Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

As an NFL analyst, choosing your words wisely when breaking down and analyzing the game is crucial. This is Broadcasting 101, but it sounds like a lesson former Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski snoozed through. Apparently, Gronk has a social media death wish, suggesting recently that the NFL has gone...Read more...

Consider this a mea culpa to the NCAA. I was wrong, there isn't enough money to pay the players, because there isn't even enough money to spring for helmets with transmitters. Quarterback-sideline correspondence has come under fire in the wake of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, with a lot of coaches - including...Read more...

At some point in most of our lives, we've all imagined how nice it would be to get away from the daily grind on our own tropical island. NBA journeyman and current Houston Rockets forward Reggie Bullock has taken steps to implement that plan. Earlier this year, Bullock purchased his own island in Belize after...Read more...

Scoot Henderson made his debut Wednesday night, and in his first-ever game of consequence, finished with 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, and four turnovers on 5-of-11 from the field across 36 minutes of forgettable basketball. It didn't help that the Portland Trail Blazers trailed the Los Angeles Clippers by...Read more...

Big Vic Energy is a renewable source of power for the city of San Antonio that the state of Texas should invest in for the next 20 years.Read more...

It's funny at the top of this to mention that the NHL is holding its draft next June in Las Vegas. In a totally unconnected piece of news, Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto has been suspended 41 games for gambling. There's definitely no conflict of interest between these two things.Read more...

Anybody else hear that? It's the sound of NFL owners shaking in their boots.Read more...

Perhaps Dusty Baker will wonder what his managerial career would have looked like had Jeremy Pena not gotten hot for 10 days last year. Maybe Game 5 against the Phillies flips, maybe Dusty faces another Game 7, another winner-take-all game to match the 2002 World Series, the 2003 NLCS, the 2012 NLDS, and the 2017 NLDS.Read more...

After the bye week in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced Wednesday that the team would be inducting DeMarcus Ware into its Ring of Honor on Sunday. The ceremony will take place during halftime of Dallas' matchup with the Los Angeles Rams and caps off an exciting few months in which Ware was also inducted into...Read more...

The fight to stand alone atop NBA Insider Mountain continues between Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania. What better way for that battle to continue than with them framing the latest news on the impasse between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers in two different ways.Read more...

It's becoming apparent that almost anything James Harden does is driven by how much good it does for James Harden. Remember when he declined a $47.6 million option and accepted $68 million over two years by signing a one-year deal with a player option for a second? That magnanimous sacrifice for the sake of the team...Read more...

Mistakes from umpires, referees, and officials happen all the time. That's the human error risk every athlete takes when competing in sports. It's better than having robots mediate sports right? Well, I guess unless you're Angel Hernandez. Having an NFL owner share on his personal X account discussions he's had with...Read more...

Last week, former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown was arrested for failure to pay child support, followed by reports that Brown owes $31,000 to one of the mothers of his children. That sounds like a ridiculous amount of money to you and me, but as someone who has practiced family law (including on behalf of pro...Read more...

The NHL season is only two weeks old, and yet four teams - the Boston Bruins, the Dallas Stars, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Colorado Avalanche - have yet to taste defeat in regulation. Only the Stars aren't running at a 100 percent points-percentage, having lost to the aforementioned Knights in a shootout. But...Read more...

When you watch the Tennessee Titans play these days, NFL general managers probably feel like they are watching a Pawn Stars marathon. They're hunting for deals on players who give them an edge in 2023 and beyond and the Titans are a chop shop these days. It's a little disturbing how many pawn shop shows there are on...Read more...

Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis is still considered one of the best players in the NBA by most. Even though he comes and goes in terms of performance, many view him as no worse than top 10 in the association. However, it's hard to defend that point of view on Davis when he pulls off his best Dr. Jekyll/Mr....Read more...

