van Page 22 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Avalanche can still make it look easy. The problem is, they don't often seem to want to
It hasn’t been the smoothest season for the Colorado Avalanche. They still lead the Central Division, because the Central is the division where everyone has mittens pinned to their jackets year round. There’s the Dallas Stars, sort of, and then a bunch of teams trying to figure out how doorknobs wo...

Ranking the NBA's rookie class so far (And No. 1 is not who you think it is)
With all the hyperbole around Victor Wembanyama being the next generational talent, it’s fair no one expected competition against him winning Rookie of the Year Award. But after sitting all last season due to an early leg injury — Chet Holmgren has beaten the injury-prone allegations to emerge as th...

These are the holiday films certain NBA fanbases need to watch this season
Christmas is the ultimate overlap of entertainment and sports. The year’s blockbusters are typically reserved for release on Christmas Day, with a slew of big-budget and indie hits releasing all month. Christmas Day sees the league’s best rivalries matched up for primetime holiday viewing. ...

The NCAA's latest NIL 'solution' is nothing but a shell game
College sports’ has once again ripped off its student-athlete robe and revealed its naked capitalistic body. By leaving out Florida State because its starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in late November, the College Football Playoff Committee showed that its goal is to put the best ...

Stephen A. Smith wants to be ESPN's biggest earner
Stephen A. Smith’s future at ESPN could be up in 18 months if the money isn’t right....

The Mariners are downsizing, and that's a bad sign for all of MLB
Maybe GM Jerry Dipoto is trying to make that 54 percent a real challenge. ...

Green Bay has this winning-franchise thing down to a science
The Green Bay Packers are one of the handful of NFL franchises that has done precious little losing since the turn of the millennium. Even in the decade prior to Y2K, they experienced sustained success. The Packers seem to have a firm grasp on NFL team building, including the most important part — q...

The week in the NHL: Patrick Kane brings his walker to Detroit, the mystery of Corey Perry's demise, the Kings are Kings again
(UPDATE): According to reports, the Blackhawks have said Corey Perry was released because of an incident involving a team employee. No further details were provided by the team. Read More...

The week in the NBA: Josh Giddey accusations drama, Ball brothers injury bug, Jason Kidd loses it for no reason
When you continue to embrace a man who reportedly impregnated a 13-year-old when he was in college, and honor that same man regularly by inviting him to marquee league events (like the 2023 All-Star Game) alongside Kareem Abdul Jabbar and LeBron James, it makes it really hard to discipline a current...

Angel Reese was dominant, Kim Mulkey got her 700th win and there is still mystery surrounding LSU
LSU flew the flag on Thursday night. The No. 7 Tigers faced a deficit at home against No. 9 Virginia Tech at the end of the first quarter. But the Tigers proceed to devour the Hokies, with only feathers lodged in their teeth remaining after an 82-64 victory. This game was Final Four Most Outstanding...

IDIOT OF THE MONTH: Defending Trevor Bauer is never a good look
Hello there, esteemed reader, and welcome to Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE MONTH, the world-renowned series in which we mostly just make fun of Aaron Rodgers every few weeks. (Hi, Tom Laforgia!)...

2023 NHL plus/minus leaders
This article is based on data from Sportradar....

Billy Donovan needs to end this Chicago tragedy and get back to college hoops
One thing that became apparent during the final night of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament Group Stage was that the Chicago Bulls stink. ...

Red Wings sign old, decrepit man
There have been some green shoots for the Detroit Red Wings (how Christmas-y. Timely!) so far this season. Their trade for Alex DeBrincat has paid off so far, as Top Cat has 12 goals in 20 games so far (a 49-goal pace). Dylan Larkin is doing that thing again where he teases being a genuine No. 1 cen...

Sick, Sad World of Sports: The grim side of athletics
Hello, and welcome back to the Sick, Sad World of Sports, a reminder that sports figures are human, and as such, are no more or less prone to fallibility than the rest of us. Everyone makes mistakes, but often fans overlook a misdemeanor or even a felony, because sports are supposed to be an escape....

The Broncos are the NFL’s biggest walking plot twist
An 18-week NFL schedule creates a plethora of nexus points where the season diverts from its expected path. Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles four plays into the season, the New England Patriots crashing, CJ Stroud flying out the rookie gates, Frank Reich being fired after 11 games and two rookies ...

From Christian Pulisic to Gio Reyna, we rank the US men's soccer team
Chaos is a ladder, said Lord Baelish. Especially when it comes to international soccer, where injuries, manager changes — both with country and club — a bad transfer or run of form can shift a player’s standing with his national team within a week or two. Getting together only every month or longer ...

Deadspin Dead Ringers: Professional athletes and their celebrity doppelgängers
We’ve all heard of doppelgängers — people who aren’t related but look like one another. There’s a whole subreddit dedicated to finding lookalikes. There was a Saturday Night Live short on the subject. But have you ever looked at one of your favorite athletes, or a player on your favorite team and no...

These are the all-time NBA starting fives
While debating politics over Thanksgiving can cause irreplaceable family fissures, debating the all-time starting fives for each NBA team holds way fewer stakes. There are many different ways to build an all-time starting five, all of which illicit strong reactions. Some people prefer to choose the ...

The best fan-hosted NBA podcasts
With trust in the mainstream media dwindling daily, it’s no wonder corporate sports journalism is also losing ground. Partisanship and traffic-driven agendas have diluted the public’s trust in NBA talking heads. As anyone with a microphone and laptop can start a podcast, a DIY community of fan-drive...