Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

For 93.75 percent of NFL teams their season is over. Those 80,000-seat stadiums will be largely empty until Taylor Swift’s tour makes its visit. The team facility, however, that’s a different story. It will be buzzing with activity between now and September, as NFL franchises look to improve.Read more...

Patrick Mahomes is a thief. On Sunday night, he slipped up in the pocket, darted for the first down, stepped out of bounds, and stole a win from the Cincinnati Bengals. He also put defensive end Joseph Ossai in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder hasn’t participated in an NBA game since last postseason. He’s yet to suit up for the Suns this season and likely won’t, ever again. It was decided early on that it was in the best interest of all parties that he stays away from the team. Trade rumors have floated around all year about…Read more...

Bobby Hull was a terrible person. Most athletes can outrun or outskate that with what they accomplish on the field or ice. But even though Hull was one of the best hockey players of all time, the monster he was in his everyday life should shine through his accomplishments. He is no symbol of anything other than being…Read more...

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Marlin Briscoe is smiling in heaven. Doug Williams probably has a huge grin on his face. The first Black starting quarterback in NFL history — Briscoe — and the first Black quarterback to start and win Super Bowl MVP — Williams — are the giants whose shoulders Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen…Read more...

Once the NHL let one through the door, it stood to reason that another would follow. After the Flyers’ Ivan Provorov refused to wear their Pride Night jerseys in warmups, and their coach John Tortorella refused to admonish him in any way (nor did the official partner of the NHL in these matters, the You Can Play…Read more...

There was no way Sunday’s duo of conference championship games was going to end without a smattering of controversy. It’s just how the NFL works. In high-pressure situations, flaws in the system of rules the league have procured come to the surface with every action having dream-realizing consequences. The NFL got off…Read more...

The news was announced Sunday by NFL Network that Kellen Moore will not return to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth year as offensive coordinator. This latest move by Jerry Jones is another example of the same bandaid this franchise continues to place over huge gashes. They usually fail to get ahead of the curve and…Read more...

Don’t let anyone tell you the NBA schedule during the regular season is a poor entertainment product. Of course, a single game does not impact a team’s overall record the same way that it does an NFL team. In the NBA teams play multiple games per week. That is not changing anytime soon, especially with the Golden…Read more...

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With all due respect to the Salt Lake City NBA All-Star Weekend, Glendale, Arizona is 2023’s “Black Super Bowl.” A week before NBA superstars and celebs descend on Utah, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes will take the field as the first pair of black quarterbacks to start against one another in a Super Bowl.

The officiating crew from that Saturday night Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics matchup was let off the hook by the NFL playoffs. Chris Jones disrupted the Cincinnati Bengals far more than any mistakes from the officials on Sunday night, but any added difficulty is always burdensome when dealing with the Kansas City…Read more...

You don’t need me to tell you that the Philadelphia Eagles, and really anything from the city of Philadelphia as a whole, are evil. The loudest guy in your office? Almost certainly from Philly, or Delaware at best. That girl you know who has a habit of puking on your shoes? Grew up on the SEPTA, where she honed her…Read more...

The Super Bowl is set. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, on Feb. 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Patrick Mahomes vs. Jalen Hurts will be the first time in NFL history that two Black quarterbacks will face off in the Super Bowl, which is significant. And…Read more...

What was built up to be a mega clash between the two toughest teams in the NFC turned into a dud before halftime. The 49ers couldn’t make it out of the first quarter against the Eagles before Brock Purdy left the game with an elbow injury. Josh Johnson filled in to finish the first half before going down with what…Read more...

We can enjoy Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow and the cool factor that he has brought to the Cincinnati without getting carried away. Burrow is an outstanding NFL quarterback, but in no way is he better than the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.

You’d be forgiven if you thought that WWE falls into its best long-term storytelling by accident, including in last night’s Royal Rumble. It’s so fixated on providing “moments,” where the crowd pops to a riotous level and (these days) social media starts spinning and buzzing like a slot machine. Whatever leads up to…Read more...

Eric Bieniemy’s circuitous route to an NFL head coaching throne has taken him through at least 16 interviews, and the beat goes on. The coaching game of musical chairs is nearing its conclusion once again, and Bieniemy’s only coaching interview during this cycle has been with the Indianapolis Colts. Aside from Colts…Read more...

Once you claim a trophy double-digit times, the tournament is yours. So if the French Open is the Nadal Open, then the Australian Open is now the Djokovic Open. Djoker didn’t so much ease to a straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, two sets went to a tiebreak, so much as he simply marched to it. Which…Read more...

The San Francisco 49er faithful came prepared to Philadelphia, bringing more beef from the bay area than an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich. In the days leading up to this clash for the NFC title, Niners fans have trolled through the city of brotherly love spreading disrespect like funk in a gymnasium. It began…Read more...

Following a double OT loss to the lowly Houston Rockets on Dec. 5, the Philadelphia 76ers were a .500 ball club. Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid, and James Harden all had that sad, whiny look on their faces as if you just told a 3-year-old no. Skip ahead nearly two months and 24 games, and they’re 32-16 and a game back of…Read more...

The Memphis Grizzlies have only had one Defensive Player of the Year winner — Marc Gasol (2013) — but that could change this year. Right now, forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is the favorite to win the 2023 DPOY Award despite only playing 33 games this year. He’s a massive favorite actually. His odds currently sit at -110 on…Read more...

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking for a second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl this weekend, and in their way lies a familiar foe. For the last five years, the road to the Super Bowl has run through the Kansas City Chiefs. Fortunately for the Bengals, they’ve got experience beating the Chiefs. They even beat the…Read more...

