Sports

Colin Kaepernick and the Perils of Patriotism as Fandom

This Sporting Life: A Brit Learns to Love the Basket

This Sporting Life: A Brit Learns to Love the Basket

At first, I didn’t have a clue what was going on at this Celtics game. By the end, I still didn’t have much more of a clue -- but I was hooked, anyway.
“It’s All a Big Action Movie”: An Interview with Hungrybox

“It’s All a Big Action Movie”: An Interview with Hungrybox

You've heard of video game competitions before, but no one player's life has been as filled with drama or redemption as that of Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma.

The Dark Side of the Modern Olympics

Muhammad Ali and the Day Fans Pelted the Ring With Trash

Muhammad Ali and the Day Fans Pelted the Ring With Trash

In his new book, Ali vs. Inoki, Josh Gross untangles the complicated history of the 1976 meeting of two legends -- and a failed experiment.
The Legends of Bruiser Brody: An Interview with Emerson Murray

The Legends of Bruiser Brody: An Interview with Emerson Murray

Bruiser Brody was one of the most brutal professional wrestlers in the world, but a tragic passing made one writer explore his quieter, more humane aspects.
Was Super Bowl 50 a Golden Bowl?

Was Super Bowl 50 a Golden Bowl?

A pop culture play-by-play of the biggest TV event of the year.
The Five Best (And Five Worst) Super Bowl Commercials of 2016

The Five Best (And Five Worst) Super Bowl Commercials of 2016

There were touchdowns and fumbles in this year's mostly lackluster crop of ads, plus one commercial that left us conflicted.
Professional Wrestling, Racism, Transracial Identity, and Why We All Need to Lighten Up

Professional Wrestling, Racism, Transracial Identity, and Why We All Need to Lighten Up

In contrast to our ossified conceptions of race in other aspects of life, race in professional wrestling is a gimmick, a performance of an identity, which one can adopt or drop as part of the game.
Jim Cornette on Rescuing the Lost Carolina Wrestling Classics

Jim Cornette on Rescuing the Lost Carolina Wrestling Classics

Jim Cornette is one of the most outspoken figures in all of pro wrestling, but his journey to unearth rare, lost match footage from decades prior makes for a story worth telling.
Exploited Athletes Exploit the Exploiting System: The Hidden Game Behind College Sports

Exploited Athletes Exploit the Exploiting System: The Hidden Game Behind College Sports

There is a game hidden behind the basketball courts and football fields of our universities, an unscrupulous match that mostly advantages the institutions themselves.
The 10 Best of ESPN’s 30 for 30

The 10 Best of ESPN’s 30 for 30

On the occasion of 30 for 30's fifth anniversary, ESPN Films has released a 100-Film Gift Set. And on that occasion, a list of the 10 best 30 for 30 films.. so far.