chance?

Dear Bruce,

When you were 10, you wrote a school project called, ‘Future Me’. Well, here I am, your future self, finally replying.

Let me start by saying how proud I am of you. You’ve always been a dreamer and that’s one of your greatest strengths. The future you imagined was big, bold and full of life.

But it might not turn out quite as simply as you first thought. You wrote about having six kids, eight dogs and 10 cats. Spoiler alert, that doesn’t quite happen.

Here’s the important part, though: you’re happy. You made it. And you’re living the part of your dream that really mattered, building a life that you’re proud of and sharing it with special people.

You’re competitive and you want to be the best at everything you do.

That’s fine, it’ll get you far, but you don’t have to compare yourself to others. Especially when you’re at school. Academics are not your strong suit – your strengths lie elsewhere.

However, that does not give you permission to stop trying at school. Sport might be your passion but please try to stop falling asleep in Mr Simpson’s English class, pretending to read your book. You’re fooling no one.

You’re so lucky to have two incredible parents, Marie and Bob (or better known as Mum and Dad), who understand you more than you realise.

They’ve always let you try every sport you were curious about, and they supported you even when what you were saying sounded completely unrealistic. They could see it wasn’t just a phase, it was your passion.

When you watched Kelly Holmes win her two gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004, something inside you sparked. Let that feeling grow. Let it push you to dream bigger than you ever thought you could.

But let me save you some time, and a few freezing mornings in the mud. Cross-country running isn’t your sport.

Some of your favourite family memories will come from playing together in the Christmas bonspiels. Dressing up in ridiculous costumes and playing curling competitions with Mum and Dad and your brother, Colin.

Those moments are special. They show you the incredible community behind curling, and that’s a huge part of why you fall in love with the sport.

One memory that will always stand out is when your whole family went dressed as the cast of Shrek, and you as Puss in Boots.

And if you feel like “practising” in Mum’s boots for the week leading up to the event, go for it. Those boots are fabulous.

Curling will give you so much and the people at Curl Edinburgh will support you endlessly.

Remember to be grateful for the opportunities that come your way and remember to thank the people that give you those chances – they might not be around as long as you expect.

Let me tell you, the journey is incredible. The results come, but it’s never a straight line. There are highs and there are lows.

Some of those lows will make you question whether elite sport is really for you. I know you doubt yourself at times, but you’re far stronger than you think.

You’ll worry about what others think of you – that’s human, and it’s completely natural. But one day you’ll realise what truly matters is what you think of yourself.

So be proud of who you are. Don’t be afraid to show the world. And by sharing your story you’ll inspire others – that is what really matters.

Some of the toughest moments in your career will end up teaching you more about yourself – and about the sport – than any training session ever could.

The tough moments will hurt, but lean on the friends and family around you, they will help you through it.

One last thing… you’re different to the other kids in your class.

I know you want more than anything to just fit in, but there will come a time in your life when you must make a tough decision, one that you think could change everything for you.

It does change everything. But you become a better curler, a better friend and a better person for it. Don’t be afraid of being different, it’s your superpower.

P.S. Please don’t dye your hair when you’re 15… you look ridiculous.

UFC Houston Preview

UFC Houston happens TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 21, 2026) inside Toyota Center in Houston, TX. The event will of course be streaming on Paramount+. The main event is Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez in the Middleweight division, with Hernandez looking to ‘torture’ Strickland and pad his case for a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland, who lost to Du Plessis in his last fight mightjump to the front of the line if he has an impressive win over the streaking ‘Fluffly’.

The co-main event has Geoff Neal coming off a terrible loss to Carlos Prates. He’s meeting the KO machine Uros Medic (who has been sparked out once himself). That fight should produce a highlight reel moment or two.

The main card also has Dan ige vs. Melquizael Costa, Serghei Spivac vs. Ante Delija, Jacobe Smith vs. Josiah Harrell and Zachary Reese vs. Michel Pereira.

