Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

Ah, the New York Rangers. A favorite punching bag. A team that always generates so much noise and then their lack of royal clothing always gets exposed in the spring. Not after a bunch of articles claiming they've saved hockey or that they've brought New York together and simultaneously sacked Eric Adams as mayor...Read more...

It won't be hard to convince Philadelphia 76ers fans that this version of the James Harden trade was the best they were going to get. Between Daryl Morey's insistence that he get a star in return, Harden's insistence that he makes this as uncomfortable as possible, and the NBA's insistence that it understands none of...Read more...

Tuesday was a busy one in the NFL, with teams - contenders and pretenders - scrambling to make last-minute deals ahead of the 4 p.m. EST trade deadline. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, who, unlike the Chicago Bears - who traded for Commanders DE Montez Sweat - actually have a shot at a postseason run,...Read more...

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Hello there, esteemed reader, and welcome to Deadspin's IDIOT OF THE MONTH, the world-renowned series in which we mostly just make fun of Aaron Rodgers every few weeks.Read more...

Victor Wembanyama must be getting tired of spearheading simultaneous counter-revolutions. One is France's Golden Generation fortifying itself just in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But within the confines of Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs, Wembanyama's on pace to emerge as the league's preeminent defensive...Read more...

A few days ago, the LA Times published an interview with LA Dodgers' star Mookie Betts. The main thrust of the story was Betts reflecting on his season and LA's rapid exit from the playoffs. But the interview made news for another, more disturbing nugget that Betts dropped about former teammate Trevor Bauer, who is...Read more...

The Colorado Buffaloes took a couple of losses Saturday as the team was punished on the field by UCLA and pilfered off of it, with multiple CU players alleging jewelry was taken from their locker room during the game. Since then, coach Deion Sanders hasn't stopped whining about the transgression, and is now asking to...Read more...

They told one to shut up and dribble." They thought another was going to desecrate the Champions Dinner at The Masters. They speculated that one's affinity for gambling was the reason his father was killed. We all thought the last one was going to die 32 years ago. Black athletes aren't just resilient - they're...Read more...

Many of the league's best running backs keep being told they're replaceable during contract negotiations, being franchise-tagged and given one-year deals. But those teams keep using those backs like they're not.Read more...

Bruce Bochy is lucky, at least at this point, that his Rangers have given him enough runway that he could get as itchy and sweaty as he did in Game 4. The Rangers have a 3-1 series lead, they had a 10-run lead in Game 4 and they have their two best starters lined up the next two games (their only two starters, at this...Read more...

The Las Vegas Raiders are certainly on the ballot for most dysfunctional NFL franchise of the 21th century.Read more...

This offseason, James Harden perfected his signature move.Read more...

The San Francisco 49ers made another bold move and took advantage of the fire sale going on in Washington as they've acquired former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. San Francisco traded for former Broncos and Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory earlier this month and continues to add pass rushers to the roster.Read more...

The Minnesota Vikings acquired a starting quarterback from the Arizona Cardinals in a blockbuster trade hours before the deadline. Ok, blockbuster may be a stretch, but the Vikings did make a move to bring in Joshua Dobbs from the Cardinals. This probably isn't the Arizona QB you first thought of, but Minnesota needed...Read more...

The World Series also acts as a platform for Rob Manfred to have whatever drivel has used the inattentive guards as a means to escape his mind and leap for freedom out of his mouth, which usually borders on cringe. Rob Manfred in front of a microphone is generally in the same folder as toddler with a zippo," if that...Read more...

All of these people agonizing over sportswashing, myself included, need to drop it.Read more...

Finally, the Chicago Bears did something to bolster the weakest position on the team. The offensive line has struggled at times, but continuity has been their biggest problem. That group entered Week 1 down two starters and their starting left tackle has been on the IR since Week 3. The biggest problem for the Bears'...Read more...

