Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

We love our sports here in America. Especially the big three of football, basketball, and baseball. What we love even more are the superstar mega athletes that usually feel like bigger-than-life personalities. LeBron James, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers (Editor’s Note: Maybe not his conspiracy theories), Aaron Judge, and…Read more...

It took a few years for James Harden to become amenable to a smaller contract, and at $33 million this upcoming year and $36 million with a player option the following season, he’s still way overpaid. The 76er guard opted out only to re-sign with Philly in the hopes that, I don’t know, he’s able to reverse whatever…Read more...

In what appears to be a declaration of war, Greg Norman’s Saudi golf league has signed Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson. He announced Wednesday that he would be joining the new tour, although he expressed that he wanted to continue to play DP World Tour events. He’s obviously out as Europe’s captain for next year —…Read more...

Pittsburgh Pirates’ shortstop Oneil Cruz is a freak of nature, and it’s beautiful to watch. Standing at 6-foot-7 — a full seven inches taller than his double-play partner Kevin Newman — Cruz is a mammoth at the plate, best exemplified by his home runs, which, albeit sparse, have looked effortless. The ball leaves the…Read more...

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Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton walked away from the sideline this offseason after 15 years but is already speaking about the possibility of a return — and it sounds like it could happen sooner rather than later.Read more...

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, a man who makes $17.5 million a year, told minor leaguers to shut up and be grateful this week amidst calls for a living wage for professional players who haven’t yet been called up.Read more...

There’s not a ton to add to the story beyond the headline. Andrew Wiggins, coming off the best year of his career, is still kind of sore that he had to get vaccinated.

Black baseball is coming back.Read more...

It’s been a wild ride for Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, to say the least. He’s been nothing short of a savior for the franchise, returning them to their status as a powerhouse in the NFC. But all good things must come to an end, and that time has officially come.

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When Ryan O’Callaghan decided to come out as openly gay, for him it was supposed to be the end of the world. He thought that he would lose everything. His family, his friends, his career, it would all be over with so his plan in 2011 was to kill himself after the conclusion of his NFL career.Read more...

The latest Deshaun Watson rumor, coming from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, is that Judge Sue L. Robinson is planning to hand down a suspension of between two and eight games for the new Browns quarterback under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. This is a significant reduction from earlier reports that suggested…Read more...

Lane Kiffin’s mouth is moving, which history tells us, means obnoxious words are spilling out. At Monday’s SEC Media Day, the Ole Miss head coach performed a cover of the same song every obstinate coach has been playing for the past year. Kiffin was just one of the few foolish enough to pitch a terrible solution to a…Read more...

Pitching has become so easy in MLB that relievers can carry a conversation with the booth while getting the last out of the eighth inning in a one-run All-Star Game. No longer content to interview guys in the dugout/not actively in the field, players talked with announcers during the showcase that ended in a 3-2 AL…Read more...

Being an All-Star is a good feeling, or at least I’d think so. Clearly, I’ve never been named an MLB All-Star, but the confirmation that you are in fact one of the game’s best players, getting to line up alongside several legends, and have that star next to your name on your Baseball-Reference page has to be one of…Read more...

We’re inching closer and closer to NFL training camps and eventually the regular season starting in September. Heading into all that there are quite a few quarterbacks around the league that have some lofty expectations to live up to and others who are on the hot seat and in danger of losing their starting positions. …Read more...

How much would you pay for nosebleed seats? What is the maximum? Imagine your dream matchup in your favorite sport. The hype is through the roof. There’s history between these two teams, or individuals, depending on the sport, and you can’t wait to get out to the stadium. Would you be willing to pay $2,000? $5,000?…Read more...

USC football is back.Read more...

PORTLAND — As I sat on a hill near the 9th green waiting for the shotgun start at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the second round of the Greg Norman-run Saudi Tour Invitational, “Thunderstruck” blasted from a sound system. No birds chirping here; it’s AC/DC turned up to 11.

Juan Soto is going to win the All-Star Break in many ways, but the most significant might be by virtue of being the most thirst-inducing thoroughbred at the auction. It makes sense that he took the Home Run Derby a few days after the Nationals announced they’re listening to offers. There are a half billion dollars on…Read more...

The first step is always the hardest because people hate admitting their faults, especially in a place like America where denial is a part of this country’s DNA.Read more...

LOS ANGELES — They cheered Juan Soto at Dodger Stadium last night.Read more...

James Harden sounds more mature this offseason than he did a decade ago when he wanted to be paid like the top option instead of as the league’s highest-paid sixth man. This version of Harden plays like a sixth man and sounds more concerned with getting the Sixers bench unit properly compensated too. Reportedly, he…Read more...

Somebody out there, please hear what I am saying, please bring back the NFL 2K series, or at least NFL Blitz. Something has to be done to get the Madden franchise back on the right track. I haven’t played the game since 2015, and haven’t rushed to Best Buy on the day of its release to purchase it since Chicago legend…Read more...

