the-nation Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Winning doesn’t change everything, ask Megan Rapinoe
“There is no level of status, and there is no accomplishment or power, that will protect you from the clutches of inequality. One cannot simply outperform inequality.” – Megan Rapinoe, testifying before the House Committee on Oversight and Reforms on March 24, Equal Pay Day...

$240K for a dunk highlight? Breaking down the NBA Top Shot craze
One of the most asked questions of the last few weeks have probably been: What the hell is an NBA Top Shot? ...

This Dude Really Served Clemson Boxed-Up Fast Food On A Bunch Of Fancy Trays
Earlier today, President Donald Trump boasted about getting a bunch of fast food for the college football national champions, who were visiting the White House tonight, and he really did it! Take a gander at those carefully arranged sauce packets in a dish on top of a tray, for no reason....

An Interview With A Good Boy
The 142nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show goes down today and tomorrow in New York City. In lieu of a preview, Deadspin arranged an exclusive sit-down with a 5-year-old black Labrador retriever named Zeal—one of the favorites in the obedience competition—and his owner, Petra Ford....

Come Show Us Your Good Dogs
Sure, there’s the National Dog Show. But let’s be honest. You, dear Deadspin reader, probably also have a dog. And while it might not be some fancy breed, and you probably have no idea what it’s lineage is, and it definitely doesn’t walk in a perfect line, it is still a very good dog. Possibly, a gr...

How Frank Deford Helped Pro Wrestling Journalism Become Very Real
To understand what Frank Deford, who died at 78 this past week, did for professional wrestling, you need to go back to one of his most famous articles, one which profiled what was, at the time, the other most popular entertainment sport in America. “The Roller Derby,” which was published in the Marc...

Some Thoughts From My Mom On The National Dog Show
Every year my mom watches the National Dog Show. I’m pretty sure she has two motivations for doing this: The dogs are cute, and my dad and I won’t bother her during it. This makes her the perfect kind of expert for Deadspin readers—experienced and willing to speak her mind—so I asked her to predict ...

The Death Of A Cowboy
Sometimes you read a story and everything about it is in harmony—narrative, character, setting, emotion, and insight. Such is the case with Peter Richmond's 1990 tribute to Lane Frost. I'll get out of the way now and let you appreciate it for yourself:...

Bill Murray, The Sports Fan
Since we're talking Chicago this week, it's a good time to revisit Peter Richmond's story about hanging with Bill Murray that we reprinted earlier this year....

Thieves of Time
Dig Charlie Pierce's story on Cool Papa Bell (originally published in The National back in 1990):...

Why Jason Collins Is More Roger Bannister Than Jackie Robinson
Republished with permission from The Nation....

The Goon Show
It'll come as no surprise that my favorite series at Grantland is the "Director's Cut" feature curated by Michael MacCambridge. He does a beautiful job and I'm always eager to see what gift he gives us next. Here's an especially good one—"The Making of a Goon," by Johnette Howard, which originally ...

Watch The World Champion USA Junior Hockey Team Sing The Loudest And Most Off-Key Rendition Of The National Anthem Ever
We won! Though we were widely considered underdogs to the Russian and Canadian teams, the USA squad made it to the finals of the World Junior Championships in Russia and triumphed over Sweden, 3-1, to take the gold medal. Not only was it hockey—hockey still exists—it was a great American triumph, ...

What Jock Culture Does To Pukes Like You
The following piece originally ran in The Nation's sports issue, on newsstands now....

And This Is Why We Need Grantland
If you haven't yet read Charlie Pierce's Grantland essay about his time at The National, you should, and not just because it's Pierce hanging out in Bill Simmons's house, and not just because it's the best appreciation of the much-appreciated National you'll find. You should read it because it's ess...

Ryan Leaf Used To Be Carried In The Arms Of Cheerleaders, Part 3,296
Ryan Leaf, having long ago surpassed the vaunted trifecta of failure, has just signed a three-part book deal. The CougFan.com columnist and former NFL player will write three books about the greatest tale of human tragedy known to sports: Ryan Leaf....

Ryan Leaf Used To Be Carried In The Arms Of Cheerleaders, Part 987
It seems like twice a year there's a new Ryan Leaf story published, updating us on the whereabouts of the NFL's bust-of-all-busts who is always on the verge of a personal rebirth. Here we go again....

Soccer Player Screws Up Royally, Joins Group Of Elite Soccer Royal Screwer-Uppers
Kansas City BulletsWizards striker Kei Kamara had an early opportunity in a recent match against the LA Galaxy and proceeded to fall on his ass and get called for a handball. Anything for a laugh....

Another Eulogy For <em>The National</em>
Bud Shaw has a nice reminiscence of his time at The National, the short-lived sports daily over which media people of a certain age get understandably wistful, at least when they're not getting wistful over Spy. [Mental Floss]...

Ryan Leaf Used To Be Carried In The Arms Of Cheerleaders. Part 87
New blue blood/great white hope, Ryan Leaf has finally kicked his silly vicodin addiction and is busy starting his life over (again) in "environmentally soothing" Vancouver, B.C. He says he's finally found the cause of his personal problems — football....