Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

It’s strangely a bit reassuring to know that, no matter where you work, there will always be somebody who doesn’t understand or refuses to honor the basics of conference call etiquette. Whether it’s a distracting echo or the clack clack of keys typing or the slightly more adorable sound of a cat meowing in the…Read more...

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For the past two years, Madden games have included story modes about a fictional up-and-coming NFL quarterback named Devin Wade. In Madden 20, you can still play a single-player story about a would-be quarterback, but this time you design him yourself, from his facial features to his strengths on the field. It’s a fun…Read more...

Longtime UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has been one of the most dominant fighters in women’s mixed martial arts for well over a decade, winning titles for three different promotions during a 13-year run where she finished 17 of her 20 straight wins. That run ended late last year, when Amanda Nunes knocked her…Read more...

When the St. Louis Blues won their first-ever Stanley Cup back in June, they said “fuck”—and all its variations—a lot. Audible to anyone watching on TV at home was “fuckin-a,” “fuck yeah,” “fuckin’ right,” “holy fuck,” and “let’s fuckin’ go” as the team took turns raising the Cup, until NBC finally cut off their…Read more...

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro’s purpose has been clear from the start—he is the massager of the balls, there to soothe the company’s corporate interests, the reactionary to predecessor John Skipper. But with employee Dan Le Batard’s honest and true radio rant two weeks ago about how a “stick to sports” philosophy is…Read more...

Some people are fans of the New York Giants. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the New York Giants. This 2019 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here.

Paul Heyman is known today as the advocate for WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar, but about 30 years ago he was Paul E. Dangerously—named, as Heyman says in a WWE DVD, because he looked like Michael Keaton’s character in the 1984 film Johnny Dangerously.Read more...

Journeyman pitcher Mitch Lively started and earned a win in the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s all-star game over the weekend, pitching two innings against the Taiwanese national team. More importantly, he started his second inning of work off with a rather impressive hidden-ball trick.Read more...

Megan Rapinoe isn’t afraid of being mouthy. In an interview with David Marchese for the New York Times Magazine, Rapinoe tries to explain why her saying “I’m not going to the fucking White House” made her into an overnight celebrity. “Rather than being a regular white girl in the 1 percent, I have a totally different…Read more...

Troy Tulowitzki retired last Thursday, bringing an end to one of the more evanescent MLB careers of the 2000s. Tulowitzki made it through 13 seasons as a professional, though he played over 120 games in just seven of those. Various injuries kept him from playing full seasons throughout his career, and their…Read more...

Soccer fans in the U.S. aren’t usually the most rambunctious sort. As one Lionel Messi stan found out during last Friday’s Real Madrid-Atlético Madrid friendly match in New Jersey, though, even American fans will resort to chucking beer and debris at you if properly provoked:

On Sunday, the Mets did two unusual things. If you want to be rude, you can include them sweeping a series from the Pittsburgh Pirates as a third, but the first two are more notable and also let’s be nice. One of those unusual things was that, in a departure from the norm, the team did not use a “Sunday lineup.” If…Read more...

For the past year, I’ve been dipping a mangled toe into the stand-up comedy waters around L.A. It’s hard, but not nearly so nerve-wracking as my very first gig: making fun of Mike Shanahan.

When a gunman opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, on Sunday evening, killing at least three people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounding 12 others, Dilbert creator Scott Adams apparently saw a juicy marketing opportunity for his blockchain app.

Alex Rodriguez was in his usual spot in the Sunday Night Baseball booth for Yankees-Red Sox when he was surprised by fiancée Jennifer Lopez and his two daughters. Saturday was his 44th birthday, and they had brought him a cake. The baked good itself was ... understated.Read more...

The Athletics salvaged a series split against against the plunging Rangers only by winning the last two, but they came out of it feeling pretty good about themselves. There’s nothing quite so good for morale as a slumping slugger winning a game without taking the bat off his shoulder.

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Marcus Stroman gripped the monkey’s paw. The Blue Jays were sellers and he wanted out. He wanted to go home, near where he grew up on Long Island. “I’m from New York and I’m a New York boy,” he had said earlier. And he wanted to play for a winning team, deep into October. “New York’s like the Mecca of the world,…Read more...

Today is Trevor Bauer’s last start before the trade deadline, and thus very possibly his last start as an Indian. So it’s potentially fraught, and the afternoon did not go well for Bauer, who lasted four and a third against the Royals, giving up seven earned runs on nine hits. And when Bauer spotted Terry Francona…Read more...

The fact that Madden NFL 20 is available in early access is a blessing and a curse and a blessing. A blessing in that some fans get to play the game days ahead of its wide release. A curse in that a ton of shit in the game appears to still be broken. A blessing in that we get to see the videos of the broken shit.

Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, a first-round pick for the Cardinals in 2016, was released by Arizona on Saturday evening after just his second day at training camp. It came one day after new coach Kliff Kingsbury complained that Nkemdiche had shown up out of shape.

GoldenEye is a first-person shooter released for the N64 back in the 90s. You might notice a keyword in that previous sentence. “Shooter.” This means the player is equipped with various guns and then shoots them at enemies. But is it possible to beat this classic shooter without actually shooting? No. But you can beat…Read more...

The NBA is more fun with Jeremy Lin in it. And on a more practical level, he can still be a useful rotation player. Before a midseason move to Toronto that got him a ring but reduced his usage to garbage time, he averaged 10.7 points and 3.5 assists in 19.7 minutes per game as a backup/mentor to Trae Young in Atlanta.

