Steve Elkington has thoughts.

Steve Elkington is a 51-year-old PGA tour pro who won the PGA Championship in 1995.

Chris Graythen

Here's what he tweeted this morning about Michael Sam.

The response was swift, non-positive, and pretty funny.

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Now what do we do?

John Gara for BuzzFeed

Last summer, as attention began focusing on a new anti-LGBT "propaganda" law in Russia, I had a nightmare. In the dream, I'm in a small gay bar in St. Petersburg. It's a slow night with only a few guys around, mostly keeping to themselves — then a brick is thrown through the bar's only window. The window is stained glass. I hear the shatter, turn on my bar stool to see the brick and the shards on the floor and then the moment freezes and resets itself. That one brick crashed through the window again and again and again, a cruel loop replaying itself against my will and wishes for it to stop or change. The horror was not just the act of violence, but the repetition and the fact that there was nothing I could do but watch.

Seven months later — after an almost unprecedented focus on LGBT issues in the run-up to the games — the Olympic flame has been extinguished in Sochi and, I fear, the kind of night I witnessed in that dream is descending yet again. Russia's anti-LGBT propaganda law is as firmly in place as it was when Putin first signed it. LGBT people across Russia, major cities and rural areas alike, are no safer or freer.

What the hell just happened? In short, the IOC dug in its heels and waited for the outrage to exhaust itself.

In the months leading up to the Olympics, the organization — headed now by a former German Olympian, Thomas Bach — promised again and again that it had received "assurances" from Russian leaders that LGBT athletes and fans would not be discriminated against in Sochi. When American and European leaders began to announce that they would not be joining their Olympic delegations in Sochi, Bach chided them for "politicizing the games," arguing that they should not work out political disagreements "on the backs of these athletes." A "protest zone" was set up during the games that was more than 5 miles away from the central area where the Olympics were taking place.

The only thing more stunning than the IOC's stubbornness is that, in the end, it worked. All the IOC had to do was repeat the idea that the Olympics are apolitical for seven months straight and all Putin had to do was make sure Russia could go 16 days without any significant "disturbances."

The top Olympic sponsors were no different, saying that they had received assurances from the IOC — which itself had, of course, received assurances from the Russian government that, rest assured, there would be no disturbances in Sochi. Those top 10 sponsors sign multimillion-dollar contracts with the IOC that last for four years so, for them, backing out of Sochi 2014 would've also meant backing out of Rio 2016. Coca-Cola — which has been backing the Olympics for nearly a century — and Omega's contract with the IOC is through 2020. The depth of these companies' relationships with the Olympics signaled a key lesson from the games for activists: Corporations will always opt for the path of least resistance when it also happens to be the most profitable option. Perhaps Visa, one of those sponsors, says it best: "Sponsoring the Olympic Games makes good business sense for Visa and our clients."

Meanwhile, attention shifted to the Olympians themselves with the hope that they'd take some kind of a stand in Sochi. A rainbow flag during the parade of nations, or maybe even an athlete coming out during an interview. Perhaps disappointingly, the first and last sign of solidarity from an Olympian in Sochi came during the first day of the competition when out snowboarder Cheryl Maas raised a rainbow-hued glove after her run. And, much to the chagrin of LGBT activists, Irene Wust, the first out Olympian to win gold in Sochi, bragged about "cuddling" Putin when she met him after competing. "He congratulated me and asked me if everything was OK in Russia," Wust told reporters from Dutch television network NOS.

When it comes to the Olympics, a once-in-a-lifetime event for most Olympians, the hesitance of individuals to step out of bounds says much more about the IOC than about the athletes themselves. The Olympics are not a space in which standing up for human rights is acceptable — at least in Sochi. "Looking to the future the IOC first needs to make a change in Principle 6 of its Olympic Charter, which doesn't specifically state sexuality as something that shouldn't be discriminated against," Olympic speedskater Blake Skjellerup recently told BuzzFeed. "[The charter] refers to myself and other LGBT athletes as 'otherwise.'"

On Feb. 18, an IOC spokesperson suggested that if there was "a groundswell of opinion," the organization might consider requiring future host countries to abide by specific rules regarding discrimination. In the same statement, though, the spokesperson added that this policy is not currently under discussion in the IOC.

