Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

I’m not a legal expert, or a hostage negotiator. I’ve seen The Negotiator, but it’s been a while, so these are just the thoughts of a casual observer. The advice being given in the Brittney Griner case is strange. Being told not to talk about an Olympian being wrongfully detained in Russia over weed vape cartridges,…Read more...

You couldn’t miss it, but Shohei Ohtani was off on another one last night. It’s been his thing the past month. He drove in two, stole a base, and also struck out 10. He threw seven scoreless innings as well, and hasn’t given up an earned run in a month. In his past four starts he’s struck out 40 in 26.2 innings, while…Read more...

Something ain’t right on The Yard in Louisiana.

Before I start, Travis Kelce should still be the first tight end off the board in this year’s fantasy football draft. He’s going to get an increased workload with Tyreek Hill in Miami, and Patrick Mahomes will lean on him early like you lean on that one person you know at the wedding before the alcohol loosens people…Read more...

Come on, MLB fans. Take a seat at the dinner table. We’re going to have a little chat. I’m not mad, just disappointed.Read more...

If you were too busy getting drunk and setting off fireworks in your cousin’s backyard this weekend to keep up with the newest Saudi Tour drama, I don’t blame you — but the weekend’s over, and we’re diving right back in.

American tennis, on the men’s side, has been a desolate wasteland for over 20 years now, pretty much. Since Andy Roddick took the U.S. Open in 2003 and then spent the rest of his career getting clubbed by Roger Federer in the biggest matches of his career, no Yank has taken a major. No Yank has even come all that…Read more...

Chelsea fans knew it would be a bit of a comedown from the ownership of Roman Abramovich — though from dubious-at-best roots he did turn Chelsea from basically an also-ran to a world power beyond all of their dreams — to whoever came next. American ownership of Premier League teams has always been viewed suspiciously,…Read more...

An important trait in a friendship is honesty. A good friend tells the truth. It shouldn’t be done in a mean-spirited way, but when people’s friends are honest with them it allows for better decision-making and even self-improvement.Read more...

Wimbledon semi finalist Tatjana Maria has gotten some pretty good press for her run at this year’s Grand Slam on grass. “Mother of All Wins” headlined the Times of India as Maria defeated Jelena Ostapenko to reach the tournament quarterfinal.

An undercurrent that started mere minutes after the Colorado Avalanche lifted the Cup was that teams did not want their Russian players to return to their homeland for the offseason. It’s a lot to ask players to go even longer without seeing family and friends, but with that country’s invasion of Ukraine and the…Read more...

In an era where title-starved NBA owners are increasingly taking responsibility out of the hands of their front office and handing their organizational control to their superstars, it’s telling that Kevin Durant personally issued his trade request from Brooklyn with owner Joseph Tsai.

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After much speculation, the Browns have officially shipped former No. 1 overall pick, Baker Mayfield, to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick.Read more...

As much of a jaw-dropping, world-stopping shock the UCLA/USC-Big Ten move was, I sort of miss the time before last week when we weren’t constantly waiting with bated breath to hear which school would move to which conference next. It all moves so much slower when you know it’s coming. So while we await the next move…Read more...

There isn’t much that surprises me in the sports world today. We’ve seen some of everything, good, bad, and ugly. One thing I continue to ponder is how many players (mostly NBA) keep stumbling into Skip Bayless’ troll trap he sets on Undisputed and Twitter. Trae Young and Draymond Green are the latest NBA stars to go…Read more...

Normally, when you’re a manager and you save a team from certain relegation, you’d be given a key to the city and have a welcome mat anywhere (and let me tell you from experience, having that in Leeds can lead to a lot of rough mornings). Jesse Marsch isn’t that guy, even though he did save Leeds from certain…Read more...

LOS ANGELES — After completing one of the worst trades in franchise history just last year, the Lakers have a chance to make things right by acquiring another superstar: Kyrie Irving.Read more...

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The best part about the Dallas Cowboys is making fun of them. Whether it’s Dak Prescott trying his best to follow in the footsteps of Tony Romo as the quarterback most likely to trip before the finish line, or the annual “Zeke Elliot is back story” after he shows up without a visible gut, it’s supremely easy to shit…Read more...

The Arkansas Razorbacks football team is coming off one of their best seasons of the 21st century: nine wins, their most since 2011 and a victory in the Outback Bowl. Yes sir, things are really starting to look up for the Razorbacks. Even better, most of their key players are returning for the 2022 season. K.J.…Read more...

Here’s a story about how boatloads of fans and media members annually exaggerate offseason performances as if they’re indicators of what basketball players will and won’t be for the duration of their careers. We’ve reached that moment now as the No. 2 overall pick in last month’s draft had a good game against a dude…Read more...

It’s getting to the point where whenever Novak Djokovic gets down two sets at a Grand Slam, he’ll be an even bigger favorite than he was at the start of a match. If he isn’t already.

Jeanie Buss came out of nowhere with a tweet that left social media buzzing over the weekend. She isn’t very active on the platform, tweeting at the absolute most four times per month. Her last two were about WOW Women of Wrestling, of which she is a co-owner, and the one before that was a retweet of a trailer for the…Read more...

During the NBA Draft, the number of prospects who were the children of former WNBA or NBA stars highlighted an extremely conspicuous trend. An increasing number of professional athletes are the progeny of professional athletes who possess the resources and insider knowledge to pass down what and who they know. Who ya…Read more...