Veramika Maikamava, a 24-year-old Belarusian woman, died on Thursday in Alaska when she was swept away while trying to cross a rain-swelled river while hiking to the bus where Chris McCandless starved to death in 1992.Read more...

The Flames’ new arena deal, endorsed by the mayor and city council just a week before a (rubber-stamp) vote to be held Tuesday, is a great deal for the Flames and their billionaire ownership, and thus not a good deal for the city of Calgary. It looks even worse after what the council did about 24 hours later.

With his second win in the last three races, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen used the German Grand Prix to prove once again that he represents the next great era of Formula One. But while the young driver’s performance was impressive, Sebastian Vettel’s unbelievable climb from a 20th place start to a second-place…Read more...

I present to you the New York Yankees’ starting pitching performances of the last week:

The first major injury of training camp belongs to Bengals WR A.J. Green. The seven-time pro bowler landed awkwardly trying to make a catch in 7-on-7 drills on Saturday, and had to be carted off the field. He left the building on crutches, and while the Bengals are hopeful it’s just a sprained ankle, Green will…Read more...

EA’s Madden NFL 20 is currently in early access, meaning a select number of folks are currently able to get a couple hours of gameplay in before the game’s official Aug. 2 release date. In a surprise to absolutely no one, there are some problems with this current iteration of an Electronic Arts-developed game.Read more...

Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal finished Saturday’s penultimate stage of the Tour de France in the yellow jersey, meaning that he is all but guaranteed to be crowned the winner of this year’s race—provided he crosses the finish line in Paris on Sunday.Read more...

Bengals wideout A.J. Green was taken off the field sitting on a cart on Saturday after appearing to injure his left foot during a team training camp practice. As things currently stand, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the injury is likely a sprained ankle, and that the team is “hopeful” for the official…Read more...

Giants receiver Golden Tate released a statement on Saturday, stating that the banned substance the league found in a recent drug test came from a fertility medication that a doctor had prescribed to him. In the message posted on Twitter, Tate says he informed the NFL, his coaches and Giants GM Dave Gettleman about…Read more...

The Mets defeated the Pirates on Friday, 6-3, thanks in part to a three-run homer that Jeff McNeil hit in the bottom of the third inning.Read more...

While out celebrating out celebrating the women’s world championship victory, athletes from Team USA’s men’s and women’s water polo team were injured on Saturday after a balcony they were standing on inside a South Korean nightclub collapsed.Read more...

A Shark IONFlex Cordless Ultra-Light Vacuum, the Thermapen Mk4 in Seafoam, and the AmazonBasics 2.0 Channel Sound Bar lead off Saturday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

The Mariners haven’t really given us a lot to talk about since their red-hot start to the season actually turned out to be nothing more than the sparks that evolved into an absolute tire fire. That streak of mediocrity seemed likely to end starting on Thursday, when Seattle began its series against the team with the…Read more...

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One of Derek Jeter’s first items of business upon taking over ownership of the Marlins in 2017—a priority so important to him that it was carried out before Jeter had officially taken over—was the sacking of virtually every other big baseball name in the upper ranks of the organization. The house-cleaning wiped out…Read more...

Some YouTubers were recently invited to test Giannis Antetokounmpo’s grip strength, and they did not do well. This may come as a shock, but having hands that measure a full foot from tip of thumb to tip of pinkie are an asset when protecting the basketball. You can’t rip that thing.

Marvel Knower, very long blog writer, and friend to all Nick Martin is leaving Splinter (and G/O Media). We’re sending him off with a little taste of his own medicine: a blog about him that is way too long.Read more...

Twenty-five years ago this week, at the now-shuttered federal courthouse in Uniondale for the Eastern District of New York, WWE chief Vincent Kennedy McMahon was acquitted on charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. It was a pivotal moment in wrestling history, and the…Read more...

Cleveland Indians pitcher and online edgelord Trevor Bauer is one of the big names to watch ahead of next week’s MLB trade deadline. The team’s on a nice little surge at the moment and is only two games behind the AL Central-leading Twins, but if it shifts into asset collection mode, Bauer is probably the most…Read more...

When Co-Op readers give you Lululemon, make a blog declaring them the winner of this race. The votes are in, and the brand’s T.H.E. Short With Nulux Liner won the gold medal when it comes to running shorts.Read more...

On Tuesday, in what could only be read as a terrible omen for Mueller Day, a rather large cockroach suddenly appeared, out of nowhere, crawling across my desk. I do not have a photo of this because I absolutely DESPISE roaches—especially the big daddies like this one, with very long antennae and beady eyes—so I yelped…Read more...

NFL training camps are underway, and it’s hard not to get excited already. Your favorite team has shown some energy right out of the gate. The roster is full of talent, the depth is there, and there are no weak spots to be found. This might be the season.

The FIBA World Cup has only drawn closer since Monday, and Team USA’s prospects have only gotten drearier. The players’ excuses are starting to increasingly resemble ones that might be used to beg out of a coworker’s birthday party.Read more...

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This is apparently the summer of zany, experimental All-Star games. The WNBA will use its showcase Saturday afternoon to experiment with a couple rule tweaks, one of which is straight out of left field—or, well, straight out of hockey, the most dreaded sport of all.Read more...

Some people are fans of the Tampa Bay Bucs. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Tampa Bay Bucs. This 2019 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here.