Deadspin: Olympics

Ricky Rubio Talks Some Olympic Trash To Kobe Bryant: "You Know You're Getting The Silver Medal"

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:05:00 EST

After the Laker game in Minnesota, Pau Gasol was catching up with countryman Ricky Rubio when Kobe Bryant strolled over. The friendly conversation, as transcribed by Complex: More »

The US Women Won Two Games 27-0, And It Did Not Impress Brandi Chastain, So Hope Solo Fought Back

Jack Dickey — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:40:00 EST

The US shredded its opponents in CONCACAF women's soccer Olympic qualifiers this week—14-0 over the Dominicans, 13-0 over Guatemala, and 4-0 over Mexico—but Brandi Chastain, the lady who's famous for this, was not impressed. She called the games for Universal Sports Network (it's not the one formerly known as Versus; it's that other one) and critiqued the women for not working on their fundamentals or something. In Olympic qualifiers. The first two of which they won 27-0. And Solo did not dig it. More »

Some Cop Left Security Plans For The 2012 Olympics On A London Commuter Train

Dom Cosentino — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:35:22 EST

After being found on Jan. 5, the secret dossier was given to The Sun newspaper, which gave it back to the police. More »

What Do Usain Bolt And Juan Manuel Marquez Have In Common? They Train With The Same Admitted Steroids Dealer

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:10:50 EST

On Saturday, Juan Manuel Marquez will step into the ring for a third time against Manny Pacquiao. This time around, Marquez—who's moving up in weight for the fight—has a new physique. He has retained the services of Angel Hernandez, the strength and conditioning coach who has been working with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Hernandez has been an omnipresent figure on 24/7, and Marquez's new bulk has been noted by viewers. More »

CNN Cuts Short Its Awkward Interview With John Carlos Because Of Technical Difficulties

Timothy Burke — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:10:00 EDT

Former Olympian and current human rights crusader John Carlos has a new book out with The Nation's Dave Zirin, which we excerpted last week. Carlos has been lending his support to the Occupy Wall Street movement, and this morning, CNN booked him for an interview with Kyra Phillips. The conversation never got past Phillips's questions about the 1968 Olympics, however, in part because Carlos had to correct her assertion that he had been stripped of his medal—something he has long maintained isn't true. More »

"An Olympics Without Black Athletes": Martin Luther King Jr., John Carlos, And The Boycott That Wasn't

John Carlos (with Dave Zirin) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:00:15 EDT

John Carlos is best known as the man who, along with Tommie Smith, raised a clenched fist—the Black Power salute—on the medal stand after the 200 meter race. Carlos took bronze, and Smith gold, at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. But that moment was a culmination of months of political discussion among black leaders in America. One such discussion happened in early 1968 in New York City. Carlos explains, in a section excerpted from The John Carlos Story, written with Dave Zirin. More »

Olympic Sprinting Is Sexist Toward Men, Says Research Paper I Don't Fully Understand But Sounds Plausible

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:55:00 EDT

We knew that false starts in sprinting are triggered by a sensor in the starting block. What we did not know is that a false start can still be triggered if a runner breaks after the starting gun—anywhere up to a tenth of a second after. This is because, the thinking goes, the human nervous system can't react faster than that 100 ms, so if a runner breaks within that time, it's because they decided to break before they heard the gun. More »

Streaking At The London Olympics Will Result In A $31,000 Fine

Dom Cosentino — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:05:00 EDT

The harsh penalty is less about obscenity than the potential for free advertising on all that exposed flesh. "Olympic sponsors plough hundreds of millions of dollars into the quadrennial sporting extravaganza and organisers fear their investments being undermined." [NineMSN] More »

Australian Swimmer Tries To Cover Up Skateboarding Injury With False Hit-And-Run Claim, Fails