The UFC Houston “Prelims” are headlined by Chidi Njokuani vs. Carlos Leal. Other “Prelim” bouts of note include Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Punahele Soriano and Jordan Leavitt vs. Yadier del Valle.

UFC Houston Start Date and Time

UFC Houston airs onParamount+ tonight, which is our new normal.

The “Prelims” begin at 5 p.m. ET and the main card goes live at 8 p.m. ET. That’s standard operating procedure for the non PLEs right now.

We’re running live results and play-by-play right here starting at 5 p.m. ET. If you’re around, why not hop into the comment section and join in with the live discussion thread.

UFC Houston Quick Results

Main card

• 185 lbs.: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez
• 170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Uros Medic
• 145 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa
• 265 lbs.: Serghei Spivac vs. Ante Delija
• 170 lbs.: Jacobe Smith vs. Josiah Harrell
• 185 lbs.: Zachary Reese vs. Michel Pereira

‘Prelims’

• 170 lbs.: Chidi Njokuani vs. Carlos Leal
• 125 lbs.: Idiris Alibi def. Ode’ Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• 125 lbs.: Alden Coria def. Luis Gurule by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• 135 lbs.: Joselyne Edwards def. Nora Cornolle by submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (2:44) — HIGHLIGHTS
• 170 lbs.: Punahele Soriano def. Ramiz Brahimaj by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• 170 lbs.: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Phil Rowe by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• 145 lbs.: Jordan Leavitt def. Yadier del Valle by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• 125 lbs.: Carli Judice def. Juliana Miller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

UFC Houston Play-By-Play Updates

Prelims

Ode’ Osbourne vs. Alibi Idiris: Idiris was able to find a home for his wild striking, but it was his wrestling that did the heavy lifting in this fight. He was able to get Osbourne down five times, making it very hard to give any round to Osbourne. This is the second fight in a row where his takedown defense has been exploited, resulting in a loss.

Official decision: Idiris Alibi def. Ode’ Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Osbourne vs Idiris is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/TDmdNdgxAq

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 22, 2026

Alden Coria vs. Luis Gurule: Coria, a teammate of Joshua Van, was fighting at home here tonight. He showed a lot of promise, again, by thoroughly dismantling Luis Gurule. He hurt Gurule with his striking, particularly his uppercuts and body kicks. And he was able to bounce and squirm out of bad positions, almost instantly, when Gurule threatened with wrestling. Easy to score that one.

Official results: Alden Coria def. Luis Gurule by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Coria vs Gurule is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/5AkGJnkid9

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 22, 2026

Joselyne Edwards vs. Nora Cornolle: Edwards looked pretty shy in the first round, losing the Muay Thai striking battle with Cornolle. In the second, though, Edwards got inside and landed a big slam on Cornolle (injuring her shoulder). Edwards followed up with hammerfists and then worked for the rear naked choke. Cornolle screamed in pain after the bout. She may have had her collarbone broken.

TAP TAP TAP 💪

Joselyne Edwards ends this rematch by getting the submission in round 2!

[ #UFCHouston | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ig1udeOcIA

— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2026

Official decision: Joselyne Edwards def. Nora Cornolle by submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (2:44)

Cornolle vs Edwards is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/rRkioPpqRn

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 21, 2026

Punahele Soriano vs. Ramiz Brahimaj: That was a great fight. Brahimaj did great in the first round, troubling Soriano with his speed and bodywork. But in the second Soriano’s strength advantage allowed him to spend a lot of the fight with Brahimaj pressed in the cage. In the pivotal third round Soriano came out hot and threw four head kicks in a row, with some sneaking through Brahimaj’s guard. Those hurt Brahimaj and took the wind out of him. He faded a lot down the stretch, due to those. I had Soriano winning 29-28.

4 straight! 💥@Puna185 walks out of H-Town with the UD win!