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A “First Take” analyst said something recently that set Twitter on fire, and it didn’t come from Stephen A. Smith. SAS is out for a few weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery, but former NFL player Domonique Foxworth had no problem stepping in to debate WFAN legend Mad Dog Chris Russo in his absence.

Now in his third decade as a general manager or team president, Danny Ainge is in the next stage of what’s been a blessed NBA existence. As a supporting player on a pair of championship Celtics teams, he was one of the league’s first 3-point specialists, reached the NBA Finals with Portland, then Phoenix, losing to…Read more...

Remember when no one gave a damn about Summer League? Less than a few years ago, when free agency was the main way teams sought to improve, scouting young players in Summer League didn’t hold the same relevancy. Superstars rarely leave their teams in free agency. Usually, it’s through sign-and-trades. Teams are now…Read more...

It has been a while since the United States put up an impressive performance in the sprints. For the majority of the new millennium Jamaica, led by Usain Bolt, has dominated the 100 and 200 meter events. Then, even during last year’s Summer Games in Tokyo, with no one from Jamaica in the Men’s 100 finals, the winner…Read more...

Beckham woke up Friday morning to Twitter notifications saying he’d signed a deal with the Buffalo Bills.

Certain types of quarterbacks used to be referred to as “gunslingers.” That moniker isn’t cool anymore.Read more...

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When discussing small-market superstars, there are a few things we can be brutally honest about. First, free agency is not an option. Fellow All-Star-caliber players are not signing up to play in Oklahoma City or Dallas. History proves this. What superstars have ever left their small market to join another…Read more...

There are few things more overwhelming than the tornado that forms when two pugilists circle each other for months, and even years, before finally engaging each other in the ring. Right now, between King Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teófimo López, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia, and Gervonta Davis, the lightweight…Read more...

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is calling his shot by saying he’ll be the best at his position by the end of the 2022 NFL season. Jefferson’s bold proclamation has been the talk of Twitter, but he might not be far off. The third-year wideout offered up his thoughts in a recent interview with…Read more...

Aaron Judge is a big dude, in every meaning of the word. He’s tall, strong, got lots of money and influence, and he even plays in the Big Apple. However, being a mammoth of a man comes with its downfalls: short door frames are a thing, getting into cars becomes much more of a hassle, it becomes much more difficult to…Read more...

I’ve seen LeBron James play in-person three times, all with the Heat in 2014. One was a loss to the Nuggets, and the other two were W’s, including a 38-point performance versus the Knicks and his career-high 61 points, dropped on the then-Bobcats. He hit a deep, no-business-attempting-let-alone-going-in three to seal…Read more...

On Tuesday, Juan Soto will be manning the Dodger Stadium outfield as a member of the National League All-Star team.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is a 23-year-old superstar. In just four and a half years in the bigs, he has established himself as one of the best pure hitters in the game. He’s a perennial MVP candidate, a master of plate discipline — and now he’s on the trade block.

College football season is approaching quickly (not as quickly as I would like, of course, but patience is a virtue,) and amongst all of the conference realignment announcements, the unprecedented coaching carousel, and the discussions surrounding NIL guidelines, it’s been a pretty dramatic offseason, to say the least.

The quadrennial UEFA European Football Championships had to wait five years for its most recent edition, with three years separating the delayed 2020 event to its regularly scheduled 2024 showcase because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the Euros got underway after a 365-day delay, it was a celebration to have such a…Read more...

The Home Run Derby is meant to be one of the most exciting displays of raw power in baseball. Dingers here, dingers there, dingers everywhere! And ever since the competition’s rebrand in 2015, it’s been an incredible spectacle watching some of the biggest bats in MLB do their darndest to hit mammoth tanks every time…Read more...

Short guards are notorious for aging poorly in the NBA. When quickness is your best asset, losing a step can be fatal. Only the craftiest players — think Jason Kidd, or Chris Paul — can remain effective. Whether it’s changing their playing style, using so many defensive tricks it borders on dirty play, developing a…Read more...

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The 30 women who planned to make claims against the Houston Texans for their alleged role in the sexual misconduct allegations against the team’s former quarterback, Deshaun Watson, have reached settlements with the team, the attorney for all 30 women, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement Friday.

Negotiations between Dodger Stadium employees and their employer Compass Group/Levy Restaurants have gone well since the former announced they were planning a strike of the MLB All-Star Game and its festivities this upcoming weekend. They’ve gone so well in fact that the employees have decided to rescind their strike…Read more...

The more I hear Mike Gundy speak from Wednesday’s session at Big 12 Media Days, I become increasingly convinced his assertion about Texas and Oklahoma wasn’t a joke. Oklahoma State’s longtime head coach can parlay that he “jokingly” suggested the Longhorns and Sooners shouldn’t be involved in the league’s…Read more...

Intramural teams around the country, you’d better start training! The NFL has just joined the effort to get flag football officially recognized as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.