Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

All right, I’m gonna be Sammy Sunshine about the USMNT. It’s not easy, but there’s a lot of dark clouds after the team went 0-for-180 minutes in scoring goals, or looking like they could get a goal, or even looking like they were interested in scoring a goal, in their last two friendlies before the World Cup. That’s…Read more...

The ideal version of this Chicago Bulls roster — the one that started last season 27-11 and featured three wing-sized guys on the perimeter that played defense, scored, and shared the ball — is like so many teams whose bright future hinged upon versions of players that no longer exist. Whether via injury, age, or…Read more...

The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the NFL world this past Sunday when they not only defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, but absolutely molly-whopped them 38-10. Yes, Keenan Allen was out. Yes, Justin Herbert was working through a rib injury. But no one was expecting this type of beatdown. This was a David vs.…Read more...

Some of you out there remember what used to be unanimously known as the worst venue in major North American professional sports, Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Eagles and Phillies shared that facility for more than 20 years.

Each week of the NFL season, we watch some fantastic quarterback performances. Then we have those that make us cringe. For every great QB outing, there are five others that make even the most diehard fan want to puke.

Also, he might be kind of a prick, but we’ll circle back to that.

Praise be to the college football gods who provided me with enough undefeated, resurgent programs to continue to populate this list. Of the seven teams to have curried Michael J. Fox’s favor, three of them have two losses. Miami, Florida, and Texas all lost again Saturday, and only one of them to a ranked opponent.

Each week of the NFL season, we watch some fantastic quarterback performances. Then we have those that make us cringe. For every great QB outing, there are five others that make even the most diehard fan want to puke.

The United States men’s national team has zero minutes of game time remaining before it lines up against Wales at the FIFA World Cup, the country’s first contest on soccer’s biggest showcase in eight years. Tuesday’s scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia gave us one final look at the Yanks before heading to Qatar, but…Read more...

Kim Mulkey’s modus operandi is to be loud and wrong, so it was pretty telling when on Monday she declined to show the minimum level of support for Brittney Griner. The old axiom, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” applies to college basketball’s Lord Palpatine, whose basic instinct is…Read more...

NBA, what you gonna do when Big Poppa comes for you?

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It’s time to check in on the teams that can’t get out of their own way. The first few weeks of the 2022 NFL season have been somewhat unpredictable, but there are always a few teams we expect to disappoint their fan base. Now let’s get into the powerless ranking for Week 3.

It’s been a few weeks since 19-year-old Hans Niemann shocked the chess world by taking down the world’s highest-rated player, Magnus Carlsen, at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis. After his stunning defeat, Carlsen withdrew from the tournament, and tweeted out this video.Read more...

Since when did we start caring so much about the length of sporting events? MLB’s rush to shorten games seems like a direct response to society’s inability to be bored for any length of time. My favorite thing to do on the train in the morning is tally the people who aren’t looking at their phones and/or aren’t…Read more...

Here’s the thing about Qatar hosting the World Cup in about six weeks: Even if you could ignore the disgusting and egregious human rights abuses that built the infrastructure for it (which you can’t), or if you could ignore the country’s homophobia and sexism as state policy (which you can’t), or the plainly corrupt…Read more...

The question askers were there. The question answerers were not.Read more...

Last season we did our weekly rookie quarterback tracker, but with only one taken in the first round of 2022, we’ve moved onto another highly coveted position. For 2022 we’ll keep track of all six first-round wide receivers and their progress throughout the year. Some of our first-round rookies are already off to the…Read more...

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We gave up long ago on any NFL broadcast talking about a player’s checkered or downright gross past, honestly, because the league almost assuredly wouldn’t allow it.Read more...

Well, look who got himself out from the depths of Dallas Cowboys Twitter hate last night.Read more...

Athletes being dumb isn’t anything out of the ordinary. It’s been the crux of the matter for sports’ entire existence. With social media and athletes having a giant bullhorn whenever they feel like, without the filter that the media could provide them (imagine Mickey Mantle today), they’re going to feel more…Read more...

The New York Giants are going to look different than they have all season when they go up against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. For the first time this season, they will take the field with their top draft choice. Kayvon Thibodeaux has been cleared for action.

The Dallas Cowboys enter their Monday Night Football matchup with rival New York Giants feeling good, after what some called an upset win last week over the Cincinnati Bengals. But of course, since this is Dallas and Jerry Jones, there’s always some kind of controversy surrounding America’s Team.

The Washington Commanders sit atop the NFL’s porcelain throne but they are also kingmakers themselves — for other offenses. Jack del Rio’s January 6 defense fared better in front of Washington fans than his 2022 defensive unit has. Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith both feasted on the Commanders’ carcasses. Hurts targeted…Read more...

The concepts of “parity” and “fairness” in sports were exposed as fig leaves long ago. The idea that fans would care more, i.e. buy more tickets and watch more games on TV, if more teams had a chance at playoff berths and championships was never as important to owners. What was important was not being required to…Read more...

