1 Page 308 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

"The Ball," From <em>Soccer In Sun And Shadow</em>
From Eduardo Galeano's classic, now available as an ebook. We'll have excerpts throughout the week....

Honduras Don't Stand A Chance, But They Won't Play Like It
Calling Honduras a minnow isn't fair. Sure, Honduras are likely to ultimately be outclassed and eliminated in the group stage. But the two Group E teams that advance after playing the Central American side won't be leaving the experience behind them in the knockout stages. They'll have been pushed t...

Here's Michael Wilbon Telling Jürgen Klinsmann To "Get Out Of America"
Goddammit, Michael Wilbon....

Everything You Know About Cramps Is Wrong, And Gatorade Is Full Of Shit
It looked bad, LeBron getting Paul Pierced off the court, a Finals opener sliding wetly to an uneventful end, Gatorade trolling down from the ramparts of for-profit pseudo-science....

Why Ecuador's Inspiring Trip To Brazil Won't Have A Happy Ending
If you're looking for a last-minute underdog to support, this is your team. ...

Even France Couldn't Mess This Up...Right?
In theory and on paper, France are stacked. The spine of this team is ridiculous. Their keeper is incredible. They have more powerful, quick, shockingly young center backs than they know what to do with. The center of their midfield is an embarrassment of riches nearly on par with Spain's and Italy'...

This Dude's Soccer Trick Shots Will Blow Your Mind
Trick shot artist Rémi Gaillard has a new World Cup-themed video out, and oh man is this dude good at soccer trick shots. I would wager that he is better at this than any of us will ever be at anything....


Definitive Proof That God Is Swiss
When the World Cup groups were drawn in December, many of the top seeds—Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina—were perennial giants. A few—Colombia, Uruguay, Belgium—raised a few eyebrows for, if nothing else, their novelty as a world superpower. One country in particular, Switzerland, didn't seem to be...

Poor Chris Bosh Had To Take Two Showers After Last Night's Game
Game 1 of the NBA finals was hot and miserable for everyone involved, and some of the players continued to be hot and miserable even after the game was over. One of those poor souls was Chris Bosh....

Why Do NBA Playoff Games Take So Long?
While it's common knowledge (and a common complaint) that the NBA playoffs as a whole take a long time to complete, it's often the case that the games themselves take a long time as well. Part of this is due to overtimes being (slightly) more frequent in the playoffs than in the regular season—6.0 p...

World Cup Group D Preview: Luis Suárez Is Bathing In Placenta <em>Right Now</em>
Here's your Group D hub and open thread, where you'll find our previews and predictions....

Rio Mayor On World Cup: "We’re Latins, We’re Not Used To Deadlines"
The World Cup will go off on time. This was never in any doubt, despite the requisite doom-and-gloom stories surrounding Cups and Olympics. But it has not been pretty—11 of 12 airport upgrades remain unfinished, mass transit infrastructure is well behind schedule, and the São Paulo stadium set to ho...

"The Referee," From <em>Soccer In Sun And Shadow</em>
From Eduardo Galeano's classic, now available as an ebook. We'll have excerpts throughout the week....

Overmatched, Costa Rica Can Still Make It Rough For Everyone Else
Do they have any shot? Not really. But that doesn't mean Costa Rica can't put the fear of God into the Group D favorites for a half or so....

I Found Michael Jackson In A Brazilian Favela
From Dave Zirin's newest book, Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup the Olympics and the Fight for Democracy, available now. We'll be running excerpts throughout the World Cup....

Get Ready To Hate The Caxirola
Brazil's answer to the vuvuzela? Not quite. The "official musical instrument of the 2014 World Cup" is softer—it produces a rattle, not a blare. Another thing in favor of your viewing experience: it's been formally banned from Brazilian stadiums. But that hasn't stopped fans from bringing them in so...

Italy Great; Sky Still Blue
Regardless of how you feel about a shirtless, flexing Mario Balotelli, the luxurious follicles that sprout all around Andrea Pirlo's head, or Lorenzo Insigne's textbook giocatore look of prison-chic with a €1,000 weekly hair budget, Italy do not enter this tournament as a "sexy" team. Somehow, one o...

Finally, England Have A Chance To Win Something
At long last, England's "Golden Generation" is dead....

Uruguay Are Inevitable
Many believed that Uruguay's dramatic run to the World Cup semifinals in 2010 was somewhat of a surprise. It wasn't....