Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

Papa John’s is ready for the hurt to end. This wounded nation expected better of Papa “John” Schnatter, and his racist remarks have cut us deep. His crusade against his former company may have sprinkled red pepper flakes on the wound, but the time has come to gather around the kitchen table of forgiveness and remember…Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.

Back in June, the Detroit Free Press reported that Michigan State president John Engler spiked a special issue of the alumni magazine that was supposed to focus exclusively on the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal, the victims, and the fallout. Such an issue seemed like a natural thing for the magazine given the…Read more...

It’s been a summer of historic archeological finds that have left world feeling stunned by the scope of history. These incredible discoveries have also left some with an implacable urge to eat these important specimens. Now that researchers have unearthed a perfectly preserved prehistoric foal, the ingredients for The…Read more...

Welcome to the Deadspin 25, a college football poll that strives to be more democratic and less useless than every other preseason poll. Leading up to the college football season kickoff, we will give you previews of the 25 teams that you, the readers, voted to be most worthy of writing about. Now, No. 7 Michigan.

It might not have the name recognition or cool factor of a YETI, but this 55 quart Lifetime cooler is a lot cheaper at just $97 today, and keeps ice frozen for up to seven days. It just met that threshold in this YouTube test, even when it was left outside in the hot sun. Now grab this thing and go spend a week at the…Read more...

Russian gymnastics legend Svetlana Khorkina, when she’s not busy talking about whether American gymnasts are doping and what she really thinks of WADA (hint: she likened them to a certain WWII Axis power), can be found lending her expertise to the Russian speedskating team—she’s now listed as a “specialist” for the…Read more...

Earlier this month, Marlins pitcher Jose Ureña spiced up the team’s divisional rivalry with the Braves by plunking the white-hot rookie Ronald Acuña Jr., who at the time had hit three consecutive lead-off dingers. (The HBP didn’t technically snap Acuña’s streak, although he didn’t hit a lead-off HR the next day.) The…Read more...

The New York Times reported yesterday that David Pecker, chairman of American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, has been granted immunity by the federal prosecutors investigating whether the president funneled hush money to women with whom he had affairs. Here’s how that worked, according to…Read more...

Among cycling’s three longest and most important stage races of the season, the Vuelta a España has always been the odd Grand Tour out. The Tour de France is the sports’ grandiose showcase bid for mainstream attention, while the Giro d’Italia’s extravagant pageantry and deep history have positioned it as a worthy…Read more...

Some people are fans of the Los Angeles Rams. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Los Angeles Rams. This 2018 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here.

One day, perhaps, female athletes will be able to compete without people scrutinizing their appearance and policing their bodies. Today is not that day. As the Associated Press first reported, Serena Williams, the greatest tennis player of all time who should be able to wear whatever she damn well pleases, will no…Read more...

It’s cool when Cubs star infielder Javy Báez makes an incredible defensive play, and it is also cool when he sends a baseball howling into the sky. What’s really cool is when he does both of those things in the same game.

Are farts funny? History has long tussled with this question, and it won’t be answered today. However, if farts are or can be funny, then they are certainly funny in the story of “Paul Flart,” a 31-year-old security guard at a Florida hospital who has quietly documented his many, many farts on Instagram for the past…Read more...

On Saturday night, former UFC fighter Matt Riddle, just three and a half years into his pro wrestling career, officially made his first appearance with WWE, appearing in the front row during the NXT TakeOver live special from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. While WWE has long had an unofficial policy of telling new…Read more...

Get set for the weekend with deals on Sonos speakers, weighted blankets up to 25 pounds, truly wireless earbuds, and a lot more.Read more...

