nf Page 864 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Know Your (Non-Major) Conference Champions
As you know, the first two rounds of March Madness—well, the first two real rounds—together constitute the best sports event of the year. In 48 games, teams you've maybe only vaguely heard of get their chance to knock off the teams you've heard too much of, and every year you're rewarded with at lea...
Why Is Everyone Eulogizing The Big East Tournament? It's Not Going Anywhere.
Here we go again. This week's Big East tournament, we're being told, will be the last of its kind. The league is being torn asunder in this new, mutable world of college athletics in which money, suddenly, is a priority. It's a shame and a sin, the eulogies say, with the wistful, shattered air of a ...
Fan Makes Layup, Free Throw, Half-Court Shot, <em>Forgets To Take Three-Pointer</em>, Does Not Win $50,000
At halftime of Sunday's Missouri Valley Conference final, a 24-year-old student made the shot of his life. Alex Permann needed to hit, in order, a layup, a foul shot, a three, and one from center court, all within 24 seconds, in order to win $50,000. After he sank his half-courter, he thrust his arm...
Pranksters Record Two NFL GMs Discussing Free Agency Over The Phone
It's a brilliant prank, and it never should've worked. How did a couple of 20-year-olds listen in on two NFL executives talking shop the day before free agency began? A little luck, great timing, and a 73-year old general manager who doesn't really understand how telephones work....
Michael Vick Cancels Book Tour Because Of Death Threats
Vick was scheduled to sign copies of his book, “Michael Vick: Finally Free," in three Barnes & Noble locations in Atlanta, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That's not accidental, those areas are probably the only places in the country where at least some people like him....
49ers Trade For Anquan Boldin, Give Up Basically Nothing
That other super-talented NFC West team landed its own star receiver this afternoon, as the 49ers have acquired Anquan Boldin from Baltimore. The deal won't become official until Boldin passes a physical, and he's currently in Africa, but according to the Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson, the Ravens wil...
The Percy Harvin Trade Is Great News For Football And Horrible News For Me
Percy Harvin is headed to Seattle. Let's deal with this news, first with reason and then with angry, drunken homerism....
Mark Sanchez Has "A Leg Up" On The Jets Quarterback Competition
You know spring is here when the Jets are assuring everyone that Mark Sanchez is and will remain their starting quarterback, but if literally anyone else would just step up and play competently the job would be theirs. Except you, Tebow....
Seahawks Trade For Percy Harvin
Seattle, just two points from the NFC Championship game, gets another fancy toy for its emerging star quarterback to play with. The Seahawks have acquired Percy Harvin from Minnesota for draft picks, and just like that, the two early favorites for 2013 are both in the NFC West....
Which Athlete Did Freddie "FredEx" Mitchell Ensnare In His Low-Rent Tax Evasion Scheme?
Former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who is mostly known for catching one long pass and giving himself a catchy nickname, has been facing tax evasion and fraud charges since March of last year, and pled guilty to filing a false tax claim yesterday. That crime carries a maximum penalty of te...
Here's A Picture Of Rob Gronkowski Hanging Out With Some Girls In A Boston Hotel
A friendly tipster writes in: "is this the Gonk with 8 party girls in a Boston hotel room last night? I'll let you decide." Thank you. Short answer: No. But it does look to be Rob Gronkowski hanging out in a hotel room with five (four and a half?) girls, plus the one that took the picture, so we're ...
West Virginia TV Station Graphic Refers To WVU Football Coach As "Dana Horsewomen"
West Virginia's not known for its excelsior journalism, but Charleston/Huntington NBC affiliate WSAZ has long been the flagship for getting it right in the Mountain State and is, seriously, a fantastic news operation. Alas, the auto-correct bug can bite even the most seasoned TV vets, as we assume...
“Are You A Nerd?” And Other Questions We Asked Our Fellow Nerds At The Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Last weekend, I went to the sixth annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Attendance has gone up every year, and it gets harder and harder to get a feel for who actually goes to this thing: Why were they there? Were they still all sabermetrics geeks? High-powered businessmen? To find out, I di...
How Roger Goodell Helped Turn NFL Players Into Gay Rights Activists
Originally published in Bloomberg View...
The Old Big East Is Considering A Suitably Bland New Name
With the Big East ceding its name to the breakaway faction of basketball schools known as the Catholic 7, the old, orphaned Big East has until July 1 to come up with something to call itself. And while there's been no official announcement, ESPN's Brett McMurphy is reporting that the a favorite has ...
What Can You Learn From The Carolina Panthers' Leaked Financials? Ask A Sports Economist
There's still a lot to unpack in the Carolina Panthers' financial statement, which we published Thursday. That document showed the team bringing in $112 million in operating profit over a recent two-year period, one that saw owner Jerry Richardson pleading hardship on behalf of his fellow NFL plutoc...
Colin Farrell, <em>Dead Man Down</em>, And Why It's Pointless For Bloggers To Give Actors Career Advice
It's common for film sites to do some kind of "career advice" column where they analyze a Hollywood star's trajectory and try to figure out what kinds of roles the actor should or shouldn't be doing. Will and I used to do this for The Projector, so I understand the impulse: You see a career that may...
![Leaked NFL Documents: While Owner Cried Hardship, Carolina Panthers Had $112 Million Profit Over Two Years [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/18h65th5j6p4fjpg.jpg)
Leaked NFL Documents: While Owner Cried Hardship, Carolina Panthers Had $112 Million Profit Over Two Years [UPDATE]
In 2010 and 2011, as the NFL prepared for and staged a lockout of its players, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was among the hardest of the hardliners, urging his fellow owners to "take back our league" by demanding a more management-friendly collective-bargaining agreement....