Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

With the final teams determined yesterday in the play-in round, UEFA wasted no time picking the matchups for the true beginning of the Champions League.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who at one point had some people convinced that he would be a good, has done just about everything possible to lose his starting job this summer. His preseason contributions have been a series of sad and bewildering lowlights, he’s been quietly cursed by at least one receiver during…Read more...

Jim Harbaugh is confirmed to be coaching a football team up in Ann Arbor, but right now, that’s about all he’ll tell you. While it seems safe to assume that his football team is, in fact, made up of currently eligible football players, the most recent official roster out of Michigan is still from 2016.Read more...

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a nasty-looking season-ending knee injury in April, and Manchester United declined to extend his contract in June, it seemed like it was finally time for the 35-year-old star to make his long-rumored move to MLS. LA Galaxy? New York Red Bulls? Nope.Read more...

On Monday night, I walked into FirstEnergy Stadium having absolutely no clue what was going to happen during the national anthem. When it began, I saw a group of Browns players kneeling and was proud. A few moments later, I noticed that No. 87—my husband, Seth—was among them, and I was even prouder.Read more...

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Jack Bobridge was arrested in Perth yesterday and charged by Australian police with moving “significant quantities” of MDMA around Perth. He allegedy spent most of the summer selling pills in and around North Perth. As Perth Now reported, police have been investigating a drug ring for…Read more...

Kotaku H3H3 Productions Wins Lawsuit Filed By YouTuber They Made Fun Of | io9 The Current State of DC Superhero Movies | Jalopnik Jeep Is The Only Way Fiat Chrysler Can Take Over The World | Lifehacker What to Say When You Don’t Have a Good Answer in an Interview |Read more...

The Phillies have not been good this season. They have the worst record in baseball this year, three games back of the White Sox. This would be the second time in three years that the Phillies ended up with the worst record in baseball, giving fans bad flashbacks to the late-90s Phillies.Read more...

Barcelona should be one of the most prestigious and respected institutions in world sports. This hallowed club should be capable of attracting and retaining the absolute best soccer players around the globe, operating with a dignity and professionalism befitting such a revered club in an era that in large part will…Read more...

Folks, college football is BACK this Saturday. True, the college season starts with its usual slate of underwhelming matchups featuring ninth-place Mountain West teams, but still: FOOTBALL! I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you? In fact, I think this calls for a roast of every despicable, corrupt team ready…Read more...

One of the best things about baseball is that every game brings the chance to see something that has never happened before during the 100-plus years that the game has been played professionally in this country. This also means that each game brings a chance to see a player get tortured in new and inventive ways.

With this one-day Amazon sale on Kershaw Link knives, you can be one of those people that’s randomly carrying a knife whenever something needs cutting. Those people are respected by all.

It sometimes feels almost cruel that the brilliance of Mike Trout is so often wasted on moments and games that seem wholly irrelevant, which is why it’s such a joy to finally see an at least semi-competitive Angels team in a season that’s shaping up as Trout’s best yet. (Time spent on the disabled list be damned.)…Read more...

Descent Into Maddeness is a mini-series that follows football neophyte William Hughes as he attempts to understand the video game institution of Madden NFL. Every other week, William will dig into a different mode from the series’ latest iteration, Madden NFL 18, all in an effort to appreciate this chart-topping…Read more...

At 6'3" and 250 pounds, Brewers first baseman Jesús Aguilar is a pretty big guy. As a direct result of this, just as you might suspect, he wears some pretty big pants. Here he is, wearing said big pants:Read more...

Relentlessly positive UFC golden boy Sage Northcutt has had a rough time of it lately, what with losing two of his last three and having had his most recently scheduled bout called off due to injuries to him and his opponent. Earlier tonight, though, Twitter user Zombie Prophet revealed a discovery suggesting that the…Read more...

The NWHL has scaled back the responsibilities of their hockey operations interns after the women’s hockey community criticized them for the fact that the positions—which were not initially described as paid—read more like the work of several full-time front office jobs than a single part-time gig.Read more...

Since making his weird and improbable return to major league baseball at age 35 in the second half of 2015, Rich Hill has been almost singularly enjoyable to watch when he’s a) in a groove and b) without a blister. He hasn’t had many outings like that lately, but when he has them, his curveball is breathtaking, he’s…Read more...

ESPN president John Skipper sent a memo to staff today in response to the public relations fiasco that has unfurled in the wake of the network’s decision to move broadcaster Robert Lee off the University of Virginia’s home opener. Per Skipper’s account of things, the switch wasn’t made out of fear that viewers might…Read more...

Today, for the first time since September 20, 2015, Zach Britton headed to the mound with a save on the line and blew it. After 60 consecutive saves, the Baltimore closer’s run is finally over—though you’d be forgiven for assuming it had ended earlier this year, in an injury-plagued season that’s seen him pitching…Read more...

Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Stay cool.Read more...

A Pennsylvania woman was allegedly beaten up and shaved by her daughter and granddaughter Sunday because she reportedly turned up the radio for the preseason Steelers game too loudly.Read more...

Welcome to the Deadspin 25, a college football poll that strives to be more democratic and less useless than every other preseason poll. Leading up to the college football season kickoff, we will give you previews of the 25 teams that you, the readers, voted to be most worthy of writing about. Now, No. 19 Wisconsin.