The Phoenix Mercury took down the Connecticut Sun 96-86 on the road Thursday night, advancing out of the single-elimination stage of the WNBA playoffs. Though the final score makes it appear as if the Mercury won with a little bit of comfort, their 10-0 run in the final two minutes gave them the only breathing room of…Read more...

io9 Even More Rumors About Who Could Replace Danny Boyle on Bond 25 | Jalopnik At $24,987, Could This 2014 Cadillac ELR Rock You Down To Electric Avenue? | Lifehacker Where to Buy PlayStation’s Limited-Edition Console Tonight | Kotaku Fortnite Now Lets You Thank The Bus Driver | The Takeout People are dropping…Read more...

You probably don’t care about ESPN’s new-ish morning talk show, Get Up, because why would you? It’s a glossy, inoffensive talk show meant to be half-watched by people who fell asleep watching a game on ESPN the night before and are too lazy to change the channel in the morning while getting ready for work.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay decided, for various reasons, not to play all but one of his starters in his team’s first two preseason games. Most will sit out Saturday’s game against Houston, including quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley. Next week, per tradition, no starters will play in the final…Read more...

The REI Labor Day Sale, one of the retailer’s biggest sale of the year, is here. Get up to 40% off on an almost overwhelming amount of outdoor gear, from camping, to paddling, to hiking, to cycling, and everything in between. It’ll take some time to sort through everything, so you’d better get started now.

We already knew that illegitimate Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had predictably conservative political views, god-awful taste in food, and questionable finances, but does it shock you to learn that he has bad sports takes, too?

Former University of Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson showed what the school called a “serious lack of judgement” in his hiring and retaining of a lawyer for two football players accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. That’s according to a report from Maryland student paper The Diamondback, which found out…Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.

Here’s Butch Hobson, who is really mad. The Chicago Dogs skipper, who used to manage the Red Sox, was so pissed off that an umpire apparently called a strike on a check swing that he grabbed himself a bat and demonstrated how the at-bat would have gone for his player had the third strike not been called. It seems that…Read more...

If you didn’t hear about one of the biggest tennis stories of the year, let me get you caught up. I’m not talking about Novak Djokovic reemerging at Wimbledon, or the melodrama surrounding the Davis Cup, or even an unholy, and wholly unwatchable six hour match between two tall men. No, I’m talking about Uniqlo backing…Read more...

This is an intricate little piece of modern-day racial insensitivity and old-school racism, so let’s start slow. Bob Lamey, who worked as radio play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts for over 30 years, retired suddenly on Sunday. News station 13 WTHR later revealed that he had used the N-word off the air,…Read more...

Welcome to the Deadspin 25, a college football poll that strives to be more democratic and less useless than every other preseason poll. Leading up to the college football season kickoff, we will give you previews of the 25 teams that you, the readers, voted to be most worthy of writing about. Now, No. 8 Georgia.

When San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Holland went on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk with Kevin Millar and Chris Rose on Wednesday, he chose to conduct the interview with the team’s massage therapist Haro Ogawa at his side. Holland introduced Ogawa as his “hype man,” but never used Ogawa’s name or position…Read more...

It’s Monterey Car Week, where some of the most expensive and exclusive cars ever made are displayed and auctioned off. It’s the perfect event to see automotive legends—and it’s practically begging for a heist. Here’s how you theoretically could pull it off.

After a two-year absence spent looking at boats, pretending to box, and destroying a bus with a metal barricade, Irish puncher Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC octagon is finally nigh. On Oct. 6 in Las Vegas, McGregor will meet terrifying Russian pressure wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight…Read more...

SANDUSKY, Ohio — There is more than one enormous rubber duck. I did not know this when I decided to travel to Sandusky to see one, but I can’t unlearn it now. Though there was once a bigger duck in Saint-Nazaire, France, the monstrosity anchored in Sandusky comes with a registered trademark: it is the “World’s Largest…Read more...

The following is excerpted from the team chapters of the always-excellent Football Outsiders Almanac. Buy it here as a PDF, or here in print.

According to a press release from Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette’s office, former Michigan State women’s gymnastics coach Kathie Klages has been charged with two counts of lying to investigators.Read more...

