NPR Sports

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association says that American skier Lindsey Vonn crashed during the women's world Super-G competition in Austria today and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Reports indicate she may have a serious knee injury.

The gold-winning Olympian was trailing the race leader by 0.12 seconds, according to the USSA, when she crashed. She was taken for medical treatment by helicopter, which the organization says is 'standard protocol'.

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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rene Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

The world's most popular sport is under investigation for corruption. European police say they've found evidence of a vast criminal network that fixed hundreds of soccer matches. The conspiracies are alleged to span continents and involve players, team officials, league staff and serious criminals. Investigators say they're looking at teams competing for places in soccer's biggest tournament, the World Cup.

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Twenty-four hours after Super Bowl XLVII, the headlines are: superstar Beyonce and a midgame power outage. But in addition to the hip-shaking and the strange third quarter intermission, there was also some pretty good football played last night in New Orleans. The Baltimore Ravens proved they were no fluke. They held off a come-back by the San Francisco 49ers to win the pro-football championship, 34 to 31.

Some people enjoy the Super Bowl commercials more than the football game. Host Michel Martin and Tampa Bay Times media critic Eric Deggans run through the best and worst ads; from senior citizens making late night trips to Taco Bell to nerds getting really sloppy kisses.

There was a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

A last-minute drive that could have won the game for San Francisco.

An MVP performance by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

The Baltimore Ravens are the new Super Bowl champions. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34 to 31 Sunday night in New Orleans. The game threatened to be overshadowed by a momentum changing 34 minute power outage.

Calls for better equipment and protection for players grew louder in the NFL this year. It follows growing evidence of the damage caused by repeated blows to the head, and some high-profile suicides by former players.