Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

It’s time to end this madness NBA. You’ve been playing around with the jerseys for far too long. I get it. Each team having approximately 1,000 alternate jerseys is a great revenue stream as well as the sponsor logos in the corner where the NBA logo used to be. But there is this word, clarity, that allows a contest…Read more...

Well, here we go again.Read more...

Welcome to “How to fill out a March Madness bracket and other lies” where I’m going to give you five truths and five lies, and you have to figure out which ones are going to give you the edge in your office pool. If I’m giving away free advice, it’s going to come with a catch. (I am getting paid to write this, but you…Read more...

It sure looks funny when the MLBPA claims that the establishment of a draft lottery is something of a win in the new CBA, in a bid to prevent tanking from teams, and on the very first day they can do so, the Oakland Athletics trade their best pitcher (Chris Bassitt) for one prospect and one minor league wanderer at…Read more...

The only thing more ridiculous than the money TV networks are throwing at guys to be analysts is the fact that a Black man has never had one of those coveted longtime gigs.

Naomi Osaka loves tennis, but tennis doesn’t seem to love her back.Read more...

Did the NCAA Tournament selection committee watch the SEC Tournament? There’s no way it paid proper attention. Otherwise, its messaging to Texas A&M — as well as ACC Tournament Champion Virginia Tech, should the Hokies have not upset No. 2 Tournament seed Duke on Saturday night — is their resumes were only good enough…Read more...

If you want to get an idea of how the power dynamic between the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks has drastically shifted, Sunday’s matchup gave us a window. The Nets now think they run the city.Read more...

In a sense, we’ve done this to ourselves. The amount of attention, emotion, and time we spend not just dissecting the NFL, but the specific position of quarterback in the NFL, would warp any person who plays the position and is on the receiving end of all that. It’s probably one of the big reasons the position is so…Read more...

Tom Brady couldn’t stay away after all. His retirement lasted less than six weeks, reversing course to announce his intentions of returning to Tampa Bay for his 23rd NFL season. Harkening back to memories of Brett Favre with the Jets and Vikings, Brady’s “retirement” more so served as a long vacation. Brady will be 45…Read more...

Klay Thompson broke out of his shooting slump in a big way Saturday night in Golden State’s 122-109 win over Milwaukee. Thompson dropped 38 points on the Bucks with six rebounds and five assists, connecting on eight three-pointers in the process.Read more...

The NIL landscape has opened up a world of big and small endorsement opportunities that have no tangible connections to college campuses. This deal, the largest NIL one ever signed by a non-professional athlete, has placed a spotlight on the hinterland of the NIL landscape.Read more...

It took way too long to oust Will Wade from his place atop LSU men’s basketball, but the deserved guillotine finally made its swift chop on Saturday afternoon, a major moment in the 4-year-plus NCAA investigation into wrongdoing surrounding his time in Baton Rouge. Wade was fired with cause, meaning he’s not owed any…Read more...

The Milwaukee Bucks took one on the chin Saturday night in prime time against the Golden State Warriors, falling in defeat 122-109. What’s even more concerning than the loss is that Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored just eight points. Curry was on the floor for a total of 35 minutes. That statistic should worry…Read more...

It was a great weekend for those posing as journalists who are more interested in acting like bullhorns for the lizard people who want their messages out. I wouldn’t pretend to know all the things that go into being a dependable journalist, nor do I care much, but I do know from vague memories through hangover-hazed…Read more...

The Phillies had a 4.60 bullpen ERA last season, sixth-worst in the major leagues. Philadelphia relievers’ 2.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked 19th in the majors in 2021. And the Phillies’ bullpen corps served up 89 homers last year, tied for seventh-most in baseball.Read more...

Thanks to a change in arena policy last week removing the vaccine requirement for entry, Kyrie Irving was allowed in the building in Brooklyn on Saturday night for the first time all season – as a spectator, for Duke-Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game.Read more...

Amari Cooper is a good receiver. He’s not as good as Odell Beckham Jr. was when he left New York for Cleveland though. Sure, there are some arguments you could make against the latter statement. For example, perhaps Cooper hasn’t been a true No. 1 in Dallas since CeeDee Lamb got there. Doubtful, but I can see the…Read more...

Big E is lucky he’s not paralyzed. Look up Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hiromu Takahashi, Hayabusa, Nikki Bella, Sabu, Hardcore Holly, Paige, and Edge. All professional wrestlers who suffered major neck injuries and had their careers and lives changed because of it. The former WWE Champion and member of the New Day is one…Read more...

On Monday, Brian Flores will speak to the American Association of Justice about repealing forced arbitration in cases of racial discrimination. Forced arbitration allows American companies to avoid the court system, instead taking a lawsuit through a closed investigation that is never heard by a jury and, by nature,…Read more...

The Portland Trailblazers are not the worst team in the NBA. They’re far from it actually. However, their past six games would indicate otherwise. They’re tanking like there’s no tomorrow. Since their Feb. 24 matchup at home against the Golden State Warriors, the Trail Blazers have lost every game they’ve played, and…Read more...

“A cultural event” is how my aunt and uncle describe the SEC tournament, and it’s one that I had not previously experienced. They’re Kentucky fans as are my parents and basically my Dad’s entire side of the family. I knew I was a Kentucky fan before I even understood what college sports were. So when my aunt and uncle…Read more...