Brian Hickey — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:15:00 EDT

"Olympic swimmer Kenrick Monk has tearfully admitted to inventing a story about being the victim of a deliberate hit-and-run car incident. In a blow to his chances of representing his country again, Monk, 23, revealed he had broken two bones in his elbow while skateboarding on Wednesday. At the time he told media he had been riding his bicycle when a P-plate car had hit him and driven off. But today, at the pool where he trains in Brisbane, he told a media conference he had made up the story out of embarrassment." [The Australian] (H/T Tomuban) More »

Paul Hamm Is Just Another Unemployed Drunk Male Gymnast Now

Emma Carmichael — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT

The Olympic gymnast Paul Hamm has been fired from his assistant coaching position at The Ohio State University, following his arrest for assaulting a cab driver in Columbus last Saturday. More »

Here's The Dash Cam View Of Olympic Gymnast Paul Hamm's Drunken Arrest In Ohio Last Weekend

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:15:00 EDT

Paul Hamm, the gymnast who won a gold medal in the Athens Olympics back in 2004, was arrested in Ohio last weekend for allegedly assaulting a cab driver. Or, if you'd prefer the Daily News version of this story, he "vaulted into jail over Labor Day weekend after cops said he worked over an Ohio cabbie like his own personal pommel horse." More »

The U.S. Is Not Even Trying To Host The Olympics Anymore

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:40:00 EDT

"America's next chance to host an Olympics would be the 2022 Winter Games. Denver and the Reno/Tahoe area have expressed interest, though the USOC would put the same caveats on a bid for those games—that there would be no attempt unless the revenue-sharing deal is worked out and the relationship with the IOC improves." Sorry, modern pentathlon fans. [AP] More »

Drunkenly Pissing On The 11-Year-Old Daughter Of A Cancer Patient Will Cost You A Shot At The Olympics

Dom Cosentino — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:18:08 EDT

And we can all thank Robert Vietze for teaching us that valuable lesson. Vietze, 18, literally pissed away his spot on the U.S. Ski Team during a red-eye flight from Portland to New York this week. Shorty after takeoff, Vietze staggered five rows in front of him and just started whizzing on the leg of an 11-year-old girl. The girl was sitting by herself at the time because her father and sister were in the restroom. Oh, and the father? He has stage 4 cancer. And he happened to catch Vietze in the act. Needless to say, he was pretty pissed: More »

Making And Remaking History In Olympics-Addled Beijing

Tom Scocca — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:35:59 EDT

Adapted from Tom Scocca's Beijing Welcomes You: Unveiling the Capital City of the Future, available at your favorite bookseller. More »

If Synchronized Swimming Doesn't Get You Hyped For The London Olympics, We're Not Sure What Will

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EDT

The London Olympics will kick off exactly one year from today, and to build excitement for the next 365 days of unbridled anticipation, organizers and leaders gathered in the brand new Aquatics Center to watch a group of... synchronized swimmers? Well, there was also a commemorative foot molding at a train station, and a public display of the moving sidewalk for kayaks at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, and "Wenlock" shuffled his feet a few times for the cameras. But please, suppress your elation. We have an entire year of this ahead of us. More »

The London Olympic Medals Are Here, And They've Got That Weird Lisa Simpson Blowjob Logo

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:20:21 EDT

With a year to go before the London Games, they've been having all sorts of ceremonies to start the countdown. Today saw the unveiling of the designs for the medals, which will be the heaviest (though not the largest) ever handed out. More »

Who Will Get The 2018 Olympics?