The Memphis Grizzlies have entered the 2023-24 campaign riding the struggle bus, losing their first four games. With Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of the season, some losing was to be expected, but not right out of the gate like this. Last season, Memphis finished one game over .500 when Morant did not...Read more...

On Monday, a federal judge dismissed Brett Favre's defamation suit against ESPN's Shannon Sharpe. Favre sued Sharpe in Mississippi state court in February, following comments Sharpe made about Favre's entanglement in the Mississippi welfare fraud scandal on FOX Sports' Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. Previously, Favre...Read more...

Coming up on this week's Tiger Calls: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney berates Tyler from Spartanburg, telling the caller he's part of the problem, while saying he (Dabo) takes 100 percent responsibility" for his team's 4-4 record. However, we're not here to nitpick the entire 5-minute rant, because accountability and...Read more...

What is indisputable is that Joe Thornton is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, whatever that means in the NHL, and had one of the best pairs of hands and some of the best vision in the game for about 15 years. One can't rack up 1109 career points without having unique gifts. Wherever anyone goes beyond that though has an...Read more...

Will Levis' first significant action this weekend ignited the dormant pilot light underneath the Tennessee Titans offense, throwing for 238 yards, four touchdowns, and just as importantly, no picks. Sure, his No. 1 receiver DeAndre Hopkins got away with an offensive pass interference on the opening score, but I'd be...Read more...

James Harden - one of the greatest shooting guards in the history of basketball - is on his fourth team since 2021.Read more...

There was some fear, I assume from people who sunburn easily, that MLB's pitch clock and speeding up would somehow ruin the postseason and especially the World Series. That it wouldn't be the same if Fox didn't have three minutes between each pitch to get in all their close-ups that show us the booger situation of...Read more...

Now for something you probably thought you'd ever witness in a million years. The Bucks and Hawks faced off in Milwaukee on Sunday and offered a treat for those in attendance. Co-founding member of legendary rap group Public Enemy and Reality TV star Flavor Flav gave a stunning" rendition of the national anthem...Read more...

Chris Paul's 18-year run as a starting point guard finally came to an end on Sunday. The 1,365 consecutive games Paul started to begin his career including the playoffs, are the most consecutive starts for a player prior to coming off the bench for the first time. After nearly two decades of being the main course, or...Read more...

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys are starting to feel good about themselves again after a decisive victory at home on Sunday over the LA Rams, 43-20. That's two consecutive wins since their embarrassing loss to San Francisco a few weeks back, 42-10. With division rival Philadelphia on deck, Prescott seems to have...Read more...

They're still here.Read more...

For years, I've been threatening to write a treatise on all the things I don't like about Cris Collinsworth. The idea usually rears its head around 10:03 on Sunday nights, after I've spent yet another three hours of my life listening to Collinsworth wax rhapsodic about some franchise QB and how he could probably cure...Read more...

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After Zach Wilson's brief moment of lucidity against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in early October, much of the football world abandoned all common sense, and suggested his 245-yard night in a loss was a turning point.Read more...

The MLS playoffs started this weekend. You might not have noticed thanks to the World Series also starting, as well as the NFL and college football, and even the NHL and NBA in full swing now. The league has never really been able to thread this needle, and to be fair, it's a tricky one to do.Read more...

New York Jets vs New York Giants was a horrifying watch, but besides that, the football played during NFL spooky season was the one least likely of all eight games to make viewers cover their eyes.Read more...

The Washington Commanders have been a thorn in the Philadelphia Eagles' side for three consecutive matchups. They won on Monday Night last November and have pushed the Eagles in two games this season. The Commanders even stuffed the Eagles' most consistent play, the dreaded Tush Push," that I will never call the...Read more...

Kirk Cousins' time with the Minnesota Vikings has largely been disappointing. They signed him after the 2017 season to help push a team that lost in the conference championship game to the Super Bowl. The 2023 season is Cousins' sixth with the Vikings. They have won only one playoff game in two appearances.

