Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

The Dallas Cowboys throttled the Indianapolis Colts last night. A 54-19 victory against a team in flux is what should be expected when the team that administered the beat down is a championship contender.

Obviously, I’m biased. I don’t much care for Alexi Lalas, which I’ve made clear. But this isn’t about him exactly. It’s just that he’s the type of media analyst that dabbles in this kind of horseshit all too often to justify his existence. We can thank First Take for this, the idea that debating about sports was more…Read more...

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Today was about England and France eyeballing each other over their respective opponents, with the only drama being whether or not they would get caught looking too far ahead. They most certainly did not, engaging in a “Anything you can do..” dance that set them up for a glossy quarterfinal on Friday. Let’s get into…Read more...

In the opening minute of regulation against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, Jordan Poole picked up his between-the-legs dribble and whipped a pass to Draymond Green in the short corner. Green caught the pass and rose to drain his only points of the night. It had no effect on the final score, but Green’s bucket…Read more...

At the top, we should refresh the list of things Gregg Berhalter can’t help. Everyone knows this list by now, but it deserves reinforcing. He can’t help that the US doesn’t have a genuine striker. He’s hardly the only international manager affected by such a thing. They’re just not that common. Spain and Germany don’t…Read more...

Legal disclaimer: this article is for the express written purpose of helping my Dad, whose worldview is so obscured by his SEC bias that he can’t see his hand waving inches in front of his face. I’m writing this as a service to him and others like him who need to be de-brainwashed like liberated cult members so that…Read more...

Remember a few years ago when a power-hitting shortstop was all the rage? They were a dime a dozen, and securing a shortstop that could be a serious threat in your lineup was an enormous deal. Nowadays, every team has one of those. The Boston Red Sox had two in Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story last season. The power…Read more...

What started with a lavish indoor pep rally during the height of the pandemic — putting the health of students and school employees at risk — ended with a cowardice move to dodge reporters, as the head coach of a 12-0 football team that just won its second straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship was…Read more...

If the College Football Playoff committee does its job correctly, the TCU Horned Frogs will be the first school from Texas to make the cut for the CFP. While it’s not a shock considering the Toads and Baylor Bears have been the two best programs in the Lone Star State for the past decade, they were 5-7 last year, Gary…Read more...

As the NFL season marches toward its conclusion, bettors understand which teams are good, which teams are bad, and which teams have no shot of reaching the postseason. All of that will play a role in how betting lines are made, change over the course of the week, and how they are bet on. Oftentimes, the favorites will…Read more...

How far do moral victories and actual losses go for the United States men’s national team? After failing to defeat The Netherlands at the World Cup, U.S. Soccer needs to take a hard look in the mirror.

Congratulations, Texas Rangers fans! You’ve just secured one of the greatest pitchers of our generation for the next five years.Read more...

If you told USC fans before the season that the eulogy for the Trojans’ College Football Playoff hopes wouldn’t be penned until after the conference title game, their reaction would’ve been euphoric. Though the first year under Lincoln Riley ended in disappointment — you don’t come a win away from the CFP and feel…Read more...

The term “measuring stick” game is seldom used in professional football. The term indicates a game that will determine whether or not a team is the real deal or not and is used more in a college football setting since those teams can change drastically from year to year.Read more...

Two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom is departing Queens for the Lonestar State.Read more...

It’s the third straight World Cup the United States men’s national team has played in where it reached the knockout stage. Losses to Ghana and Belgium in 2010 and 2014, respectively, denied the Americans an opportunity to win a game beyond the group stage for the first time at the quadrennial event against a team not…Read more...

I like the New England Patriots a lot more than most this year. They don’t have any great wins, but their defense is stout, Rhamondre Stevenson is a delight to watch, and despite operating with only one seriously capable receiver — Jakobi Meyers — they’re still middle of the pack in terms of yards per play (5.4 — 17th…Read more...

Whataboutism is a dangerous game. The comparison of apples to oranges, as opposed to just Honeycrisps and Fujis, appears to be the necessary pivot to distract from an actual issue. Walking and chewing gum at the same time is possible, preferable, and has become an impressive skill in the public eye. Was former NFL…Read more...

The transfer window for college football players doesn’t officially open until Dec. 5., but that hasn’t stopped disgruntled wide receivers, linemen, linebackers, QBs, running backs, and every other position from making their intentions known. Per ESPN, there were 3,085 transfers in 2021-22, almost double the previous…Read more...

At best, it’s a crapshoot.

If you stand with clowns don’t get mad when you wind up in a circus.

If it was up to me, Will Levis putting mayonnaise in his coffee wouldn’t only discount him from being a first-round pick, but it’d also land him in prison. People who are obsessed with condiments need serious reform in their lives. Scars from working at Subway in high school aside though, I think Levis has bust…Read more...