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:25:00 EDT

Tomorrow at 11am EDT, the IOC will announce the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Seeing as how those Games may come around before we ever see the NBA or NFL again, I thought it would be instructive to examine each prospective host's bid. And I'll be doing this the right way: with no research whatsoever. More »

How I Tuned The Heartstrings For NBC Olympics Coverage

Emma Carmichael — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:10:00 EDT

Ronda Rousey, in August of 2008, was 21 years old. Her home was Riverside County, California. When she was 14, she had named her new kitten Beijing because she was so certain she'd be there for the 2008 Games, as a judoka — like her mother, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, who had been a world champion before the Olympics even had a medal for women in judo. I had her mother's cell phone number, in case I needed to call to talk about Ronda's career, her accomplishments, the cat. More »

The New Olympic Torch Is "An Expensive, Designer Cheesegrater"

Luke O'Brien — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:45:14 EDT

Behold its elegant fluted shape, the 8,000 fine-bore holes punched in the golden chain mail of its noble aluminum frame — each orifice representing one of the good and decent runners who will course across the UK and Ireland bearing the almighty flame to its final burn site in London. The majesty of this torch, unveiled today, is almost too much to comprehend. The British press is already referring to it as the "cheesegrater." (I imagine we'd invent a very different nickname for it here.) More »

Some People Are Lobbying To Make Pole Dancing An Olympic "Test Sport"

Brian Hickey — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Thus far, at the behest of the "Vertical Dance lobby," nearly 6,000 people "have read the Get Pole Dance Accepted into the Olympics Petition to International Olympic Committee, and I hereby sign the petition." Here's an excerpt: More »

Michael Phelps Came In Second In Something

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:45:00 EDT

There's some drama going 'round the professional swimming circuit, and Michael Phelps wants to use it for inspiration now that he's on an unthinkable streak of not winning everything by a lot. "Drama" in the swim world tends to be about as interesting as swimming itself (and with a DUI and a bong photo behind him, Phelps is nearly tapped out anyway) but we'll humor this because the upshot of it all is that Phelps isn't winning. More »

Looks Like We'll Have To Wait A Smidge Longer For The 2012 Olympics

Jack Dickey — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:25:00 EDT

On Monday evening, the London Olympic team unveiled a glimmering 500-day countdown clock in Trafalgar Square to mark the Games' impending arrival. More »

Is The London Olympic Logo A Zionist Conspiracy, Or Is It Just Lisa Simpson Giving Bart A Blowjob?

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EST

There are two dominant conspiracies behind the London Olympics logo, which, if you ask Iranians and Simpsons enthusiasts, is trying suspiciously hard to be just ugly blocky numbers spelling out the year "2012." The Lisa Simpson and "Zion" theories, as well as a swastika interpretation, emerged when the logo was first revealed — about four years ago. But Iran has only now officially denounced the design, perhaps with the help of this and other animated YouTube videos, on the basis that its interpretive spelling of "ZION" is pro-Israel, racist, and offensive. More »

The IOC Was This Close To Owning Santa Claus

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:40:02 EST

Saturday, the Russian Olympic Committee announced the results of voting for the 2014 Olympic mascots. (They picked a snowboarding snow leopard, and a fluffy bunny and cheerful bear. They're boring.) But one of the 10 nominees didn't even make it to voting. Ded Moroz ("Father Frost"), the Russian version of Santa Claus, was pulled from the competition when it was discovered that the IOC would hold perpetual intellectual property rights to the winning mascots. More »

Are The Russians Training 17-Day-Old Babies To Be Gymnasts?

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST

Last month, a video emerged of a woman swinging a baby around her head. Mommy blogs around the world erupted in disgust and disbelief, and the general consensus was that it had to be a hoax. Well, it's not. More »

Nine Chinese Figure Skaters May Not Be The Age China Said They Were

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:15:00 EST

After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the IOC launched an investigation into the ages of China's women's gymnastics team, because it seemed very possible that a few members were not women at all, but actually pre-adolescent girls. The '08 gymnasts were eventually cleared, but it came out that a '00 Olympian gymnast — Dong Fangxiao — was only 14 years old when she competed in Sydney. More »

Russian Olympic Mascots Aren't Horrifying, Are Confusing

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:40:00 EST

The 11 candidates to be the mascot for the 2014 Sochi games aren't as soul-scarring as the London duo, but...wait, is that a dolphin on skis? Is that...Santa Claus? [via Fourth-Place Medal] More »