[ #UFCHouston | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/1KjXoJm3Vs

— UFC (@ufc) February 21, 2026

Official decision: Punahele Soriano def. Ramiz Brahimaj by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Brahimaj vs Soriano is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/qgDVlc6Pjf

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 21, 2026

Phil Rowe vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani: Rowe’s tendency to start slow bites him again. He got into a 0-2 hole against Lebosnoyani, who was aggressive on the feet and was able to get takedowns in the first round. In the third Rowe landed hard shots (single shots, though), but wasn’t able to summon up the barrage needed to score a late win. I had Lebosnoyani winning each round, but the third was close.

THROWING BOWS EARLY 🤩

[ #UFCHouston | Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ZrVOU6cIit

— UFC (@ufc) February 21, 2026

Official decision: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Phil Rowe by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Rowe vs Lebosnoyani is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/COx6Mgac9J

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 21, 2026

Yadier del Valle vs. Jordan Leavitt: Leavitt derailed Del Valle’s hype train with a dominating performance on the ground. Leavitt looked very big, and strong, at Featherweight and he proved that Del Valle is still a very raw prospect (he also literally spanked him in the third round). He won every round for me.

Official decision: Jordan Leavitt def. Yadier del Valle by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Leavitt vs del Valle is LIVE NEXT on @paramountplus! #UFCHoustonpic.twitter.com/dU1hhQdbSM

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 21, 2026

Carli Judice vs. Juliana Miller: That was a fun opener. Judice looked like a threat to KO Miller every time they were on the feet, but Miller was able to spend enough time on the ground to stay alive and hear the last bell. Miller also showed some creativity in kicking off the cage to get takedowns.

Official decision: Carli Judice def. Juliana Miller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

#UFCHouston prelims are LIVE on @paramountplus! One of the fights i told you about is coming up. Miller vs Judice is up first! pic.twitter.com/zMP5JmZI6E

— danawhite (@danawhite) February 21, 2026

Here we go.

Saturday night. Houston lights.

[ B2YB @bet365_us | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/MjzZCXSbVc

— UFC (@ufc) February 21, 2026

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To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Houston: “Strickland vs. Hernandez” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

The first sign of new Lakers owner Mark Walter seeking a return on his investment after purchasing the franchise at a $10 billion valuation became apparent this week when the team sent out renewal forms to season-ticket holders. Going into the 2026-27 season, the Lakers have a steep price hike planned for their tickets.

ESPN

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: akers’ new ownership planning a price hike for 2026-27 tickets

Another longtime Lakers season-ticket holder, with seats in the 300 level, contacted ESPN and showed documentation of an even more exorbitant price increase to keep his tickets. The season-ticket holder in the 300 level had the price for his seats jump from $6,192 in 2025-26 to $9,035 for 2026-27; the price in 2024-25 was $5,494. That is a 45.9% hike going into next season compared with a 12.7% hike in the last renewal cycle.

ESPN

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The season-ticket holder in the 300 level had the …

The Lakers confirmed the planned price increases in a statement provided to ESPN on Saturday. “We are adjusting season ticket pricing for next season,” the statement said. “The updates reflect the current market landscape and demand.” Through the first 26 home games of the 2025-26 season, the Lakers have an average attendance of 18,877, according to ESPN Research.

ESPN

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The Lakers confirmed the planned price increases in a …

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Karaban scored 12 points, Tarris Reed Jr. added 11 and No. 5 UConn used a dominating second half to defeat Villanova 73-63 on Saturday night.

Braylon Mullins added 10 points for the Huskies (25-2, 15-2 Big East), who rebounded from Wednesday’s 91-84 home loss to unranked Creighton.

Tyler Perkins scored 15 points and Matt Hodge had 13 for Villanova (21-6, 12-4), which had won six in a row since losing 75-67 in overtime to UConn on Jan. 24 in the teams’ first meeting.

The teams were locked in a two-point game at the break after a competitive first half, but Villanova went without a field goal in the opening 5:25 of the second half. UConn took advantage with a 13-2 run after the intermission. And the Huskies continued from there. The lead reached as many as 21 points later in the half on a nifty spin move and finish by Reed.