The people closest to Tua Tagovailoa might say they support him publicly, but there has to be some part of them that wants to scream, “Intervention! Intervention! Intervention!” The parents of the Miami Dolphins quarterback, Galu and Diane, both said their son “comes back,” and I can’t imagine them saying anything to…Read more...

A week ago tonight I sat here and wrote about why I didn’t want to touch on the Memphis Grizzlies getting into a verbal altercation with Shannon Sharpe during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The point of that article was to illustrate why it’s important to stay current on issues that actually matter. Case and…Read more...

Joe Burrow is 3-0 against Patrick Mahomes in his career. He’s been so dominant against Cris Collinsworth’s favorite quarterback that Cincinnati Bengals’ players and fans have started referring to the Chiefs’ home stadium, Arrowhead, as “Burrowhead.” Despite this success and confidence from Bengals’ players, bettors…Read more...

Here’s a compliment sandwich. The 2024 Copa America, South America’s premier international soccer tournament, will again be played in the United States after America hosted the showcase for the first time in 2016. Despite being the host nation, the USMNT hasn’t directly qualified to play in the event. However, six…Read more...

No rookie quarterback has ever reached the Super Bowl. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is one win away from making history, and he’d do so as a seventh-round rookie most people paid no mind to on the final day of the draft. Still, despite the remarkable story, bettors seem to think history won’t be made…Read more...

I’m here today to tell you the tale of how, allegedly, a Clemson basketball player’s “balls exploded.” However, what I’m really doing is trying to write enough dick jokes to hit 200 words so this blog post can get picked up in Google search before 15,000 other sites post it. So, my apologies to Brevin Galloway and his…Read more...

During a year in which both the New York Knicks and Rangers are competitive and probably playoff-bound, James Dolan can’t keep from sticking his fat face in the news. If you missed it, the embattled owner is determined to continue using facial recognition software in his never-ending fight against attorneys suing him,…Read more...

For anyone in the 40-plus crowd looking to become more tech-savvy, apparently the best way to accomplish that is to become an NFL insider. After spending years frantically checking his mobile alerts, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has no patience for technology that doesn’t require a power charger.

Here we go. Again. Women’s sports are given media coverage, and men feel the need to make sure we all know no one cares about women’s sports. “Women’s sports aren’t interesting.” “Men’s sports are better.” “Women don’t deserve media coverage.”

Choosing between women’s and men’s sports is a false choice. If you’re a certain blogger for Glenn Beck’s conservative Blaze media, revisionist history can be a comfort zone that vilifies feminism in sports as your woke sports boogeyman, but makes you look like a headass instead. Jason Whitlock’s resentment-driven…Read more...

There are two new names to add to the list of firings due to misconduct in the NWSL – Portland Thorns assistant coach Sophie Clough and head athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier.Read more...

MLB’s biggest problem in the last few years is that too many teams have not really cared about whether their teams win or lose. They’ll say all the right things, and maybe make just enough signings or trades to fool their idiotic portion of their fanbases into buying tickets or for a new Carlton Fisk jersey (White or…Read more...

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One of the biggest stories to come out of a very eventful New York Giants season was the emergence of Daniel Jones. Jones went from not having his option picked up to being nicknamed “Vanilla Vick” and the team most likely franchise tagging him. There are two narratives to come of this development. The first is that…Read more...

It’s conference championship week. With only four teams on the NFL schedule this week — the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Cincinnati Bengals — one interesting storyline can dominate the entire conversation leading up to the games. This time, it’s QB Patrick Mahomes’ ankle.

We need a Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets series in the postseason. For the trolling, if not the talent. These teams squared off Wednesday night with only Philly at full strength since Kevin Durant is still sidelined for Brooklyn. Although he wasn’t on the court, Durant managed to make his presence felt via…Read more...

Louisiana State University (LSU) reset the college football coaching market in 2021 when they signed former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly to a 10-year, $95 million contract. Kelly responded by winning 10 games in his first season in Baton Rouge highlighted by a home win over Alabama and an appearance in the SEC…Read more...

When someone goes for 85 points in an NBA game this season, please don’t downplay the accomplishment. I know Kobe Bryant’s 81 is immortalized, and Lakers fans don’t have much to keep them warm at night nowadays, so they’ll cling even harder, but it feels like someone is going to approach the modern-day mark. And…Read more...

The 2023 New York Jets are going to have a different quarterback than they did in 2022. I’m not a fan of the team, but even I’d be damned if the Jets opted to compete for an AFC East title with Joe Flacco, Mike White, or Zach Wilson again next year. Luckily, Gang Green is seen as the frontrunner for every big-name…Read more...

There’s burning the ships, and then there’s this.Read more...

Power Slap: Road to the Title is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. The new “hit” show on TBS that airs at the coveted 10 p.m. ET time slot on Wednesdays is so bad that it puts viewers in the shoes of the participants, because you feel like you’re getting a concussion watching it. As a lifelong fan of combat sports,…Read more...

Over the last five years, the Kansas City Chiefs have been the closest thing we’ve seen to a dynasty in the NFL. Having won only one Super Bowl, the clock is ticking on their opportunity to claim the dynasty title. Playing in five consecutive AFC title games is an accomplishment but bringing home just one Vince…Read more...

I like to say that we over here at Deadspin started the unofficial petition to prevent Jeff Saturday from becoming the next full-time head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The backlash to Saturday getting the nod over many qualified candidates who have —get this — coached football before, was so large that Twitter did…Read more...

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The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers have been the NFC’s two-headed monsters all season. For the majority of this season, they’ve been the kaijus of the conference. However, the bigger they are, the harder the fall — and one of these behemoths has to end the weekend with a gaping hole in its record.