Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

Welcome to Deadspin’s The Sports Nihilist, where all is for naught and we are but accidental jolts of electrified meat stuck to the surface of a rock in an indifferent universe. Fuck you.

Welcome to the Great Debates bracket, where we’re trying to find out what is life’s greatest argument. The queries below have stumped philosophers, presidents, priests, and peasants alike. They’ve inspired books, memes, Twitter threads, and even entire fields of study.Read more...

Former NBA star Charles Oakley has never been one to bite his tongue. After all, he played in the Association during a time when basketball was much different, and it wasn’t uncommon for teams to have multiple enforcers. In fact, while playing in Chicago with Michael Jordan, some would call Oakley MJ’s personal…Read more...

The Premier League, at least this season, has become stratified in a way it never has before. There seem to be only two categories. You’re either fighting against relegation or you’re in the race for the Champions League. It’s a little more nuanced than that under the hood, though not by much. From the top, you have…Read more...

Chelsea FC have literally been the definition of average in the Premier League this season. For a club that was crowned European champions less than two years ago, being considered average at anything might as well be worse than relegation. The Blues have close to the same number of wins, draws and losses in league…Read more...

As we enter the final weekend of the NBA season, there are only a few regular season awards yet to be wrapped up. The most notable is the MVP race, but you’re delusional if you think I’m going to write about that. What I’m here to talk about today is the Dunk of the Year. It’s not an official award yet, so consider…Read more...

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When three different coaches have combined to win five national championships at one men’s college basketball program since 1999, it means they’re one of the sport’s blue bloods. But, you know that question that goes, “If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s no one around to hear It, does it make a sound?” Well, if…Read more...

Mr. Packer barely squeaked past the former Georgia Bulldog to capture the inaugural Sports Jackass Bracket Championship. This matchup was by far the closest of the tournament, and these competitive jackasses saved their best for last. Had this been an actual competition on the field, it would’ve come down to a las…Read more...

Lamar Jackson has suffered a plethora of indignities at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. Add one more to the mix. Traditionally, MVP-caliber quarterbacks negotiate for top-dollar extensions that set the standard for the quarterback compensation model. Throughout their battle with Jackson, Baltimore has reiterated…Read more...

I guess if Michael Jordan gets to remain bitter about events from 40 years ago then everyone else from that time should be granted the same courtesy. In 2021 it was Scottie Pippen — promoting his bourbon and book — who was publicly critical of Jordan. Since the NBA 75 Greatest Team gathered at the 2022 NBA All-Star…Read more...

Terry Pegula is worth $6.7 billion.Read more...

Folks, we spent a lot of time on this Great Debates bracket. Did anyone ask for a bracket of 64 different regularly debated topics? No. Do we at Deadspin get paid to produce content? According to my direct deposit alerts, yes. Of course, no one wants to hear complaints about sports writing, but it’s a little…Read more...

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John Elway’s tenure with the Denver Broncos was mercifully sent to the glue factory Wednesday, and he can now add “consultant” alongside “general manager” and “Super Bowl-winning quarterback” to the list of roles he formerly occupied for the organization. Thankfully for Donkos fans, Elway got out before he could draft…Read more...

I’ll just start with the question posed in the headline: Name a worse mashup of duos than Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. For starters, Dennis Rodman and Jean-Claude van Damme in Double Team come to mind. Maybe, but at least they were so bad, so it’s funny. Bleach and vinegar create potentially lethal chlorine gas. A…Read more...

NHL headlines this season have become dominated by players refusing to wear Pride jerseys and the debate over LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport. Although Pride is the harbinger, hockey’s toxic culture sits at the center as the sport grapples to address not only homophobia and transphobia, but issues of ableism and…Read more...

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As the NBA regular season nears its end, teams continue to jockey for playoff and play-in tournament positions producing some wild races heading toward the finish line. The race in the West is setting up for a photo finish over the last few days, with both playoff and play-in implications on the line. Over in the E…Read more...

In 1968, John Carlos and Tommie Smith risked it all at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City as they stood on the podium with their fists raised high. On Tuesday, a twice-impeached former President who has been harassing and harming Black people for decades from the Central Park/Exonerated Five to questioning…Read more...

The baseball season not even being quite a week old is probably not the best time to draw conclusions. That’s not going to stop us though, as within these walls is where logic goes to die. But if you’ve been paying even cursory attention so far, you might have noticed some boxcar numbers being tossed up onto…Read more...

The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high late in the season as they attempt to sneak into the top six of the Western Conference avoiding the play-in tournament. After beating Utah Tuesday night, L.A. sits a half-game back of the fifth-place Golden State Warriors and tied with the Clippers (both 41-38), whom they play…Read more...

There was bound to be an adjustment period as MLB entered the pitch clock era, and my question is, did basketball handle the implementation of the shot clock as poorly as this? Manny Machado was the first player to earn a strike via clock violation in spring training, and he became the first player to get ejected over…Read more...

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No one likes being accused of things. But, nobody despises it like white men — especially the rich ones. Almost five years after then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh threw a temper tantrum when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee — due to being publicly accused of sexual misconduct in high school…Read more...