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Nate Silver is good for one thing, and that's telling you what side to not be on. There's nothing a fan of any sport loves more than someone who hasn't been following all season dropping in to tell you why the conclusion is terrible. If one doesn't want to be seen anywhere near the man who set the record for being the...Read more...

An NBA player's signature shoe is the ultimate signifier of their brand. These kicks reflect and refract the personality and power of those who wear them. Since Michael Jordan signed with Nike in 1984, the shoe skyrocketed from casual mediocrity into a phenomenon all its own. Almost every major basketball player since...Read more...

The old African-American proverb If you scared, get out the club," isn't just a warning to terrified patrons to exit the building - it's wise counsel to coaches who don't like facing the music.Read more...

The Golden State Warriors are still explosive, but the first game of the season showed a glimpse of how much they are going to need Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody if they want to contend for a fifth title.Read more...

No, the Philadelphia Phillies had not unlocked something about the MLB Playoffs. They did not thread the needle on how to tread water throughout most of the regular season and then whisper a password at the door of October and sneak on through the back. If they did, would they have lost to one of the worst playoff...Read more...

The NBA is finally back with opening night upon us, and the Denver Nuggets are ready to kick off their title defense campaign against the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT. It's too bad those in the promo department at TNT failed to acknowledge the champs leaving 2023 Finals MVP Nikola Joki off an advertisement. It just so...Read more...

The NBA's 77th season is set to begin on Tuesday. While television ratings are not the sole way to measure the health of a major professional sports league, the NBA's 2022-23 numbers could be thrown in the face of the anti-woke crowd - yes, I'm talking to you, Phil Jackson.Read more...

After Bryan Abreu threw three pitches in his Game 7 ALCS relief appearance, FOX's broadcast couldn't help itself, salivating that Major League Baseball made the right decision to uphold his two-game suspension for intentional beaning Adolis Garcia in Game 5, but deferring it to the first pair of games of the 2024...Read more...

The lineal Best Player Alive title has been held by a handful of players for most of the past 40 years. It's an informal distinction that's mostly reliant on word of mouth and public support. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wrestled for it throughout the 1980s. Shaq and Tim Duncan briefly shared ownership between 1999...Read more...

The fallout from sexual harassment allegations against Mel Tucker seems to have super-charged tensions on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. In a letter to The Board dated October 20th, trustee Brianna Scott called to have fellow trustee Rema Vassar removed from her position. Scott alleged that Vassar...Read more...

With the NBA season officially upon us, now is a good time for preseason prognostications, and I'm not talking about win totals or who's going to take home the title. No, no, no, that's not what the NBA is about anymore. It's about player movement, lusting over possible super teams, and mind-blowing trades. The word...Read more...

The Golden State Warriors enter the 2023 NBA season looking for redemption for a disappointing run last year that ended with a whimper at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. This time last year, the biggest storyline in San Francisco was whether the Warriors could recover from the punch heard around the world to...Read more...

The problem of being billed as a Stanley Cup contender, as the Edmonton Oilers most certainly were heading into this season, is that if that team proceeds to be facing the wrong way when the gates open, it gets a little more focus, and generates a little more alarm than the first two weeks of the season should.Read more...

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Major collegiate athletic conferences are like parents, they can't treat all of their schools/kids the same. Michigan has always been the Big Ten's favorite son. And in the coming weeks and months, we're going to find out if the most prestigious, arrogant, important, and wealthiest conference in all of sports is going...Read more...

The best stretch of the sports calendar is officially upon us, so grab your loosest pair of sweatpants, set some relationship boundaries, load up on snacks and beverages, and settle in for a cornucopia of entertainment. All five major sports are in season, with MLB a game away from the World Series, NBA opening night,...Read more...

The San Francisco 49ers were arguably more undermanned in Week 7 than they were in Week 6. Christian McCaffrey was able to play, but Deebo Samuel was unavailable after suffering a shoulder injury during the 49ers' 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Trent Williams fought through an ankle injury to stay on the field...Read more...