The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos totally mailed in the offense on Sunday Night Football. Even for the few fans (like myself) that still enjoy a defensive battle at times, it was hard to focus on this game. The passing games were despicable for both teams, and Jimmy Garoppolo made his best Dan Orlovsky…Read more...

As we discussed yesterday, the first half of the last batch of friendlies for the USMNT could really not have gone worse or been more discouraging. Against the B-team version of Japan, a squad that’s just about on the same plane as the USMNT, the Yanks laid a foul-smelling egg that also doubled as a perfectly-sized…Read more...

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Football is an emotional game, and the stakes are extremely high in the NFL. It’s not uncommon to see a player or coach go berserk when a play, call, or game doesn’t go their way. Even the greatest players aren’t exempt from losing their shit sometimes, as we’ve seen Tom Brady do on the field and sideline numerous…Read more...

No one except delusional fans of both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers would have expected a barnburner on Sunday.

On this day, most would have taken a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup over Dan Campbell on the Detroit Lions’ sideline. At least, the soup would have offered something — nourishment. When it mattered most Sunday on the road in Minneapolis, Campbell left many wondering what they just witnessed and how.

Lamar Jackson had every reason to not be satisfied with the contract extension that the Baltimore Ravens offered him.

I know that I’m supposed to waive the white flag on the fight of any musician selling their songs and work for commercials. Most of them do it, the industry doesn’t work the way it used to, and it’s probably a necessary evil these days. This is just the way the world is, everything is for sale, no matter what it might…Read more...

The NFLPA wants a deeper look into how Tua Tagovailoa got back into Sunday’s game after wobbling like Glass Joe and having to come out after hitting his head on the turf in the first half in Miami’s 21-19 win over Buffalo.

I can’t explain why I find the Laver Cup so gripping, even beyond one of the game’s legends retiring on its stage. Perhaps it’s just how much the players get into being in a team atmosphere, and you can’t help but go along for the ride. It’s the same charm as golf’s Ryder Cup, I assume.

Let’s be clear, the biggest moment during Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season was when news broke that Rihanna is going to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl this season. If you don’t believe me, believe the official NFL Twitter handle. This is what it looked like this afternoon, and it didn’t change after that Sunday…Read more...

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From the division that brought us the Butt Fumble came a worthwhile sequel from the Miami Dolphins in the wild, final minutes of their 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen threw 63 passes, which is an absurd amount for such a low-scoring affair. Butt his efforts were the subplot to the gridiron hijinks that…Read more...

It’s been a good week in Dallas following the Cowboys’ first win of the season over the Cincinnati Bengals, with backup Cooper Rush running the show at quarterback. All is well right now in Big D, and their best player, Micah Parsons, seems to be his usual talkative, jovial self all over Twitter.

A few days after Tyler Van Dyke criticized the home atmosphere at Hard Rock Stadium, he and the Miami Hurricanes let off a stink bomb, which left their fans with fewer reasons to root for The U in person. Their 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee State began with Van Dyke hurling up picks on his first two throws before he…Read more...

The DirecTV era of NFL Sunday Ticket is going out with a whimper.Read more...

The 2022 NFL season has gotten off to a slow start for the Los Angeles Rams. LA was pummeled by the Buffalo Bills in the season opener, 31-10. The Rams haven’t looked great all-around, but the one constant has been Cooper Kupp’s production. In Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, Kupp could become the first wide…Read more...

One of the many complications of a winter World Cup, though far down the list, is the death of the pre-tournament friendly. Normally, teams get together for a couple weeks after the domestic season and then get two or three ramp-ups before the tourney starts to establish rapport, try some new formations and players,…Read more...

Oklahoma getting caught by Kansas State is an annual tradition for the Sooners, and it happened again Saturday night, with the visiting team pulling out a 41-34 upset in Norman. Running back Deuce Vaughn and quarterback Adrian Martinez combined for 264 yards on the ground, with Martinez adding another 234 in the air…Read more...

Clemson fans finally got the game from D.J. Uiagalelei that they’ve been waiting for, finishing with 371 yards passing and five touchdowns. You’d figure that kind of day would lead to a blowout of No. 21 Wake Forest with the defense we’re accustomed to seeing from the Tigers. After two overtimes and more than 1,000…Read more...

When fully healthy, the Buffalo Bills have one of the greatest safety tandems in the NFL with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. However, as of Saturday, the Bills will be forced to play without one of them for the entire season.Read more...

There was this internet pipe dream back in 2007. This little company with a cult independent following called Ring of Honor finally became popular enough to appear on television. It happened to be in the form of a taped pay-per-view called Respect is Earned, a live event held in New York City in May coming to your…Read more...

Last night, Albert Pujols lit baseball Twitter on fire, smacking his 699th and 700th career home runs in the same game, the same feat he accomplished for his 499th and 500th home runs. It’s been an incredible run for Pujols. One that not a lot of people saw coming, unless you’re Greg Amsinger.

For most of his life, former President Donald Trump has been obsessed with football. There are failed bids to become the owner of an NFL team, taking control of the New Jersey Generals in a past version of the USFL, and calling players like Colin Kaepernick who knelt during the national anthem to protest systemic…Read more...