Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

During a contentious news conference Thursday, Gervonta “Tank” Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) threatened to break Ryan Garcia’s jaw. Turns out that was a misdirection. In the seventh round, Davis glanced a left hook off the side of Garcia’s abdomen that stunned his opponent, giving Davis the 27th knockout of his fledgling…Read more...

They say “never meet your heroes,” and while Phil Jackson was never a personal hero of mine, many did look up to Jackson, especially here in Chicago, where he led our beloved Bulls to six titles in the 1990s. During that time, when the United Center was brand spanking new, and the near West side of the city not…Read more...

Boxing is a shell of its former self. Under the right circumstances, it can break through sports purgatory and be genuinely exciting. Enter two undefeated fighters in Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, with one of the duo no longer having an unblemished record after this weekend’s catchweight bout. Beyond the tale of the…Read more...

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It’s about 20 games into the MLB regular season. It’s a small sample size, but no longer so small that we can completely dismiss it. Just like every year, there are some teams that are over-performing and underperforming expectations, but which of these surprising records are actually telling the truth?Read more...

Always take the over. On Friday morning, the NFL announced the suspension of five players for gambling policy violations. Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore, Stanley Berryhill, and Jameson Williams of the Detroit Lions, and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders apparently all ignored how Calvin Ridley missed all of last…Read more...

New Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been named as a suspect in an assault investigation, per a TMZ report, where a woman claims Beckham allegedly put his hands around her neck at a Los Angeles restaurant. However, representatives for the wide receiver and the restaurant’s owner where the alleged…Read more...

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In politics, candidates win and lose elections all the time. And despite the outcome, a lot of the money is left over from what was raised during the campaign. But, Herschel Walker was never like any other political candidate. He was just a “country boy” who wasn’t “that smart,” remember? Well, he’s still proving just…Read more...

He’s synonymous with World Wrestling Entertainment if not all of professional wrestling as one of the most popular performers in the theatrical sports’ history. Stone Cold Steve Austin can still garner a crowd reaction like few ever have with the simple sound of glass shattering to start his entrance theme. And the…Read more...

I’m well aware that the most visible of the loud sports fans reside between Boston and Washington. In that nearly 450-mile stretch of I-95, there are more than 16 million television households along with ESPN’s two main studios. Of course that will inevitably lead to East Coast griping about sports being televised…Read more...

Though I’m from the Midwest, the Oakland Athletics were always a fascination for me. It started well before the Moneyball era. When I first became a baseball fan was the rise of the Mark McGwire-Jose Canseco A’s. Even beyond McGwire and Canseco, when the A’s would be on the national game…they just looked different.…Read more...

Former WWE superstar Ted DiBiase Jr. has been charged in connection with the now-infamous Mississippi welfare scandal. As revealed in an unsealed federal indictment from the Department of Justice, the 40-year-old DiBiase Jr. was charged with the misappropriation of millions diverted from families in need in…Read more...

The poor Los Angeles Clippers have no luck. In 2019, they acquired what appeared to be the perfect tandem in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and tied 1-1 with the Phoenix Suns in a first-round playoff series. On Thursday night at home, they will be…Read more...

The annual NBA Draft Combine, hosted in Chicago, is a footnote on the offseason calendar ranking somewhere between the preseason and the Rookie-Sophomore Game in the hierarchy of trivial offseason events. The Association’s one-stop pre-draft shop for teams to screen prospects medically, conduct interviews, obtain…Read more...

The Minnesota Timberwolves managed to claw their way into the NBA Playoffs via the play-in tournament and are likely to be swept right out of the postseason by the Denver Nuggets. This is mainly due to the lack of leadership put forth by one Karl-Anthony Towns. Quite frankly, it’s time for Minnesota to move on from…Read more...

There is always a sense that by the time the mainstream becomes aware of something that could greatly alter society, or even destroy it, it’s actually been doing so in the shadows for some time. Maybe AI won’t push us to Judgement Day, maybe it will. But the level of awareness (pun maybe intended I just don’t care…Read more...

One city’s trash is Las Vegas’ treasure. The Oakland Coliseum has been a steaming pile of a ballpark for decades. After numerous skirmishes with the city over Byzantine budgets, funding, public subsidies, and potential sites for a new Oakland-area stadium, the Athletics announced the purchase of 49 acres of land on…Read more...

You have to give MLB and its umpires credit. There really isn’t anyone more hilarious to eject over sticky substances on his hand than Max Scherzer. No one’s going to look more ridiculous arguing their case, everyone in the stadium is going to know exactly what’s going on, and if you want to make an issue, and the…Read more...

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If the basketball gods want to bless the true fans of women’s college basketball, they would manifest themselves by guiding former Louisville star Hailey Van Lith toward LSU as her next destination, where she would team with Angel Reese and be coached by Kim Mulkey — instantly transforming the Tigers into the most…Read more...

So, now Aaron Rodgers might actually be on his way to San Francisco, not New York? Hmmmm…what the hell just happened here? Crap like this has turned so many people off from A-Rod over the years. All this foolishness with his immunizations and darkness retreats. A month ago, Rodgers spoke of how he was ready to play in…Read more...

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At least the San Francisco 49ers appear to be attempting to keep all of their options open. That is the best way to describe the handling of their starting quarterback situation with Brock Purdy and Trey Lance both recovering from injury, and Jimmy G now in Las Vegas.Read more...