Call it my bitterness lingering from 2003. Even I acknowledge that Dusty Baker has become a fine, and probably only fine, postseason manager. The mangling of the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs of yore is long in the rearview. The Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals were less of a nosedive, though still...Read more...

When you think you have a plan at QB, Gardner Minshew laughs. Throughout his career, Minshew has been the name coaches have called when their starters go down. He's not the most physically gifted quarterback, but there's a certain je ne sais quoi to a peak-Minshew performance. Minshew's future doesn't reside in...Read more...

Bryan Abreu striking Adolis Garcia with a fastball and the ensuing benches-clearing Lone Star War will be the climax of this baseball season. Lost in the shuffle were the Rangers not capitalizing on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth and ninth of Game 5. Jose Altuve's home run and the...Read more...

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is having a phenomenal season thus far and is already a prime candidate for Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Browns defense, led by Garrett, is carrying the team, which is tied for second in the AFC North at 4-2. Despite a fantastic start, Garrett's performance...Read more...

The Houston Astros are digging deep to get all the H-Town pride that they can possibly gather for their Game 7 matchup at home against the Texas Rangers. Their pre-game will feature three Houston legends to rev up the crowd. Even though none of the three names are Paul Wall, they are heavy hitters in hometown pride.Read more...

The Miami Dolphins represent everything the NFL wants pro football to be. Tua Tagovailoa is throwing cute behind-the-back shovel passes for four-yard gains. Mike McDaniel represents the analytics branch that's pushed out the football guys." His offenses are concentrating on getting athletes out in open space rather...Read more...

How the tides have turned.Read more...

Look, we all know that eventually, Chelsea are going to straighten out. There's an argument that they already have, unbeaten in their last three, though that doesn't match the levels their supporters have become accustomed to over the past 18 years or so. But Mauricio Pochettino is too good of a manager, and their...Read more...

Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple has built a reputation in the NFL primarily with his mouth. He's usually running it and has been surrounded by controversy pretty much since he entered the league in 2016. The only problem is Apple's words don't always match his production on the field. Apple's game was on display...Read more...

Being a Black quarterback during a time in which the NFL features more than ever can feel meaningless when you play for a franchise that's always preferred white ones. This is the story of Tyrod Taylor and the New York Giants.Read more...

The Miami Dolphins are going to get ripped on television for a few days. On Sunday, they faced a Super Bowl contender for the second time this season, and were again defeated by a double-digit margin - the Philadelphia Eagles won 31-17. Last season, Miami's five-game winning streak was criticized because each victory...Read more...

Happy National Tight Ends day everybody. Week 7 of the NFL season is the time that is set aside to pay homage to the league's most valuable tweeners. These are people not fast enough to play wide receiver, but also not big enough for the offensive line. However, football has found a place for these large men without...Read more...

In a different world or time, Adolis Garcia would have already won the ALCS. He gave the Rangers the lead in the series-swinging Game 5, and then clinched Game 6. Perhaps it would surpass Josh Hamilton's homer in the 10th inning of the 2011 World Series that ended up not meaning anything in Rangers lore.Read more...

Some of you might have forgotten about Jalen Hurts' flu game" from earlier this season. There was a bit of controversy with that Week 3 Monday Night Football game, because that news was not on the Philadelphia Eagles' injury report. Instead, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it at halftime. Sunday brought us a repeat in...Read more...

What should have been a magic Minshew moment in Sunday's game turned out to be a low moment for the NFL. If there was a museum where the replacement refs responsible for the Fail Mary or the Tuck Rule refs who birthed Tom Brady could be dishonored for blown calls, this crew would be first ballot enshrinees. Buy a...Read more...

It's rough being a Washington Commanders fan. The team frequently teases its followers, making fans think the squad has turned a corner only to revert back to mediocrity. And if that's what the Commanders do to fans, imagine being part of that franchise as a player and not just witnessing but being a cog in that same...Read more...