The idea of a particular villain, a true public enemy, still exists for most hockey fanbases. More than any other sport, one player can send an opposing arena into hysterics by merely hopping over the boards. Rivalry as an idea in sports has calmed down over the years, given player movement and other factors. But…Read more...

Japan, Germany, and Belgium all accomplished the absurd in different ways today. And that’s before we even get to Morocco winning their group. Let’s kick this pig!

Imagine you’re a college football player. You’ve led your team to a solid season this year, and are rewarded with a bowl game. In the week leading up to the contest, you’re studying film, and working hard in practice because you know NFL scouts will probably be there watching. Your future could depend on how you…Read more...

Disgraced former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is back in trouble with the law — he has an active warrant out for his arrest. It’s allegedly for another domestic violence incident involving the mother of four of his children, per a police report obtained by FOX 13 News in Tampa.Read more...

With the Rose Bowl officially signing along the dotted line, the expansion to a 12-team College Football Playoff is official. So, starting in 2024-25, there will be a dozen schools vying for the title, and anywhere from six to 10(?) fanbases screaming about being snubbed.

Christian Pulisic put it all on the line to score his first World Cup goal. His body did the work with his legacy hanging in the balance. If the current face of American soccer couldn’t score the goal that separated the United States men’s national team from advancing to the knockout stage in Qatar from flying out of…Read more...

After losing in the national championship game in April, the AP preseason No. 1, UNC, has lost three in a row early in the season.

Love and adoration are actions, not just soundbites, and social media posts. It’s showing up for your hero’s family when he can’t.Read more...

Welcome to IDIOT OF THE MONTH, the beloved series in which we take mean-spirited potshots at sports figures who have gone off the deep end. Many of November’s cadre of idiots are veterans, joined this month by some fresh meat — including, notably, budding moron Zach Wilson of the New York Jets. Modern society is…Read more...

It’s a tired discussion, I’ll admit at the top. And maybe it’s my official entrance into the “Old Man Yelling At Cloud” club. Do I get a robe? A pipe? Some sort of plaque? Perhaps younger generations of sports fans just accept that once a team is declared a non-contender, it’s time for them to strip everything down,…Read more...

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While Ohio State fans hold the most recent grudge against Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, and USC, the fanbase that’s still the most upset about the Trojans’ success this year resides in Norman. Williams was supposed to be the third Heisman winner in crimson and cream under Riley, and it’s OU that should be a…Read more...

Game of the day: Mexico 2 - 1 Saudi Arabia

Oft-injured, but damn near unhittable when healthy, former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was bound to draw numerous suitors once free agency started, and while the rumors haven’t been circulating at quite the speed we expected, deGrom’s market has heated up recently, but the heat hasn’t come from the markets we’d…Read more...

The organizer of a women’s basketball tournament so shoddy it drew comparisons to the Fyre Festival is a former Division I coach with a history of sexual abuse allegations, according to public records.

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The New York Yankees have offered star slugger Aaron Judge an eight-year deal, worth roughly $300 million, according to ESPN insider Jeff Passan.

Former longtime NFL player? Check. Talking head on the Worldwide Leader? Check. High school football coach? Check.Read more...

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Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Clippers were viewed as one of the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. That pick was contingent on a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The supporting cast that owner Steve Ballmer has assembled around his dynamic star duo is good enough to make…Read more...

This week’s NFL slate is so loaded that it’ll be easy to overlook the biggest story of Week 13 if you try — and the Shield is definitely trying to talk about anything other than the return of Deshaun Watson. The most coverage Watson has received, outside of Cleveland, for coming back from a nearly two-year hiatus over…Read more...

Over the weekend, the Washington Commanders revealed a new “statue” memorializing Sean Taylor, a former safety who played for the organization from 2004-07, earning two Pro Bowl nods before his death at 24 years old. Taylor was a phenomenal young talent, family-oriented, and a hell of a workhorse on the field.Read more...

I didn’t realize that Jeff Bagwell had become that guy at the end of the bar who tells you about the time he saw the original The Wall Tour every single time you enter the place. Not what I would have picked for him during his playing days, but here we are.Read more...

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And this is where the plot thickens. For the next four days, teams will move on, teams will meet the sword, and the drama ramps up to 11. I’m here to be your space coyote for it!

Rudy Gobert is NBA fans’ favorite punching bag. Whenever something goes wrong on his team, he’s the first person people blame. It could be that he’s French, whiny, overrated, overpaid — or all four — and that’s fine. You’re not going to hear me argue with Minnesota Timberwolves fans about how bad the trade was, or his…Read more...