So, does the rest of the NFL know now that not being charged criminally doesn’t equal innocence in civil lawsuits, or do we need another agenda-serving Adam Schefter tweet-gone-wrong to illustrate that lining up to court Deshaun Watson is still a risky endeavor?

“You look like one of us,” a young woman tells Jerry West at a bar, fresh off a championship but stuck in his own ennui. The woman is part of a group mourning a deceased loved one, some dude named Bob. West is three hours removed from winning his first NBA championship in 1971, after six attempts. West has yet to…Read more...

When I told my mom about the reports of NBC’s impending $30 million deal to stream a dozen and a half Major League Baseball games on Peacock, she groaned. More streaming, more annoyance when all you want to do is just turn on the TV and see the ballgame.

When this season began, Ray Allen was the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the record for combined regular season and playoff points, and Don Nelson was the winningest coach in league history.Read more...

Joe Buck, the longtime voice of Fox Sports, is bolting for the greener pastures of ESPN, signing a lucrative five-year deal in the $60-$75 million range, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.

Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges for sexual assault allegations made against him in 2021 by multiple massage therapists.

With over 200 names still facing free agency and less than one month to go before the start of the MLB season, we are in for an absolute flurry of moves. There are still dozens of big names on the table for any team looking to make a game-changing acquisition. Those teams that were right on the border last year could…Read more...

Auburn men’s basketball has the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft on its roster. It has two possible lottery picks in its front court. All it had to do was win a couple games in the conference tournament, and its No. 4 AP Poll ranking most likely would’ve translated into one of the four No. 1 seeds…Read more...

It’s been a crazy week in the NFL, and the league’s new year doesn’t officially start until March 16. Earlier this week, Russell Wilson was traded to Denver, Carson Wentz was shipped out — for the second consecutive offseason — to Washington, and Aaron Rodgers, who always keeps us guessing, decided to stay in Green BayRead more...

Damn, does someone at ACC Network have something personal against Coach K?Read more...

There’s only one bad thing about the MLB lockout being over: The game is changing forever.

Is there any greater thrill than a good old fashioned March buzzer beater? Single-elimination, do-or-die moment, clock racing to zero — living in that infinite moment, watching the ball arc its path through the endless stretch of air, the swish of the net, the eruption of cheers, the impossible suddenly made possible…Read more...

Irony was at play inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on Thursday night.

Jack Eichel returned to Buffalo last night, his first game in America’s basement refrigerator since his trade to Vegas. It did not go well, much like pretty much anything in Eichel’s career hasn’t. The Knights lost 3-1 to the Sabres, and losing is something they’ve been doing a fair bit of since Eichel arrived. Their…Read more...

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears are on the verge of finalizing a deal that would send Khalil Mack, to the Chargers in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 sixth-rounder.Read more...

Jerry Jones has had a sordid history as an NFL magnate. But as he’s embarked on his twilight years, Jones has saved his worst for last.Read more...

Yes, yes, yes, we’re all excited that baseball is back, but this is only the beginning. The main job is done, but now attention turns back to everything we missed over the last three months — i.e., free agency.

Count me among the cynical who aren’t surprised that a 17-year-old tennis player knows better than the entire Florida GOP.

Turns out, neither side had the stomach to really put the game in peril in order to radically change how the business of baseball works. Fans will get a 162-game season, just about a week later than scheduled. They’ll get a reduced spring training, which is probably needed every year anyway but we’ll leave that for…Read more...

Antonio Brown and Kanye West want a seat at the table. They can’t even afford to be in the room.Read more...

I’ve never had too strong an opinion on whether or not Major League Baseball should ban the shift.

You can’t turn on a firehose of cash and expect it won’t change anything. And in the last 40 years, that’s just what has happened in college sports. Although it took far too long, the revenue has finally disrupted the system and who sports fans believe should benefit from it.

You know, back in the day, when things made sense and air was fresh and all french fries were crispy, when you hacked someone’s Twitter or Facebook or email, you did it for entertaining reasons. Remember the days of “Wetbutt” breaking Cubs trades (“Days Of Wetbutt” was an underrated Cinderella album)? Can we go back…Read more...

Roman’s got to go. Hand in your keys to the club before you do more damage to those who don’t deserve it. As it turns out, plenty of people who said politics had no place in sports really meant politics that they don’t agree with had no room at the table. Loud banishment of policy came at the intersection of Colin…Read more...

I’m going to start this by listing off a bunch of reasons why Darius Garland has been overlooked this season, not explain them, and then give you a bunch of his highlight reels because this piece is about Garland.Read more...

While the word “narrative” has become something of a cinder block sitting in the intestines of sports, sometimes you just can’t avoid how much it’s beating you over the head. Kylian Mbappé lining up against Real Madrid in the round of 16 in the Champions League was one of those times. Mbappé is still widely tipped to…Read more...

At this point, trying to parse out the details of the continued screaming-at-their-shoes negotiations between the MLB owners and players is akin to huffing the aura of those around you at the DMV at 4 p.m. You’re beyond caring what the minutiae is, you’re infuriated about what’s around you and whatever you’ve done or…Read more...

Is Stephen A. Smith and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo screaming at each other on Wednesdays producing hot air at a speed so ferocious that it threatens to blow out the windows at ESPN’s Seaport Studios? Yes.