The free-agent frenzy has come and gone again in the NBA, and it’s the same old story in New York for the Knicks and their fan base. Another year, another “big” free agent signing fails to move the needle. The team signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract, and now they’re being hit with tampering…Read more...

WWE can’t ever get things right, can it? The genuinely great decisions are lumped in with the headscratchers, as was the case on Saturday.Read more...

It must be the summer of 2016 because Kevin Durant rumors are heating up and the Warriors are once again on the table it seems.Read more...

There was always going to be a bit of a comedown from a 107-win season for the San Francisco Giants. Unless you’re operating on a higher plane both organizationally and financially like the Dodgers, all the things that have to go right for a team to win that many games one season are not going to do so the next one…Read more...

Just as the Founding Fathers would have wanted, Joey Chestnut maintained his title as America’s Hot Dog King this weekend, capturing his 15th title at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Monday. But he hasn’t let his continued success make him lazy or entitled — no, his instincts are sharp as ever as he multitasked his…Read more...

The Seattle Seahawks are about to embark on a long NFL season. And whoever runs the U.S. Open’s official Twitter page knows that and isn’t shy about throwing it in the face of Seahawks fans. The tennis account fired back at a Seahawks fan that said tennis wasn’t a sport. They took down that fan, the franchise, and QB…Read more...

No matter where you stand on Nick Kyrgios, it’s impossible to not feel just about everything when watching him. And his run to the quarters (so far) at Wimbledon has been perhaps the most shining example of that in his career. The fact that he’s doing all this before he possibly heads off to prison only makes it all…Read more...

Progress shouldn’t take this long.

The White Sox only had a debate that it feels like every team in North American sports will have in the next year or two. But honestly, what does it matter if the White Sox had decided to not play yesterday’s game? Canceled or postponed games out of respect for those killed or injured by another mass shooting have…Read more...

Welcome to Deadspin’s All-American tradition, IDIOT OF THE MONTH! As usual we have curated for you this guide to the various dumb things that happened the month before, a process which for us pulls double duty as both editorial commentary and therapy session. So put down your weiners for a moment and join us for this…Read more...

In one of the weirder federal holiday traditions in America, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, takes place every Independence Day. The 2001 event will go down as a turning point for the event as a 23-year-old skinny Japanese man named Takeru Kobayashi burst onto the Brooklyn stage and stole the show.

On the 266th Independence Day in U.S. history, it’s a perfect time to look back at some of the radical revolutionaries in sports. Sometimes the path to success in athletics requires an innovative approach that changes the course of history. Let’s honor some of the luminaries and talents who channeled that spirit and…Read more...

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The Cleveland Browns are headed toward the 2022-23 season, looking like the same lovable dumpster fire we’ve come to know over the years.

Baseball and tradition go hand in hand, like the Fourth of July and fireworks. The teams must line up on the foul lines during the national anthem. Players should never step on the foul line when running onto the field. You don’t talk about a perfect game while it’s going on. You sign Take Me Out to the Ballgame…Read more...

There are currently 12 wide receivers in the NFL with contracts that earn them an average annual value of $20 million or more. Nine of those contracts — Chris Godwin, DJ Moore, Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Mike Williams, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, and Stefon Diggs — were signed during this offseason. Just…Read more...

Cristiano Ronaldo knows he hasn’t got much time left in his career. He has likely one more shot at a World Cup in Qatar, unless Ronaldo waits until he’s 41 for a chance in 2026 when the showcase returns to North America. At the club level, success at an older age is easier to attain with more options and less…Read more...

In the midst of the largest upheaval in college sports since, well, the invention of the forward pass, there’s one question looming large on everyone’s minds: what is Notre Dame going to do?Read more...

There’s a confident nature among the collective of Southeastern Conference fan bases, and what their conglomerate represents. Having covered the league as a hometown beat writer for one of the oddball geographic teams in the league, Mizzou, and therefore having traveled to many of the other cities across the nation…Read more...

Cable/satellite isn’t dead, but it’s hanging onto life by a thread, and the biggest reason why many people still have cable is leaving very soon. DirecTV has been the only place for NFL Sunday Ticket for several years now. While an average NFL fan may only want CBS or FOX for their local team, sports bars and avid NFL…Read more...

Adjusting to the environment around you is key to success in any sport. Even with NBA rosters having the smallest maximum roster size of the big four North American leagues with 15 players, there are personnel changes all the time. Imagine having to deal with that in new cities with new teammates and coaches…Read more...

One of the best things about NBA Free Agency is witnessing the many athletes who have spent years toiling on blacktop courts in ignored corners get paid. Nothing wrong with hard-working people getting money legally. Isn’t that the American Dream? Playing armchair quarterback in group chats, comment threads, and…Read more...

As we approach an era where USC kicking off at 9 a.m. Pacific time in freezing November East Lansing temperatures is a very realistic and potentially biennial situation, let’s look at the options for college athletics going forward.

It’s been one year since the NCAA adopted a name, image and likeness (NIL) policy, allowing its “amateur” athletes to monetize and benefit off their own personal brands and make money over the table. This is all while attending one of their institutions and donating endless time to their athletic programs.

Damn. What a day yesterday. Before yesterday, I would have said that UCLA and USC joining the B1G was probably the last conference realignment on earth that could happen. Oh, how a few hours and some good TV money can change everything.Read more...