This conversation isn't over and it transcends even the Olympics. Qatar, where the penalty for gay sex is up to seven years in prison, is set to host the World Cup in 2020. According to the country's sharia law, people convicted of sodomy face flogging or a death sentence. There are no bystanders when it comes to being on the right side of history and human rights: You're remembered as either having enabled oppression or pushed back against it. That pushing back is often, if not always, inconvenient is not a justification.

I don't know if it's fair to say Sochi was a test of the international LGBT movement's might, but there's no denying that the last seven months have been a lesson in how power protects itself. And at what cost.

It is time to prove yourself.

Hey, sports fans, did you know anyone can sign up and post on BuzzFeed?

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This is your chance to prove you are the ultimate fan.

s3-ec.buzzfed.com

Always had a burning desire to tell everyone why your team is the best team?

Or have a new love for a team because they are just so great?

Here are some reasons you should start loving The Kansas City Chiefs.

Rich Schultz / Getty / Via buzzfeed.com

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Organizers say government pressure forced venues to cancel their hosting of the post-Olympics event.

facebook.com / Via facebook.com

Multiple venues withdrew from hosting an LGBT sporting event in Moscow at the last minute, organizers said Wednesday, putting the entirety of the games under threat.

The Russian LGBT Sports Federation hoped the event, called the Russian Open Games, would grab attention in the week between the end of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 23 and the start of the Paralympic Games on March 7. More than 200 Russians had registered to compete, along with 30 foreigners from countries including the United States, Germany, and Sweden.

But unless they can find new hotel rooms and venues in the next few hours, the games may be canceled altogether.

The quick succession of cancelations smacked of government pressure, organizers said. Pressuring venues to cancel at the last minute is a tactic that Russian authorities have used in the past against government critics. Organizers also said in a statement on the Open Games Facebook page that some venues said they were responding to "calls from the administration," referring to the presidential administration of Vladimir Putin.

"I'm sure that it's government," Elvina Yuvakaeva, one of the event organizers, said by telephone from Moscow. As of 5:30 p.m. Moscow time, Yuvakaeva said, all the venues had canceled except one contracted to host a table tennis competition, but she expected it would back out as well.

Yuvakaeva said organizers were still "trying to find some way" to hold the games. But the opening ceremony on Wednesday was canceled when they were kicked out of the club where it was scheduled to take place. When they then tried to hold a press conference outside, police shut it down claiming they were responding to a report of illegal drugs on the premises, another common tactic used against government critics in the past.

While the Russian LGBT Sports Federation is working to salvage the Open Games, the International Federation of Gay Games is trying to get the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to pressure Russian authorities to allow the event to proceed. The organization has launched a petition calling on IPC President Sir Philip Craven to threaten to boycott the Paralympic Games in Sochi if the Open Games are canceled. The petition notes that the IPC Code of Ethics specifically calls on "members of the Paralympic Family" to "fight against any discrimination," including on the basis of sexual orientation.

IPC Communications and Media Director Craig Spence told BuzzFeed, "Sir Philip will be attending the Paralympic Winter Games as planned. The IPC is unaware of why the event in Moscow has been canceled, as the two events are not related."

Spence added, "We've received written confirmation from the highest level from the Russian government that our handbook will be adhered to during the Paralympic Games. For that reason, we have no reason to object" to the Russian government's conduct.

“I am not so sure I entirely regret it.” The internet doesn’t regret it, either.

When the Syracuse Orange lost to Duke last Saturday, Feb. 22, Jim Boeheim charged the floor of the court in the last few seconds of the game.

Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer / MCT

The internet then seized this opportunity to make one of funniest memes in college basketball.

Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer / MCT

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BuzzFeed gathered an online panel of five writers to debate whether the recent proposal to ban the n-word makes any sense or has a chance.

AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File

We had five writers — Joel Anderson and Justin Carissimo of BuzzFeed, Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic, Monique Jones of The Baltimore Sun, and Greg Lee of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — join in an email roundtable discussion Tuesday about the Fritz Pollard Alliance's proposal to institute a rule that would penalize NFL players for using the n-word on the field. The panel exchanged emails for a couple of hours, and this is the result. Writers were free to use "n-word" or "nigger" in their post according to their preference.

Joel Anderson: Dear Greg, Monique, Ta-Nehisi and Justin:

If not for the Fritz Pollard Alliance, it's not a stretch to suggest Mike Tomlin, Marvin Lewis, Lovie Smith, and Jim Caldwell might have spent much of their NFL careers waiting for opportunities that would never come.

History is instructive here.