Tennessee Titans rookie Will Levis made his NFL debut Sunday afternoon, immediately impacting the team in their 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Levis completed 65 percent of his passes, threw four touchdowns for 238 yards and zero interceptions. It was a great showing by the rookie quarterback out of Kentucky, so...Read more...

This weekend, New York's Balloon pop-up museum opened up beside the FDR Drive along Pier 36 on The Seaport. On the other side of the East River, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is posting inflated numbers of his own and is on the verge of either a breakout or flying high until his balloon runs out of air and comes back...Read more...

It's only two games into an 82-game season, and frustration already seems to be on the Los Angeles Clippers' agenda. During LA's game in Utah against the Jazz, Kawhi Leonard's body language said much more than he ever would publicly following Russell Westbrook's game-winning shot attempt.Read more...

You ever have that one friend when you were a kid, and when you'd have them beaten at a board game they'd just smash the board, send all the pieces flying, and call it a win? That's what it's been like playing against Real Madrid for a while. They don't have a definitive style really. They don't swarm you with a...Read more...

Last week, after the Bucks' opening night win against Philadelphia, fans were treated to a video of Damian Lillard talking about why he wanted to head to the heartland to play with Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ain't nothing I want more," Lillard said. I told you when I first came here, I ain't come here to...Read more...

For those of you who stopped keeping track of Deion Sanders' first season at Colorado, let me fill you in. After a 28-16 loss to UCLA on Saturday - the Buffs' fourth in five games - CU finds themselves at .500. Currently sitting at 4-4 with four games left, Sanders' group needs two more wins to become bowl-eligible....Read more...

In his past five games, Adolis Garcia has six home runs and 15 RBI. That's more than the combined totals for Tampa, Miami, Toronto, and Milwaukee this postseason (10 runs, 1 dinger). It's more than what the Dodgers and Braves together could muster in the NLDS (13 runs, 4 homers), and tops the 101-win Orioles' 2023...Read more...

WHIZZZZZ! BANG! POP! ZOOM! Forgive me for capitalizing RANDOM words, but VICTOR WEMBANYAMA actually deserves every bit of SENSATIONALIZATION because he's INCREDIBLE. The rookie PHENOM put on a show in the Spurs 126-122 overtime win against the Houston Rockets, and did things NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN NATURE.Read more...

If there's anybody on earth who should empathize with Deshaun Watson, it's another former Cleveland Browns quarterback who was brought in to play savior to a squad cursed (or committed?) to self-destruct in ever more creative ways. Including Watson, the Browns have had 36 - yes, 36 - men start at their most important...Read more...

Nothing is lost on me when it comes to Damian Lillard, and neither was his 39-point debut in the Milwaukee Bucks' 118-117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. This is what he does, and Giannis Antetokuonmpo is more than happy to cede crunch-time duties to a guy who built his brand on clutch moments.Read more...

If the rumored minutes restriction for LeBron James is contingent on whether the Los Angeles Lakers need to play him an entire fourth quarter to win, he's not going to get the desired rest that Darvin Ham wants to give him. Heading into the fourth and trailing a Phoenix team that was without Devin Booker and Bradley...Read more...

It's now canon. One of the two teams that's in the championship round of any sport can't wait to tell the press that they're, proving all the doubters wrong," or this is for the haters." We watched Travis Kelce pull this act after the Super Bowl, even though he happened to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, the...Read more...

Future Basketball Hall of Famer Dwight Howard spent the week defending himself from sexual assault and battery accusations in civil court. It's rare for a defense to be the headline, but in Howard's case, he took the drastic measure of admitting that the July 2021 encounter with his accuser, Stephen Harper, was a...Read more...

We reviewed the aptitude of front-office leaders through the last decade, so it's only fitting we roast those on the opposite end of the spectrum. There has been no shortage of charlatans, scam artists, and swindlers manning the executive suite for NBA teams over the last 10 years. We pinpointed the worst offenders...Read more...