Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

It’s been 14 years since he last played professional football, but Doug Flutie is suddenly relevant again. In the run-up to the draft, there was a big feature in the Washington Post, along with a 15-minute chat on The Rich Eisen Show. When I first reached out to ask about an interview, Flutie’s agent told me she had…Read more...

A great honor has been bestowed upon me: I am now the NBA Commissioner (for a day). With this great power comes great responsibility, and I have decided to use it to change something that has been wrong with the association since its inception: NBA coaches don’t wear uniforms.

Every good fan fight has a defining quality, and this one is no different. What we have here is not an alarming display of savagery, or swift and frightening violence, or even anything that rises to slapstick humor. What we have here is simply two women with an indefatigable commitment to causing ruckus:

Plenty of reactions to the USWNT’s spectacular defense of its World Cup focused on the future—this team’s ability to change the world, influence the next generations, and affect national conversations. While correct, those thoughts also miss a crucial component of the U.S.’s unprecedented fourth-ever run to World Cup…Read more...

One name stood out for its relative obscurity on the projected starting lineup for the USWNT before the Women’s World Cup began. There were the names everyone knows, the ones that belong to some of the greatest players in U.S. soccer history, but hidden behind the Rapinoes and Morgans and Heaths, and in front of the…Read more...

It’s pretty clear-cut: Houston’s Jake Marisnick was nowhere near the plate, wasn’t even aiming toward the plate, when he obliterated Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy was hospitalized and Marisnick was correctly called out for a violation of MLB’s home-plate collision rule, and the Angels think a suspension…Read more...

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Brazil are once again the champions of South America, defeating Peru 3-1 in the Copa América final and winning the tournament once again for the first time in 12 years.

Cleveland thoroughly trounced the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, 11-1. While a professional baseball knower might make a note about Cincinnati’s shoddy bullpen, or Greg Allen’s impressive day in the batter’s box and out in the field, I found the most interesting aspect of the game to be the Reds’ jersey choice.

Fox News went live to a sports bar in Lyon, France, right after the United States women’s national team defeated Netherlands to win the World Cup. What could possibly go wrong?

Whenever an American team is in the championship of an international tournament of any kind, the ensuing victory or defeat can become a vital content farm for sports publications everywhere—present company included. With this in mind, Bleacher Report decided to tweet out this horrendous graphic that celebrated the…Read more...

After a long week that seemed to focus more on the hurt feelings of some English fans—and perhaps even tea-drinkers in general—than the final game of this tournament, the USWNT defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to win their fourth Women’s World Cup title. Purple-haired American hero Megan Rapinoe and Washington Spirit…Read more...

Despite the absence of Lionel Messi, and being down to 10 men on the field, Argentina were able to hold off Chile in the Copa América third place game with a 2-1 victory to take home bronze in the tournament. However, the Argentinian superstar was noticeably absent from the ensuing medal ceremony, despite his team…Read more...

After Edwin Diaz blew yet another save for the Mets on Friday in an eventual 7-2 loss to the Phillies, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen called for a meeting with team coaches and went ballistic on them, according to the New York Post. Things boiled over emotionally for Van Wagenen and he reportedly took out his…Read more...

It took all of five seconds for Jorge Masvidal to knock out Ben “Funky” Askren and record the fastest KO in UFC history, beating out previous record-holder Duane Ludwig by a whole second.

The latest addition to your “just CONMEBOL things” folder comes courtesy of the trigger-happy ref officiating the Copa América third place game between Argentina and Chile.Read more...

After reports indicated that teams were wary of bringing a still-recovering DeMarcus Cousins onto their roster—hell, Frank Kaminsky got a deal before Boogie did—a suitor has finally emerged to give the big man a job: the Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins will head to Staples Center along with his former Kings and Pelicans…Read more...

Two early goals were enough for Sweden to defeat England for third place at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday. Both teams began applying immediate pressure early and often, but it was ultimately Kosovare Asllani who broke through for the Swedes in the eleventh minute after a poor English clearance basically handed her…Read more...

Ontario’s Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Lisa MacLeod has apologized for accosting Senators owner Eugene Melnyk at a Rolling Stones concert last weekend about the team’s poor record in recent years. Melnyk recounted the event to the Ottawa Citizen:Read more...

Brazilian defender Marquinhos spoke highly of the Argentinian side his team disposed of on Tuesday in the semifinal of the Copa América, saying that both Lionel Messi and the whole of Argentina’s squad had an “inspired” night that made for a great game—Brazil went on to win 2-0. But while the task of stopping a team…Read more...

Kawhi Leonard dynamited what remained of the premise of the Executive of the Year Award, and in doing so redefined the meaning of such staples as: the Friday night news dump; the value of holding onto non-human playing assets; and even patriotism. Now if that’s not a full day’s work for an adult-sized person, that…Read more...

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco revealed on Dominican television network CDN 37 that he has been diagnosed with leukemia. The righty was shut down on June 5 with an unspecified blood disorder. At the time, Cleveland announced that Carrasco would be stepping away from the sport to explore optimal treatment for what he…Read more...

Southern California was hit with a 7.1-magnitude earthquake on Friday night, the second quake that part of the country had experienced in two days. The seismic activity was enough to interrupt four sporting events that were going on at the time, including one World Series of Poker tournament that had to be held up for…Read more...