IOC Keeps Stuffing Its Head Up Its Ass With Doping Policy

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:43:15 EST

When athletes blame failed drug tests on protein supplements, I usually call bullshit. But in this story, U.S. swimmer Jessica Hardy missed the '08 Olympics because of a nutritional supplement, and now, she may also miss the London Games. This is bullshit! More »

Well, This is Just Sad In Every Way: Tommie Smith To Sell His Gold Medal

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:25:20 EDT

Forty-two years ago, Smith set a world record in the 200 meters. On the podium, he and John Carlos raised their fists, in what would become an enduring symbol of the Olympics and the Civil Rights movement. Everything has a price. More »

Do You Believe In Owning A Sad, Bedridden Ex-Hockey Player's Cherished Keepsake? Yes!

Tommy Craggs — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:00:55 EDT

A gold medal that once belonged to Mark Wells, the last player selected for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey team, now laid low by a genetic disease of the spinal cord, is going up for auction. [Puck Daddy] More »

Laser Tag Now Officially An Olympic Sport, Sort Of

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:25:00 EDT

The modern pentathlon will switch to using laser pistols for the shooting portions of the event in the 2012 Olympics. Super cool sci-fi twist, or major puss move? More »

Who Is The Medal-Winning Olympian Turned Boozehound Law School Attendee?

Deadspin I-Team — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:30:00 EDT

We have your newest case here. It concerns a woman that won a medal at the 2008 Olympics. She's spent this summer boozing and shmoozing as a summer associate at Milbank Tweed. You must find her. More »

London Olympic Mascot Photoshop Contest: Fin.

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:45:36 EDT

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A hundred entries later, and we have a winner. Congratulations Ryan, you win Doug Glanville's book. To the rest of you, you never cease to amaze us. And keep those submissions coming; we'll continue to add them to the gallery. More »

A Roundup Of London Olympic Mascot Photoshop Fun (UPDATES!)

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:45:00 EDT

You people are clearly talented, and clearly bored. Our contest will continue through tomorrow, and we'll keep adding new submissions until then, but here's a look at the early competition. (UPDATE: We have a winner!) More »

London Olympic Mascots Are Revealed, Monstrous

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:20:00 EDT

Wenlock and Mandeville, their cyclopean eyes representing England's Big Brother police state, were unveiled today. You might as well just sacrifice your firstborn now and get it over with. [Telegraph] More »

China Stripped Of Medal For Underage Gymnast. Not That One, The Other One

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Who could possibly forget the courageous 2000 USA women's gymnastics team, who captured America's heart, and captured a bronze medal — 10 years later, because one of the Chinese gymnasts was 14 years old? More »

Juan Antonio Samaranch Passes Away

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:30:19 EDT

Former Olympic head honcho Juan Antonio Samaranch died in Barcelona today at the age of 89. We'll never forget the way he always cheered up third-place finishers by pretending to pull the bronze medal out of their ear. [CNN] More »

The Olympics Were Basically A Two-Week Freudian Therapy Session

Tommy Craggs — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:20:18 EST

NBC's final tally, via Slate's Sap-o-Meter: 107 combined mentions of "father" and "dad," 103 of "mother" and "mom," and 64 mentions of "dream" (the single sappiest word of these Games). How does that make you feel? [Slate] More »

Olympic Pole Dancing Advocates Are Super Serious, You Guys

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:45:00 EST

Every Olympics, we hear about fringe sports (and that's being generous) clamoring for inclusion. This time, it's competitive pole dancing. But it doesn't look like they have the most credible advocates on their side. More »

Your Tape-Delaympics Open Thread

Tommy Craggs — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:55:50 EST

Topics for discussion: Speedskating, the mentally ill man "infatuated" with Joe Biden who got within meters of the vice president at the Opening Ceremony, Rick Reilly on curling (forget Plaschke; this was the most inevitable column of the Olympics), double-corking. More »