It was little more than 11 years ago when the late Johnnie Cochran and civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri threatened to file a class-action discrimination lawsuit against the NFL if it didn't improve its dismal record for interviewing and hiring black front-office candidates. At that point, the NFL had only five black head coaches in the history of the league. Five. By 2002.

A month later, then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced that he was forming a committee to address the league's hiring practices. Two months later, the league announced what's more commonly referred to as the Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs.

A few months later, the Fritz Pollard Alliance was formed to monitor the NFL's hiring practices and promote and mentor NFL minority coaches, scouts, and front-office personnel. And it's clear that, to some extent, they have the ear of the NFL and its top decision-makers and they've been influential in bringing about a number of important changes within the league.

Which brings us to this latest bit of news, which is the alliance's proposal to institute a rule that would penalize NFL employees for using the n-word.

It's tough to know how seriously the NFL will take the advice of the Fritz Pollard Alliance here. But given its history of cooperation with the group and in the wake of high-profile incidents involving the use of the racial slur, including the bullying scandal with the Miami Dolphins, it's clear this proposal will receive at least nominal consideration. At the minimum, it's been good for generating headlines and, um, online conversations. Consider that ESPN's Outside the Lines aired an hourlong special on this very topic Sunday. An hour!

So Greg, let's start with you. Is this a worthwhile effort?

I can't wait to see where you take this conversation.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Greg Lee: I would say the league is making a mistake if they want to eliminate the n-word. It is a can of worms that cannot be opened when they have an NFL franchise with a derogatory name such as the Washington Redskins. I think when you start with n-word, then they have to consider eliminating other ethnic slurs.

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These terrifying feats are guaranteed to give you sweaty palms.

Cliff diving, base jumping and free falling are among the purest forms of ecstasy, but these adrenaline junkies take that thrill to a whole new level. Watch these daredevils use the world as their playground and cheat death for a natural high.

sebastien montaz-rosset / Via vimeo.com

Via buzzfeed.com

Via buzzfeed.com

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So many characters with one common trait — being awesome. Which one are you?

“Players only. No wives, gfs, bfs, side pieces.”

The note, written by Rogers' teammate, Landon Donovan, reads: “Saturday after the game, mandatory night out… players only (no wives, girlfriends, boyfriends or side pieces).”

Seriously guys, no side pieces.

Michael Kovac / Getty Images for Macy's

LINK: 40 Things To Love About Robbie Rogers

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Jason Collins wears the number in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was murdered in 1998.

Jason Collin's jersey number of choice is 98, a number chosen in honor of Matthew Shepard – a gay college student who was murdered in Wyoming in 1998 at the age of 21.

Usa Today Sports/Usa Today Sports

The Shepard family drove four hours from their home in Wyoming to watch the game in Denver and meet with the NBA star for the first time.

Collins told the AP before the meeting, "I was in college at the time when he was killed and of course it's a tragedy what happened and I just hope that it inspires others to move forward.''

soundtracktomyday.blogspot.com

Judy Shepard, who had spoken with Collins last year after he came out, said it was "delightful" to meet him in person.

"It was great. It was all great. He's very kind, smart, humble. It was delightful. We were happy to finally have the opportunity to meet," Judy Shepard said.

Gary A. Vasquez/Usa Today Sports

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Dale Hansen was breaking news and making waves in Texas well before taking on the NFL’s bigots.

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Before welcoming Dale Hansen to the stage, Ellen DeGeneres played the two-minute video segment in which he condemned anonymous critics of Michael Sam's manhood and asked viewers — even, and perhaps especially, those who found the idea of a gay relationship unusual — to treat Sam with love and respect. Those 356 words had made Hansen nationally famous. Then she beckoned him out: "From Dallas, Texas, please welcome sports anchor Dale Hansen."

Hansen moved briskly as DeGeneres and a hospitable studio audience gave him a warm welcome. Then he paused for a second, momentarily taking in the applause. It might have felt as if the 65-year-old Iowa native, who's been leading sports coverage at WFAA-TV in Dallas since 1983, had finally arrived. Thing is, Hansen has been a big deal for quite a while. It's just that everyone else has finally caught up.

