4 Page 105 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Dwyane Wade Fined $5,000 For This Ridiculous Flop
The NBA has brought swift justice against Dwyane Wade, who committed one of the most egregious flops you will ever see during last night's game against the Spurs. He will be fined $5,000 for convincing the referee that Manu Ginobili has telekinetic powers. ...

<em>Joga Bonito</em> Incarnate: The Joy And Tragedy Of Brazil's Garrincha
From Eduardo Galeano's classic, now available as an ebook. We'll have excerpts throughout the week....

In Brazil, Iran Will Finally Get The Vacation They Deserve
Iran aren't a bad side. They won five of eight matches in the final round of their Asian World Cup qualifiers to finish first in their group, make the tournament, and prove themselves to be at least one of the best teams in a bad confederation. ...

The Venn Diagram Of World Cup Hopes
Project Babb, the Telegraph's World Cup microsite, has created this handy Venn diagram sorting the 32 sides by their chances of succeeding in Brazil. It's hard to argue with most of the placements, but—as usual—the real fun is in the overlaps....

Why Nigeria, Now Hardened Veterans, Will Be A Tough Out In Brazil
Nigeria come into Brazil with as much international tournament experience in the last few years as any team in the world, having won the 2013 African Cup of Nations and subsequently playing in the 2013 Confederations Cup. These experiences gave manager Stephen Keshi, a former Super Eagle himself, mo...

Argentina Have Stopped Giving A Fuck, And Are Betting It All On Attack
Argentina has long been one of the best, most feared soccer nations in the world. Playing in the World Cup is just what they do. The tournament this summer will be their 16th World Cup appearance and 11th in a row, but they haven't won it since Diego Maradona scored maybe the greatest goal of all ti...

John Oliver Brilliantly Lays Out All The Reasons To Hate FIFA
We spend a lot of time talking about what a cartoonishly corrupt organization FIFA is, but sometimes it feels like there's not enough time in the day to do a proper rundown of everything there is to hate about Sepp Blatter and his goons. Thankfully, John Oliver is here to give FIFA the comprehensive...

Belgium's World Cup Tune-Up Interrupted By Giant Hail Storm
An international friendly between Belgium and Tunisia was stopped in the first half because golf-ball sized hail stones were raining down on the players. The hail became unmanageable at around the 24 minute mark, with the match still scoreless, and play was halted for approximately 40 minutes. As yo...

World Cup Group E Preview: We Don't Believe You, You Need More People
Here's your Group E hub and open thread where you'll find our previews and predictions....

"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...