Lionel Messi’s time playing for Paris Saint-Germain has long appeared to be reaching its conclusion this summer, as signing another contract with the French giants never made sense. While a return to boyhood club Barcelona or Major League Soccer looked to be in his future, spurning both of those choices to further…Read more...

When the Golden State Warriors converted Anthony Lamb’s contract for the rest of the season back in March, head coach Steve Kerr called it a “pretty easy decision” as the team has dealt with injuries, absences, and poor bench play — especially on the road.

Much like politics and elections, we can’t really change them because they still cater to old white people, who also happen to have all the money, we can’t really ignore golf either, no matter how much of an anachronism it might be. That’s why they employ Steph Curry to try and make it into a hip gameshow during his…Read more...

Another college basketball season has come and gone. The women’s tournament outshined the men’s showcase in March Madness due to ratings and attendance records, not to mention the undeniable star power the sport has. The men’s NCAA Tournament wrapped Monday night with UConn completing the six-game streak of winning…Read more...

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Bill Belichick must have forgotten that he is not the only football luminary who has been Mac Jones’ head coach. Jones played college football for Nick Saban — arguably Belichick’s greatest student. Remember, “One band, one sound,” from the movie Drumline? That line is Alabama football. Every person thoroughly…Read more...

Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins was a topic of discussion during this year’s NFL scouting combine. Cousins just completed his fifth year with Minnesota, leading the Vikings to an NFC North division title and the No. 3 seed in the conference. Unfortunately, all that got them was a Wild Card exit at…Read more...

If you’ve been looking for, or are actively seeking, ways to lessen the importance of men’s March Madness, the past few weeks were a veritable shopping spree. You could throw any number of items in the cart while you sprint through the aisles — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese overshadowing the title game, zero No. 1…Read more...

On Monday night, Jill Biden waded into neck-deep waters by hitting send on an overly sentimental invite for a joint South Carolina and Iowa White House visit. On Tuesday morning, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless clashed over Biden’s invite to Iowa for what should be LSU’s solo White House visit. Sharpe hit common…Read more...

Former President Donald Trump surrendered to New York authorities ahead of his arraignment Tuesday on charges related to alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels. Obviously, it’s a fairly massive deal… unless you live in New York. This is literally just another Tuesday for them, and definitely not, say,…Read more...

The NBA regular season is rolling toward its end, which means award talk is heating up. You’ll hear about the MVP race primarily, but a few other awards are handed out each year that matter. Coach of the Year is one of them, and no one is more deserving in 2023 than Sacramento Kings head coach, Mike Brown.Read more...

Sportscaster sentimentality is one of the weirdest aspects of the sports world. One of the storylines of Monday night’s men’s title game was Jim Nantz. The voice of March Madness since literally as long as I can remember delivered his final college basketball broadcast in his hometown of Houston, and signed off with a…Read more...

What appeared to be a lost Los Angeles Lakers season six weeks ago has sprouted wings in the final home stretch before the postseason. After missing countless weeks mending injuries in 2023, Anthony Davis and LeBron James returned to a lineup terraformed on the go.Read more...

Of course there have been both more highly anticipated and better-played NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship games than the one that took place on Monday night. It didn’t take long to realize that Connecticut was going to defeat San Diego State, thereby winning the championship in the most dominating fashion since 2009…Read more...

One would have hoped the dumbass and unnecessary (and racist!) chatter coming out of the women’s championship game would have died an easy death on the next day’s news cycle. But seeing as how the men’s version was two packs of ass and the First Lady got involved, that was too much to wish for, apparently.Read more...

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NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus is trying to save himself and Jalen Carter from losing a great deal of money. Once considered the top available prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has been red-flagged with maturity and work ethic issues in recent months. Carter is currently working out for teams privately, and next up…Read more...

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On Monday afternoon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is set to make his return to the team later this week. So many rumors and “reports” had been tossed around regarding Wiggins’ immediate future with the team that it was hard to know what to believe.

Here’s a funny stat shared over the weekend. Erik ten Hag is the Premier League’s ninth-longest serving manager. He’s been on the job eight months.

This time last year, Jordan Addison had cemented himself as one of the best, if not the top, wide receiver in college football. Compiling 100 receptions, 1,593 yards, 17 touchdowns alongside the Biletnikoff Award will bring that kind of praise, especially for a wide receiver at Pittsburgh. The Panthers are fine, but…Read more...

It’s the final week of the NBA regular season. Usually I would advise sports fans to get one last glimpse at a young team like the Orlando Magic before their season comes to an end. This season, my viewing recommendation is to wait until next season to watch the youngsters. They likely will have improved and one of…Read more...

We were just here. Not all that long ago. WWE doesn’t like you. We thought when Triple H took over creative, things would change. They decidedly have not, and it’s a wonder whether he’s actually in charge of creative anymore. Or whether he was yesterday, and whether he will be tomorrow (we’ll get back to this). While…Read more...

OBJ is said to have his sights set on a $15 million payday now, slightly less than the $20 million previously reported. The New York Jets have been linked to Beckham of late, but that won’t happen before the Aaron Rodgers deal is wrapped up.Read more...