Zion Williamson made his Summer League debut on Friday and, for a little while, it looked like those watching were in store for an absolute show from the No. 1 overall pick. Those kind of expectations tend to get set when one’s first NBA highlight involves taking the lunch money of a second-year player. In this case,…Read more...

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Reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is heading to the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting, and he’ll be joined by MVP finalist Paul George. The news ends weeks of speculation about which team might woo the two-time Finals MVP, coming off an amazing postseason, away from re-signing with the…Read more...

Days after prosecutors dropped domestic violence charges against Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera, Major League Baseball announced that Herrera has been suspended for 85 games.

A steady stream of high and inside pitches from Pirates starter Jordan Lyles set off Cubs manager Joe Maddon yesterday, causing him to hop out of his dugout, to angrily shout at the Pirates’ dugout, and to even uncork a nifty little spin move in his efforts to break free of the umpire’s grip. Maddon’s antics earned…Read more...

Frank Meza, the 70-year-old distance runner who had his age group–record time at the L.A. Marathon disqualified on Monday after officials deemed that he had cheated, was found dead in the Los Angeles River on Thursday morning, according to local TV station ABC 7.Read more...

A Kate Spade sale, a $5 Kindle credit, and a discounted donut pan lead off Friday’s best deals from around the web.

The second round of Wimbledon offered Nick Kyrgios the opportunity to do what he loves best, which is to try to beat Rafael Nadal. Though he failed in that quest, falling in four sets in yesterday’s match, Kyrgios was able to realize his other great love, which is to try to annoy Rafael Nadal. No moment encapsulated…Read more...

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Earlier this week, Nike pulled the release of what the Wall Street Journal described as “a U.S.A.-themed sneaker” that had been slated to be released on July 4. The sneakers, which featured the circa-1770 “Betsy Ross flag” on the heel of the shoe, were shipped to retailers and then recalled. “Nike has chosen not to…Read more...

Here’s a new twist on a classic, courtesy of reader Henry. That’s what you get for willingly going to the NBA team with the dullest uniform, Kyrie!Read more...

It’s Independence Day, the day on which every American feels especially proud to be American, which also now means every taking it upon yourself, as an American, to make sure that every other American is behaving in a suitably proud way re: how American they are. In real life, this holiday mostly resolves to hanging…Read more...

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton was involved in a car wreck in Florida overnight Thursday, and although he is expected to live, his injuries are serious.

Kevin Pillar wanted to call time during Wednesday’s game in San Diego, but home plate umpire Jeff Nelson didn’t grant it to him. That ended up benefitting the Giants outfielder, because Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo threw a hilariously soft pitch which ended up “plunking” the batter.Read more...

A Fire HD 10 Tablet, a ZonLi Cooling Weighted Blanket, and the Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Starter Set lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

Chris Froome casts a long shadow over the Tour de France. Or he did, until three weeks ago.Read more...

Former New York Giants and Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Jared Lorenzen died Wednesday of multiple health issues. He was 38.Read more...

The Netherlands haven’t exactly been the free-flowing, highlight-making, net-assaulting bunch at this World Cup that their talent and our expectations would’ve predicted, though I’m sure the Dutch and their endearingly rabid fans aren’t too bothered by that. Not after today, when the Oranje beat Sweden and won…Read more...

Stephen A. Smith shared three spicy Kevin Durant reports on Wednesday’s episode of First Take. The least spicy of the three (since it’s three years old, now) had Durant, entering unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2016, telling several Thunder teammates to their faces that he would not be leaving Oklahoma City,…Read more...

The United States Women’s National Team—a squad headed to the World Cup Final this weekend—has spent the duration of the tournament kicking ass and having fun. England—a squad not headed to the World Cup Final—have spent the last week of the tournament wringing their hands over the USWNT’s habit of scoring cool goals,…Read more...

So you’ve got the hyphen. That’s the “-” guy. It joins words together. When you put “-ass” at the end of an adjective, you are using a hyphen. Also when you are separating out the syllables of a word, like for effect—“pre-pos-ter-ous”—that is also a hyphen job. The hyphen’s function in that case is to make clear that…Read more...

The pool of NBA free agents available as of July 3 is shockingly small. The vast majority of marquee names settled within a few hours of the official kickoff of free agency Sunday afternoon; a huge number of rotation guys and role players have already grabbed up much of what remained of the open salary cap space…Read more...

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Perhaps lost in the shuffle of the USWNT rolling England up into a little ball and kicking them all the way into the third-place match was a late-game tactical shift that was as confounding as it was ill-advised. For the second straight game, the best team in the world protected a slim lead with Mourinho-esque levels…Read more...

While I know that Stranger Things premiering on the Fourth of July was a strategic decision planned and approved by at least 15 levels of marketing managers at Netflix to tie the release to the show’s summer of 1985-set third season, it still feels like a fun, fizzy coincidence! Because there’s something about the…Read more...

Following a hearing today in Atlantic City Municipal Court, domestic violence charges against Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera have been dropped, because his girlfriend and alleged victim decided she did not want to proceed with the case. Herrera, who was facing charges of simple assault and knowingly…Read more...

VAR has been a disaster at the Copa América this summer, and last night’s Brazil-Argentina semifinal was no different. And as evidenced by his scathing postgame comments slamming VAR and the refereeing in general after his team fell to Brazil, Lionel Messi is fed the fuck up with it.Read more...