california Page 2 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Why did Bronny James pick USC?
Bronny James finally made his long-rumored commitment to USC official this weekend, after months of speculation that indicated he was staying local to suit up for the Trojans. Weeks ago, James’ list of schools was whittled down to Ohio State, which sounded more like his dad living vicariously throug...
The 'steal' of the 2023 NFL Draft
I remember a lot from my time in journalism school. It set the foundation for my career with tons of great professors who were happy to pass along their knowledge. Guess I was sick or had a head-splitting hangover the day the “steal from the people you’re covering” lesson took place. What are they t...
Tell me you want out of Oakland without telling me you want out of Oakland
One city’s trash is Las Vegas’ treasure. The Oakland Coliseum has been a steaming pile of a ballpark for decades. After numerous skirmishes with the city over Byzantine budgets, funding, public subsidies, and potential sites for a new Oakland-area stadium, the Athletics announced the purchase of 49 ...
Warner Bros. is using <i>Dr. Pimple Popper</i> to ruin the NBA Playoffs
Some of us are old enough to remember when the television parental guideline ratings first debuted. The only programs that weren’t subject to the rating system were news and sportscasts. Athletics and information, what could possibly be inappropriate for children there? How about a grotesque mass of...
Sacramento arena security tells Bay Area rap legend E-40 when to go
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings began their northern California playoff battle Saturday night at Golden 1 Center in Sactown, and it surpassed the hype. They were the main event during a full day of opening-round postseason matchups, and the NBA certainly did right with its scheduling,...
Michael Bidwill is in full denial mode — just like his buddy Brett Kavanaugh
No one likes being accused of things. But, nobody despises it like white men — especially the rich ones. Almost five years after then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh threw a temper tantrum when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee — due to being publicly accused of sexual miscond...
UConn did not get the memo about March Madness
After everything this NCAA men’s tournament has had to offer. After all the one seeds fell. After an Ivy League school made the Sweet 16. After a Conference USA team made the Final Four. After 62 other schools lost, we get a blueblood in the title game. The UConn Huskies aren’t just advancing, they’...
Light the beam: The Sacramento Kings on pace for historic offensive output
It’s well past time for a media mea culpa on the Sacramento Kings. That means myself included. Prior to the season, The Athletic’s John Hollinger had the Kings finishing 10th in the West, FiveThirtyEight’s Jared Dubin predicted they’d finish 16 games under .500 and in 12th. DraftKings, Vegas sportsb...
America owes Max Kellerman a collective apology over his Tom Brady 'cliff theory'
In the Summer of 2016, Max Kellerman predicted that Tom Brady’s skill would fall off a cliff. “Tom Brady’s just about done. It could be his next game he plays, it could be a year from now, but he is going to fall off a cliff. Tom Brady is going to be a bum in short order.”...
People were wiping out at SoFi during the college football national championship
Someone should have told the designers of SoFi Stadium that “It never rains in Southern California,” by Tony! Toni! Toné!, was not meant to be taken literally. Sadly, that didn’t happen before the college football national championship....
Derek Carr wasn’t that ‘mothaf*cker’ and now he’s not the Raiders’ starting quarterback
Getting suplexed by the lowly Steelers and Kenny Pickett on Sunday Night Football finally broke the spell Derek Carr has on the Raiders. On Wednesday, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels decided to bench the Raiders’ starting quarterback of the last nine years for the final two weeks of the regular se...
IDIOT OF THE YEAR No. 10: John Stockton
For a player with such a high IQ on the basketball court, John Stockton’s lack thereof when it comes to science is simply astonishing. Stockton’s public image took a hit with many in 2022 for his vaccine idiocy, especially early in the year....
Naming Pat McAfee Sports Media Person of the Year is an indictment of us all
This is not (totally) a hit piece on Pat McAfee. It’s more about how we should categorize what McAfee does, because The Athletic — you know that sports site owned by The New York Times — named him its Sports Media Person of the Year, and that implies that he’s a journalist....
The transfer window coinciding with bowl season is as profoundly stupid as it sounds
Unlike most people, I enjoy bowl season. Despite how irrelevant it is to the final outcome of the season, eclectic matchups are the best kinds of matchups. They determine bragging rights for people whose values still align with those of their conference. Programs who only schedule cream puffs when i...
Here’s how the Sacramento Kings became the NBA’s team of redemption
Kings Nation has been through the wringer for the past 16 years. The Sacramento Kings may be poised to end their postseason drought and the path forward is illuminated in a unique way by an unusual group. During the offseason, owner Vivek Ranadivé had the brightest full-color laser equipment in the ...
A College Football Playoff bid is on the line for USC the next three weeks
It’s the penultimate week of college football’s regular season, and I’ll give you four guesses as to which conference has the most ranked teams. I’d like to thank SEC fans for their quick response, but nope, it’s not them. Big Ten fans aren’t even chiming in because one of their two divisions doesn’...
Aaron Patrick is pulling a Reggie Bush
By signing an NFL contract, players assume a significant risk. Injury is commonplace in all athletics, but football is a collision sport. Combine the contact of combat sports with stopping, accelerating, and the changing of direction required in basketball, and a significant number of injuries are e...