draft Page 31 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Why do we keep thinking sports is the best of us, when it’s just … us?
Maybe it’s just my misconception of why people watch and follow sports. It seems like they’re held to too high a standard at the worst possible times. Because we’re asking people completely unequipped to deal with serious, life-changing issues… to say and do things that we’d imagine we do if put in ...

MLB Rebuilding in 2021: Totally luck out, and just find a great international player
Where would the Braves be without Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr.? Where would the Padres be without Fernando Tatís Jr.? What about the Astros with Carlos Correa, José Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Álvarez?...

Warriors fire warning shot to NBA by laying smack down on Lakers
The NBA season officially began Tuesday night with a doubleheader, and in the main event, the hoops world was treated to a showdown between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. One thing I took away from the season opener is what I’ve been saying all along. The Warriors will contend...

If anybody in the Pacific is going to disappoint, it’s Golden State
We here at Deadspin sometimes have differing opinions. That might be hard to believe, but it’s true, and as we get closer to the start of the NBA season, many of us have conflicting ideas on how the season will play out. For example, my co-worker Criss Partee believes that with a healthy Klay Thomps...

Week 6 Powerless Rankings: A win for the Jags, a bad week to be a Lions fan
The 2021 NFL season is starting to pick up and we’re finally starting to get a clear picture of which teams are about that action and which teams are not. We can talk another day about the teams that are actually for real. This is about the teams that are not. As we do each week, let’s take a look a...

He’s right
One of the major tenets of being a sports fan is the conflict you assume with other fandoms. By choosing your side, you actively take up distaste and antipathy for other sides automatically. The back-and-forth is supposed to be part of the fun/misery. And the way these things work, the way sports ar...

No Tyler Herro, you should not be in Luka, Trae, or Ja’s category
Yesterday, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro made an appearance on a podcast and talked about how he views himself as an NBA talent. Herro responded claiming that he believes he should be in the conversation as the other young up-and-comers in the league with the potential to be All-Stars or superstars. ...

No one cares if they can coexist
To claim that there is one tired storyline trope that WWE has to do away with is to bring a squirt gun to a massive inferno. It doesn’t cover the breadth of the company’s problems, and you probably don’t have enough ammo to even take care of the specific portion you want. And it might come down to p...

Does longevity plus consistency really equal Hall of Fame worthiness?
One of the more popular and most intensely argued sports debates that happen every couple of weeks, it seems, is the debate over who’s a Hall of Famer and who isn’t. No matter the sport, this is a conversation that can go on for hours, whether it’s happening on TV, radio, or in the barbershop....

Richard Sherman has the right message — can only hope he’s the right messenger
I was hard on the Bucs for considering signing Richard Sherman back when it was rumored, and, probably, a touch unfair. Perhaps I was too focused on the Bucs and the feeling they’re giving off of getting away with anything now after signing Antonio Brown last season, and every observer thinking it w...

Sue Bird shouldn’t retire, but WNBA would survive — and thrive — after she's gone
The Phoenix Mercury had just beaten Seattle 85-80 OT in the WNBA playoffs late Sunday afternoon when ESPN’s Holly Rowe brought Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi together on the court for the post-game interview. These two have been teammates and rivals for more than 20 years, and Bird quipped to Rowe that ...

Week 3 NFL Powerless Ranking: Jets, Giants somehow stink worse than New Jersey swamps
The 2021 NFL season is still in its infancy, but we’re finally starting to get a clear picture of which teams are about that action and which teams are not. ...

I’ll take ‘Rodgers Bounces Back Big Time Tonight’ for $1000, Alex
For sure, all eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers tonight....

Novak Djokovic’s expected coronation ended so quickly
The overwhelming emotion as Novak Djokovic simply ran out of gas in the U.S. Open Men’s final against Danil Medvedev was how fast it all left. ...

There’s a lot more you need to know about Jonah Keri
(CW: Abuse, physical violence)...

No one can beat Novak Djokovic because no one else <i>is</i> Novak Djokovic
Thank you, Captain Obvious....

After all the Aaron Rodgers drama, where <i>are</i> the Packers, really?
The Green Bay Packers had one hell of an offseason. To say it was drama-filled doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Even with all the tension during the offseason, the Packers are still a favorite in the NFC. Back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances say they have a shot....

Hey, Pep — you old scallywag, you old so-and-so — come manage the USMNT
So you need a new challenge in a couple years, Pep? Seven years at Man City will be enough? I agree. Want to try yourself at the international stage? Really all that’s left for you at age 50. Not much left to prove at club level, other than maybe not shitting yourself in the latter stages of the Cha...
![Just like the rest of the leagues… [UPDATED]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/8c1e4cfc97e3fb50092c5622d7adac21.jpg)
Just like the rest of the leagues… [UPDATED]
The Olympics ended yesterday, which allowed the president of the IOC to declare the Games a success. You could have the debate over what constitutes “success” for the Olympics all day. The actual completion of them doesn’t really feel like it qualifies, because there was never any other choice. Whic...

So how will the NHL, official partner of PointsBet, Bally’s, and MGM Resorts, handle Evander Kane?
Gambling on your own team’s games has always been the biggest line to cross in team sports. It’s why Pete Rose is still out of the Hall of Fame and probably always will be (though, being pretty much the same unrepentant asshole he was on the field doesn’t help his cause much). While it’s certainly b...