You already know the rules of engagement here. If you are out in public, you should not make a show of yourself. You should not run around naked. You should not punch people. You should not watch video on your phone without without headphones. And you should not EVER, under any circumstances, engage in a max volume…Read more...

Sperry is ready to outfit your feet in any styles of shoe worth having with an extra 30% off sale styles with the code OUTLET30. That includes the boat shoes we all know and sometimes love, snow and rain boots, and even sweaters, dresses, coats, and sunglasses.

The Athletic, the venture capital-backed digital sports media venture that’s plundering sportswriters from news organizations all over the country and has said it wants to brutally kill newspapers, finally announced on Monday that it is turning its gaze to Washington, D.C. The company’s voracious recruiting, however,…Read more...

Some people are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Kansas City Chiefs. This 2018 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here.

At this year’s World Taekwondo Hanmadang, an annual martial arts festival held in South Korea, a team of South Korean taekwondo experts from the Kukkiwon Demonstration Team put on a hell of a show. Please enjoy these insanely athletic martial artists flying around the stage and breaking the shit out of some boards:

$40 noise canceling headphones, a handy utility cart, and the ultimate Apple Watch accessory lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

Lifehacker Olive Garden Is Selling an Annual Unlimited Pasta Pass Tomorrow for $300 | Gizmodo Nikon’s Z7 and Z6 Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras Are Finally Here, and There’s a Lot to Look Forward to | Jalopnik At $29,999, Will This 1996 Dodge Viper RT/10 Have You Shouting, Snakes Alive? | Kotaku God Of War’s New…Read more...

Have you ever watched Simone Biles do gymnastics and thought, “I need to watch her again, this time in super-slo-mo so I can really appreciate what I just watched”? If so, you’re in luck, because we’ve slowed down Biles’ performance from this weekend’s national championships (where she routed the field by more than…Read more...

Courtney Smith has said, repeatedly, that she feared her ex-husband, Zach. She said he physically and emotionally abused her, in court documents, to police officers in two different states, to two reporters, including one interview on camera, and now to Ohio State investigators. All this became public knowledge…Read more...

With big wheels and a fold-up design, these Timber Ridge carts are great for throwing in the trunk to haul gear down to the beach, or just to your kid’s soccer game. In fact, I’ve seen several people at my apartment complex using them to carry groceries in from their car, so they don’t have to make two trips. The blue…Read more...

At a little before 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, Ohio State released a “summary of findings” into what investigators found happened regarding domestic violence in the home of Courtney and Zach Smith while Zach Smith was an assistant football coach for the university, as well as what head football coach Urban Meyer, his…Read more...

According to the newly released summary of findings from Ohio State’s investigation into Urban Meyer, the OSU coach had a “concerning” first reaction to reports that he and his wife, Shelley, were both aware of Courtney Smith’s allegations of Zach Smith’s abuse in 2015. After Brett McMurphy published his report on…Read more...

A whole lot of nothing happened in Columbus for most of Wednesday as Ohio State’s Board of Trustees met to deliberate on the findings from the investigation into Urban Meyer’s handling of domestic violence allegations against his former assistant coach, Zach Smith. The meeting, which began at 9 a.m., continued…Read more...

After nearly 12 hours of meetings on Wednesday, Ohio State University announced at a nighttime press conference that Urban Meyer will be suspended for the first three games of the Ohio State season, following an investigation into his handling of domestic abuse allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith.Read more...

Dallas Cowboys starting center Travis Frederick, who’s been with the team since he was drafted in 2013, was battling nerve irritation ahead of this season, putting his availability in doubt. In a statement posted Wednesday on Twitter, Frederick clarified the details of his situation, revealing a diagnosis that will…Read more...

During the process leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, Baylor center Isaiah Austin’s career ended before it could even begin when he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. The NBA ruled that the chances of Austin’s enlarged aorta bursting were too dangerous for…Read more...