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Hansen, the longtime sports anchor for WFAA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth, first made a name for himself and the station nearly 30 years ago when he broke a story involving a Southern Methodist University slush fund for under-the-table payments to football players. Since then he's tangled with the area's sports icons — Tom Landry, Jerry Jones, and Barry Switzer, to name a few — and several times turned down big-money offers from stations and networks in larger media markets. His defense of child victims in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal hinted at a deep reservoir of empathy. And yes, in a metro area where 11 of the 12 congressional representatives are Republicans, he is an unapologetic champion of liberal politics.

"I'm a liberal guy. My bosses hate it on the occasions when I say it," Hansen said. "I once wrote about Obamacare and all I said was, 'I don't know if it's the right answer for the country, but we need to sit down and talk about it and find the right answer.' Every redneck son of a bitch came out of the woodworks and wanted to blow me up."

Hansen got his first media job in 1974 at a radio station in Newton, Iowa, an old coal mining town of about 15,000. (Yes, coal mining in Iowa.) Within a year, his muckraking had earned him an award as the state's Associated Press investigative reporter of the year. "It was one of the most corrupt towns I've ever been in my life," he said. "It was amazing the stories that I stumbled into."

Hansen moved from there to Omaha and then to Dallas, where he started with WFAA in the mid-1980s. He was only a few years into his WFAA gig when he broke open one of the biggest stories in college football history. On Nov. 12, 1986, Hansen aired a 40-minute special revealing SMU was paying — or rather still paying — its football players. SMU, which had already been placed on probation five times between 1974 and 1985 for similar violations, had continued giving some of its players "thousand-dollar signing bonuses, rent-free apartments, and $750-per-month allowances in some cases." Hansen's report included an on-air admission from one of the players, linebacker David Stanley, and a live interview with the school's athletic director, head football coach, and recruiting coordinator. The interview was later immortalized in the ESPN documentary Pony Excess.

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How can you beat this?

A few months ago, Jean-Claude Van Damme demonstrated his famous split across two moving Volvo trucks, causing the internet to explode and crown Van Damme the "king of splits."

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Not too long after, Chuck Norris responded with his own variation of the split, effectively one-upping Van Damme.

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Well, now we have this.

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Yep, that's Jean-Claude Van Damme doing a split across two moving satellites, which separate and leave Van Damme floating through space with open legs. Your move, Chuck.

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Jason Collins’ jersey has seen “unprecedented” sales since he became the first openly gay athlete in a major U.S. sport.

NBAE via Getty Images

Though he only signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Jason Collins is making the most of his tenure as the first openly gay player in a major U.S. sport. The NBA announced Friday that it will donate the proceeds from Collins' jersey sales to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The league will also auction Collins' autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organizations.

Since he was added to the roster, Collins' jersey rose to the No. 1 spot on the top-selling jersey list at NBAStore.com. Collins chose to wear the No. 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was murdered in 1998 after being targeted for being openly gay.

"I'm thrilled to work with the league to support two fantastic organizations, both of which work tirelessly to ensure LGBT youth get the resources and assistance they need to be successful in life," the Brooklyn Nets center said.

Collins met with Shepard's parents following the Nets' 112-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night and presented them with an autographed jersey.

Matthew's mother, Judy Shepard, told the Denver Post Friday night she had been unaware of the NBA's decision to donate proceeds to the foundation.

Twitter: @ryanparkerdp

The NBA announced that it will donate no less than $100,000 to the organizations, but it should far exceed that goal. Vicky Picca, the NBA's senior vice president for licensing and business affairs, said that the league was receiving an "unprecedented" amount of inquiries from fans who want to own a jersey with Collins' name on it.

Multiple reports suggest the Nets will extend Collins' contract beyond the 10-day period for which he is currently signed, possibly keeping him for the remainder of the season.

GLSEN gave Collins its Courage Award last May.

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How… What… OMG INCREDIBLE.

Elizabeth Seitz, Germany

What she is doing: A Def (she lets go of the bar, does a flip with 1.5 twists, and then catches again).

She placed 10th in the All-Around at the 2012 Olympics. Here is her uneven bar routine.

Via mashable.com

Carly Patterson, USA

What she is doing: Round-off back handspring to a double Arabian (an Arabian is a back flip with a 1/2 twist). All on four inches of wood. This dismount is actually named after her because she was the first to successfully perform it in a major competition.

Carly won the All-Around at the 2004 Olympic Games. This is her balance beam routine!

NBC / Via mashable.com

Peng Peng Lee, Canada

What she is doing: A back handspring into a double back flip in the pike position (the pike position is essentially the same position as when you sit with your legs straight out in front of you).