Dino Ndlovu scored a second-half goal that proved to be just enough for the Azerbaijani club Qarabağ, as today they advanced to their first-ever Champions League group stage, winning their matchup with FC København by virtue of away goals. With this win, Qarabağ is now a thrilling underdog about to take on the true…Read more...

Originally titled “The Joel & Ethan Story,” this piece first appeared in the October 1989 issue of Premiere and appears here with the author’s permission.

The PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Invitational tournament kicked off today at Gamescom. The first major round of solo matches was full of badass snipes and tense finishes. Unfortunately, viewers missed plenty of these moments thanks to some shoddy camera work.Read more...

Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. has an ankle sprain, which in this instance is good news, considering how severe the injury looked when it happened. Now for the bad news: The sprain reportedly could keep Beckham from playing in the Giants’ first two regular-season games. Which means it’s time again to wonder why the…Read more...

The market (or at least Danny Ainge) thinks Kyrie Irving is worth a six-inch-smaller version of Kyrie Irving, a known-quantity 3-and-D guy on a dream contract, an untested young big, and one of the most precious draft picks in the league. That’s a hefty haul for the Cavs there—far better than what Jimmy Butler and…Read more...

Some people are fans of the Denver Broncos. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Denver Broncos. This 2017 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here.Read more...

I got a bowl, it is made of marble. The name of the Pope is me-ee-ee.

The Giants cut lineman Michael Bowie today, a week after he was charged with domestic violence in Bixby, Oklahoma. In a statement, Giants General Manager Jerry Reese said:Read more...

New San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers came out as a lesbian in an Outsports piece yesterday, making her the first ever openly gay coach not just in NFL history, but in the history of major male American pro sports. From the article:Read more...

Some wallets do cards well. Others excel at cash. Basically none are good for coins. But Slide is remarkably adept at all three.

Earlier this month, we reported on the struggles of the Champions Basketball League, a startup league that has repeatedly failed to get off the ground after raising over $700,000 from hundreds of investors who were promised an impressive list of perks and ownership of a piece of a 16-team pro league replete with…Read more...

Ryen Russillo, host of The Russillo Show on ESPN, was arrested in Wyoming today. The details on the Teton County Sheriff’s Office inmate list are scarce, but the 42-year-old Russillo was charged with criminal entry.Read more...

Holy smokes, get a load of this full-extension snag and throw by Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, to snatch a hit away from Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar in the third inning last night:Read more...

The long-awaited deal that adds newly promoted La Liga club Girona to City Football Group’s growing roster of world soccer teams appears to be all but completed. When it’s final, Girona will join MLS’s NYCFC and Manchester City, as well as clubs in Australia, Japan, and Uruguay in CFG’s portfolio.Read more...

A hotel owner says Lenny Dysktra was the guest from hell.Read more...

Consider the returns that NBA teams have recently gotten for disgruntled superstars who wanted out of town. DeMarcus Cousins was traded for a bag of pine nuts. Jimmy Butler went for a nice steak dinner. Paul George was swapped for an old bowling trophy. Last night, the Cavs managed to turn Kyrie Irving into an…Read more...

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez clobbered a 493-foot home run, one of two on the night, in New York’s 13-4 win over the Tigers. Maybe most impressively, he hit it off an 80 mph changeup.

Wayne Rooney appears to be in the early stages of a career renaissance after leaving Manchester United for Everton this summer, so it’s a little odd that he’d pick this time to announce that he has declined a call-up with the England team and instead has decided to officially retire from international play.Read more...

It’s going to be one of those days (it’s only ever those days these days), so here’s something unexpected. You know how when a player leaves a team, either via free agency or by forcing a trade, fans flock to Twitter to film themselves burning said player’s jersey? Here’s one Cavs fan’s reaction to the blockbuster…Read more...

By now you’ve seen the news and shaken your damn head over the idiocy: ESPN switched broadcaster Robert Lee (this guy) off of calling the University of Virginia’s home opener, because the violent white supremacy rally in Charlottesville earlier this month was spurred by threats to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee (…Read more...

Indochino is your favorite custom clothing company, and this week they’re offering Kinja Deals readers their best shirt pricing ever. $169 gets you three custom-fit shirts with promo code KINJASHIRT.

I freely admit that not everybody needs a miter saw. In fact, most people probably shouldn’t own one. But if you’re in the market, Amazon’s top seller is marked down to $100 today in Amazon’s Gold Box, the lowest price ever. In addition to the #1 seller designation, the Hitachi C10FCH2 also carries a 4.5 star review…Read more...

After a first half in which he looked less like an ordinary ballplayer and more like a dinger-smashing demigod, Aaron Judge has suffered through a second half in which he has looked mostly like a slumping rookie with some trouble adjusting to the big-league curve. This is not the end of Judge, and it’s not necessarily…Read more...

For all the focus on the length of baseball games, almost all individual baseball plays are very short. Extremely short! Under 10 seconds, and usually well under 10 seconds! This play is not extremely short. From when contact was made at the plate to when the final tag was made, the play lasted about 25 seconds, and…Read more...

ESPN announced tonight that broadcaster Robert Lee will not call the University of Virginia’s first home football game of the season, as originally planned, “simply because of the coincidence of his name,” which he shares with the Confederate icon.Read more...