As season one of FX’s Welcome to Wrexham concluded, we saw the Welsh football club narrowly miss out on a promotion to the top four tiers of England’s professional football pyramid. And for those living under a rock, Wrexham is a small United Kingdom team that got that spotlight because they’re owned by actors Ryan…Read more...

Tua Tagovailoa is returning as quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, but he admitted in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that he’d considered hanging up his cleats this offseason. After suffering multiple concussions in a matter of days during the 2022 NFL campaign, Tua said he and his family discussed whether he…Read more...

I know money isn’t really a thing to ESPN. $400 million a year certainly sounds like a lot of cheese, but it’s not really anything more than just an accounting number to them. So I shouldn’t be surprised that they don’t put much effort into their NHL coverage, despite that being the cost.Read more...

There’s something communal about smoking weed. Whether at a bar or house party, one of my favorite parts of any evening of imbibing is sneaking off to an inconspicuous alley and passing around a joint while cracking jokes, coughing, and getting that perfect head rush before re-entering the foray dazed, and red-eyed.Read more...

With all apologies to Dua Lipa, it takes more than one kiss (I feel like if I met Dua Lipa I’d have an overwhelming urge to apologize for a lot of things, BUT THAT’S NOT WHY YOU CALLED).Read more...

The NFL Draft is under a month away and how those three days go for teams will have a big say in how the 2023 season will play out. While many cornerstone pieces are set for almost every team, the depth needed for backups and special teams is critical in completing any franchise’s draft haul. Some teams definitely…Read more...

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Draymond Green’s footprints being logged into the NBA’s evidence locker is the least surprising event on everyone’s playoff bingo card. The Golden State Warriors’ loyal foot soldier has accumulated a track record of highlight kicks longer than David Beckham while maintaining a permanent victim status in his own head.…Read more...

The Memphis Grizzlies are on the brink of falling 2-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round series, which brings a smile to the faces of many people outside Tennessee. These young Grizzlies have talked a gang of mess all season and could find themselves in a deep hole after Wednesday night’s game two with the…Read more...

I don’t know what part of “Down with influencers” landed me on the Cavinder Twins beat, yet here I am, writing my third story on Haley and Hanna as if my only motivation in life is engaging with their content. I’d rather throw myself to the wolves or discover what “YouTubers” are than bring you up to speed on what…Read more...

The burgeoning sports gambling industry in America took a blow Wednesday after professional leagues across the country combined forces to form the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising, a group designed to “regulate” the boom in bookie ads currently flooding the internet and corrupting our youth. The…Read more...

Major League Baseball has certainly gotten its plaudits for the rule changes for the 2023 season, mostly because it’s sped up the game to well under three hours. Strikeouts and walks are still about where they’ve always been, but more grounders are getting through (strangely from right-handed hitters way more than…Read more...

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For all the overblown nostalgia that looms around the toughness of the NBA during the ‘80s and ‘90s, you would think that one of the most important members — and primary defender of Michael Jordan — of the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys would have a different view on physical play in the NBA playoffs. Well, we all thought…Read more...

The NFL Draft is easily the second-most important event on the league’s annual calendar, with most teams that privately know they won’t be close to winning the Super Bowl prepping for the three-day event. Yet, there are still plenty of teams who don’t take an active role in the draft. In each of the last 10 NFL Drafts…Read more...

We already know Clayton Kershaw is headed to Cooperstown, but the Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher just hit a nice milestone en route.Read more...

The New York Jets are in a potentially awkward position if a deal to land Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers continues to stall, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo noted it has — or doesn’t materialize at all. Gang Green could be lurking in the quarterback wilderness looking for a solution at QB once more.Read more...

It was supposed to be over for the Phoenix Suns. After a hard-fought Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, they were up against an even tougher opponent in Game 2 — Chris Paul’s nemesis Scott Foster.Read more...

The NFL has done very little to earn the benefit of the doubt from the public. Dan Snyder still owns the Washington Commanders, the league settled a lawsuit for $765 million that alleged it hid data on the dangers of concussions, and Deshaun Watson received a fully guaranteed $250 million contract in which the payout…Read more...

I’m glad everybody’s having a good time. You’re coming around, I’m coming around, we’re all coming around to laud Succession’s place in the hierarchy of prestige TV. It’s great, right? Buffoonish children unintentionally destroying their father’s empire by simply trying to act like serious people is high comedy.…Read more...

You’d think after negotiating a CBA, before which Rob Manfred got to live out his lifelong dream of canceling baseball games, where the owners got a new level of luxury tax penalties, didn’t really have to pay younger players all that much more than the pennies they already were, and certainly didn’t suffer any major…Read more...

James Harden’s sunsetting in the playoffs is a reliable annual trend. Similar to Punxsutawney Phil emerging as a sign spring has sprung, but with darker clouds in the forecast. For what feels like a decade, Harden has disappeared into his shell once the best-of-seven portion of the schedule begins. If this feels like…Read more...

Allen Robinson’s year in Los Angeles playing for the Rams was one he’d probably love to wipe from his memory as soon as humanly possible. Robinson might get his wish very soon, as it’s been reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN that the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the process of acquiring the former Pro Bowler via trade…Read more...

More of this, please. Someone in power using their platform for good and to benefit others. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft led a march to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust in Poland on Tuesday. In the Kraft-led group that participated in the 35th International March of the Living was rapper Meek…Read more...

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In the latest exhibit that the hockey gods come with a wicked sense of humor, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now tied for the longest streak of making the playoffs in the league. Thanks to the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nashville Predators all heading for the cottage of the damned this season, it’s the…Read more...