Peng Peng was a member of the team that granted Canada a spot in the 2012 Olympics but was unable to compete in London due to a severe knee injury. She is set to compete for UCLA once her ACL is completely healed. Here is her floor routine from 2012.

Via gymnasticsgifs.tumblr.com

Anna Pavlova, Russia

What she is doing: A switch ring leap. This leap is particularly difficult because the gymnast has to take their eyes off of the beam.

Anna won two bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics. Here is her balance beam routine from 2008 (she placed fourth)!

NBC / Via gymnasticscoaching.com

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Nothing like outdoor hockey in a snowstorm.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins played the Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field in the finale of the NHL's increasingly popular outdoor Stadium Series. It was a battle between two of the league's most popular and successful franchises with the Hawks coming out on top with a 5-1 victory in a fitting Chicago snowstorm. Here's a photo recap:

The Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band during player introductions.

Andrew Nelles / Getty

Patrick Kane.

Bill Smith / Getty

James Neal.

Gregory Shamus / Getty

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Results are based off a very complicated scientific formula taking aesthetics, World Cup wins, and patriotism into consideration.

1990 Home

One of the most bland USA jerseys to ever be released. These kits make us look French or European or something — un-American. And is that's a big no-no. (Note: the team didn't wear away kits at any point during the 1990 tournament.)

Patriotism: 0 out of 5
Design: 1 out of 5
World Cup wins in uniform: 0

Total: 1

Simon Bruty / Allsport

2002 Away

Lacked an "it" factor, and the team failed to pick up a result when dressed in blue.

Patriotism: 2 out of 5
Design: 2.5 out of 5
Wins: 0

Total: 4.5

Ben Radford / Getty Images

1930

USA's first, and most successful, World Cup (they made the semis! By winning two matches, but still) had them sporting the all-whites with bumble-bee themed socks. They looked kind of like long-johns. Not a good look to be remembered by. (Note: we couldn't find evidence of separate home and away uniforms for 1930, 1934, and 1950 — if we overlooked something, email sports@buzzfeed.com to let us know.)

Patriotism: 2 out of 5
Design: 1 out of 5
Wins: 2

Total: 5

Popperfoto / Getty Images

1934

You sometimes have to appreciate the simplicity of kits. The USA's second World Cup appearance had them taking the field with long-sleeved, royal-blue jerseys with just a crest on the chest.

Patriotism: 2 out of 5
Design: 3.5 out of 5
Wins: 0

Total: 5.5

Popperfoto / Getty Images

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You’ll never love anything as much as a pup loves that fuzzy yellow ball.

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Dogs may be a man's best friend. But a dog's best friend is NOT the hand that feeds it or cleans up its poop — it's an unassuming, inanimate yellow ball.

i.imgur.com

Have you ever seen anything more pure than a dog's unimpeachable and unconditional love for a tennis ball?

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“Oh, they’re gonna have to look at this!”

On Monday, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel fired a shot that squeezed through the pads of Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, but somehow did not go in.

video.nhl.com

As you can see, the puck spun through Bobrovsky's legs and magically stopped right in front of the goal line before being cleared out — back THROUGH Bobrovsky's legs — by Columbus center Ryan Johansen.

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It was about as close as you can get to scoring without actually scoring.

video.nhl.com

That heads-up play turned out to be the difference in the game as the Blue Jackets would go on to win 2-1.

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“Basketball is my favorite sport, I like the way they dribble up and down the court.”

Getty Images

The game, originally scheduled to be played in Ukraine on Monday, is set to be played in Cyprus, Tuesday.

U.S. Soccer will travel to Cyprus to play Ukraine on Wednesday.

The United States' international game versus Ukraine is set to go again on Wednesday, despite early reports of the match being canceled.

The match, originally scheduled to be played in Ukraine on Monday, was moved to Cyprus and rescheduled for Wednesday due to the recent conflict in Ukraine.

Ukraine's football association president, Anatoliy Konkov, commented on the status of the match on Tuesday.

"We reached a consensus to play the USA after all," Konkov said in a statement that also expressed gratitude toward the American team. "They stood behind us to protect the national interests and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

Boris Roessler / AP

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The match will be played at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, and is a key warm-up game for the United States national team as they prepare for the World Cup this summer.

"This game is a huge opportunity, mainly for our European-based players, for those guys to prove to us that they are eager and hungry to jump on the train to the FIFA World Cup," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.

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