The Wildcats, who are still in position to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought under first-year coach Kevin Willard, struggled from long range the entire game. They finished 6 for 24 from beyond the arc.

UConn, the 2023 and ’24 national champs, are pushing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and beating Villanova for the eighth time in the last nine meetings will help.

The Wildcats have four regular-season games left, and Willard almost certainly will pass Jack Kraft for the most wins by a first-year coach. Kraft went 21-7 in 1961–62.

Up next

UConn: Hosts St. John’s on Wednesday.

Villanova: Hosts Butler on Wednesday.

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This was supposed to be a measuring stick game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They only play the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder twice. Even though this will be a good test, Oklahoma City’s injuries keep this from being a marquee matchup

The Thunder will be without their two best players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ab strain) and Jaylin Williams (hamstring). They’ll also be missing a great perimeter defender in Alex Caruso (ankle). That will take some of the luster off this contest.

The Thunder have really struggled offensively this season in lineups without Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Caruso. In those configurations, the Thunder have posted a 106.1 offensive rating (4th percentile). The defense is still formidable with a 107.9 defensive rating (93rd percentile), which has helped keep them afloat.

This will be a good test for Cleveland’s new-look offense with James Harden. The Thunder have still been elite on that end, thanks to their front court of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. However, they aren’t the same team on offense. We’ll see if the Cavs can take advantage.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (36-21) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14)

Where: Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, OK

When: Sun., Feb. 22 at 1 PM

TV: ABC

Point spread: Cavs -2

Cavs injury report: Max Strus – OUT (foot), Tristan Enaruna – OUT (G League), Riley Minix – OUT (G League)

Thunder injury report: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (ab strain), Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring), Alex Caruso – OUT (ankle), Jay Mitchell – OUT (ankle), Thomas Sorber – OUT (knee)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Thunder expected starting lineup: Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

Previous matchup: Thunder defeat Cavs by 32 on Jan. 19.

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118.3 (7th)	113.9 (9th)	+4.4 (8th)
Thunder	119.2 (4th)	107 (1st)	+12.2 (1st)

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA sent a counterproposal to its players’ union on Friday for a new collective bargaining agreement that included continuing to pay for housing for all players this season, but not really changing its previous revenue sharing offer, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because of the sensitive nature of negotiations.

In the league’s new proposal, which came three days after the union had given the WNBA an offer, the teams would pay for all housing this season. Then teams would pay for housing for players on minimum salary contracts as well as rookies in their first season, the person said.

They’d also pay for the housing of the two developmental players that teams would be allowed to have.

The union had asked for teams to continue paying for housing for players in the first few years of the new agreement, but in the last two years of the CBA the franchises would no longer have to pay for housing for players that are making near the maximum salary.

The union in its offer earlier this week asked for an average of 27.5% of the gross revenue — revenue before expenses — over the course of the CBA. That would include only 25% in the first year of the new deal. In its previous offer, the union had asked for an average of more than 30%.

The league said at that point that the revenue sharing percentage remained unrealistic and would cause “hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams,” the WNBA said in a statement.

The WNBA’s proposal would give players more than 70% of net revenue. That would be their take of the profits after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include upgraded facilities, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.

If a new CBA isn’t agreed upon soon, it could delay the start of the 2026 season. It’s already delayed the expansion draft for Toronto and Portland and the start of a free agency frenzy.

“We still need to complete two drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time,” the league said in a statement earlier this week. “We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.”

The previous CBA was announced in the middle of January 2020, a month after it had been agreed to. It could easily take two months from when a new CBA is reached to get to the start of free agency, which was supposed to begin last month. With a massive salary raise expected in a new CBA, 80% of players in the league are free agents this offseason, which makes this the biggest opportunity for player movement in the history of the WNBA.

A delay would hurt both sides. The season is supposed to start May 8 and every game missed is lost revenue, sponsorships, television money and fan support.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball