w Page 4062 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights


At Least One ESPN Program Bans The Use Of "Redskins"
Our friend Josh Levin over at Slate made a fascinating discovery today: Back in the mid-2000s, when ESPN broadcast the finals of the National Scrabble Championship, a total of 170 words were prohibited from being used during the game. One of them was nickname of Washington's NFL franchise, which Sla...

Living The #HartfordLife: A Tribute To Fired ESPNer Hugh Douglas
After he was hired by ESPN to be a studio analyst, former Philadelphia Eagle Hugh Douglas moved to Hartford, Conn., to be closer to ESPN's Bristol compound. Moving from Philadelphia to Hartford was a bit of a culture shock for Douglas, and he used his Twitter account to constantly update his followe...

This Is Pretty Much The Saddest Game Of Tennis Ever Played By A Pro
Congratulations, Fabio Fognini! You might be ranked 16th in the world, but this was quite possibly the most amazing thing any player's ever accomplished....

Why Your Team Sucks 2013: Chicago Bears
Some people are fans of the Chicago Bears. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Chicago Bears. This 2013 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the 2013 NFL previews so far right here....

King Kirby: What Becomes A Legend Most?
Slide on over to HiLobrow and check out their boss series on Jack Kirby....

America's Most Important Soccer Player Conquers The Old World
Originally published in Howler Magazine, whose latest issue is a celebration of U.S. soccer's centennial. Follow the magazine on Twitter, @whatahowler....

History As Pop As Camp: <em>The Butler</em>, Reviewed.
1. Lee Daniels is a total lunatic of a director, a man who knows nothing of restraint, decorum or moderation. Sometimes this works for him; his Precious was lurid and garish and melodramatic in a way that fit the material, making the protagonist's sufferings feel both pulpy and weirdly real. Mostly,...

American Hero Barry Switzer Saved A Puppy From A Hot Car
What's NFL coach Barry Switzer up to these days? Oh nothing, just saving adorable animals from certain death....

Jason Dufner Sleeps With The Wanamaker Trophy
Winning a major is a big deal. Winning that first major at age 36, when it may have seemed like it was never going to happen? That's the kind of thing that makes you never want to let go of the trophy....

Iman Shumpert Releases New Track, And It's Good
Kendrick Lamar may have put a stranglehold on the rap industry last night, but he wasn't the only one to drop a new verse. Knicks forward and sometimes-rapper Iman Shumpert released "Versace (Freestyle)," and it happens to be very good....

Althea Gibson and Robert Lipsyte's Forgotten Bookmark
My friend Michael Popek owns a used bookstore and runs a site called Forgotten Bookmarks, devoted to the things he finds in old books. The site did so well Michael published a book of the same name. (Check out this Q&A we did in 2011 and this profile of Michael by Shannon Firth.)...

Tiger's Burdened Walk
Charlie Pierce once wrote a celebrated story about Tiger Woods. Now, he writes about Woods again. Slide on over to Grantland and read "The Burdened Walk":...

Robert Griffin III Wants To Play, And Mike Shanahan Won't Let him
The Redskins' season ended in controversy, as Mike Shanahan was blasted for not removing his gimpy star quarterback from a playoff game before he shredded his knee. This season picks up where the last left off, only Shanahan finds now himself at the other extreme, with one very vocal critic—Robert G...

NBA Mascot Attends Wedding, Is Life Of The Party
This is Moondog. He is one of two mascots for the Cleveland Cavaliers and he recently attended Ben and Ashlee's wedding reception....

Fan Dies From Upper-Deck Fall At Turner Field
A man is in critical condition (update: police have since confirmed the man died) after he fell "at least 30 feet" from the upper deck at Turner Field tonight. Details are sparse, but according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the man was transported to the hospital around 9:00 p.m....

The Derek Jeter Mask Is Terrifying
I don't want to go so far as to call it Nightmare Fuel, but this is a goddamned mess. It is hypnotizing in all the wrong ways....

Here's A Soccer Player Pantsing An Opponent Right In Front Of Referee
Chesterfield F.C.'s Gary Roberts was all set to take a free kick when Russell Penn of Cheltenham quietly kicked the ball out of Roberts's desired position. That's when Roberts pantsed him....

Holy Shit, Blaine Gabbert Has A Theme Song
And it suuuuuuuucks. My sincere hope is that Rick Singleberry and The Casual Lovers were being ironic when they recorded "Blaine Gabbert: The Real American," because if this was done in earnest, the Jaguars franchise should just be liquidated right now. ...

How The NHL Fit Into Whitey Bulger's Underworld Empire
James "Whitey" Bulger, formerly one of the country's most wanted fugitives, was convicted this afternoon by a Boston jury on multiple counts of racketeering and conspiracy in connection with 11 gangland-style murders dating back to the 1970s. He will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. But ...