Allen Barra

Allen Barra writes about sports for the Wall Street Journal and TheAtlantic.com. His next book is Mickey and Willie--The Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age.

The Heisman Race: In Sports, How Do You Define 'Outstanding'?

The Heisman Race: In Sports, How Do You Define 'Outstanding'?

Why Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel should win college football's highest award Saturday More »

Why Has the South Dominated College Football for So Long?

Why Has the South Dominated College Football for So Long?

An unabashed Alabama fan tries to explain what makes Southeastern Conference teams just... better. More »

Sunday May Be the Beginning of the End for Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers

Sunday May Be the Beginning of the End for Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers

Legacies are on the line for the Giants' and Packers' almost-legendary (and aging) QBs. More »

Baseball's Most Fascinating MVP Race This Century Gets Decided Today

Baseball's Most Fascinating MVP Race This Century Gets Decided Today

Miguel Cabrera has history on his side. But Mike Trout represents a new standard for excellence in MLB. More »

The First Pro Football Player Wasn't Just First; He Was Also Great

The First Pro Football Player Wasn't Just First; He Was Also Great

120 years ago today, "Pudge" Heffelfinger helped start the sport as we know it now. More »

Finally, an Effective Way to Rank NFL Quarterbacks

Finally, an Effective Way to Rank NFL Quarterbacks

There's a key statistic that can help assess a quarterback's play, but it's been ignored for years. More »

Alex Rodriguez Was Framed

Alex Rodriguez Was Framed

Yes, he had a terrible post-season. But he wasn't the source of the Yankees' playoff woes. More »

Notre Dame Football Comes to Life Again ... and Again ... and Again ...

Notre Dame Football Comes to Life Again ... and Again ... and Again ...

The Fighting Irish only live up to the Fighting Irish legacy every decade or so. Why? More »

Bigger, Stronger, More Complex: College Football, Then and Now

Bigger, Stronger, More Complex: College Football, Then and Now

The game has grown and diversified more dramatically than any other sport in the last half-century. More »

The NFL Referee Fiasco Isn't About Money: It's About Power

The NFL Referee Fiasco Isn't About Money: It's About Power

The last thing pro football owners want is to lose another labor dispute. More »

Stop Making Predictions About This Year's NFL Season

Stop Making Predictions About This Year's NFL Season

As the Giants' unlikely Super Bowl win proved, it's almost impossible to guess how pro football will shake out. More »

The NFL's Preseason Farce

The NFL's Preseason Farce

The fans, players, and coaches all hate exhibition games—but the owners keep the ritual alive. More »

We May Never Know If Lance Armstrong Doped

We May Never Know If Lance Armstrong Doped

It's easy to assume the cyclist is guilty—but there's still no proof. More »

'Paterno': A Relentless, Failed Defense of Penn State's Disgraced Coach

'Paterno': A Relentless, Failed Defense of Penn State's Disgraced Coach

In his new biography, sportswriter Joe Posnanski gives several excuses for Paterno, but none of them works. More »

The Only Thing Mets Fans Have Left to Root For

The Only Thing Mets Fans Have Left to Root For

R.A. Dickey is having an amazing season pitching for a team that's got no hope of making the playoffs. More »

What's Next for Michael Phelps?

What's Next for Michael Phelps?

The Olympic record-breaking swimmer has gone from unbeatable to fallible to dominant again. But what happens now that he's about to retire? More »

Piling on Penn State: The NCAA Kills an Already-Dead Football Team

Piling on Penn State: The NCAA Kills an Already-Dead Football Team

Yes, the sanctions will hurt. But they won't do anything the program hadn't already done to itself. More »

The High Cost of Letting Jeremy Lin Leave New York

The High Cost of Letting Jeremy Lin Leave New York

The Knicks' decision to abandon their unlikely superstar is seemingly about money—but it's probably more about spite. More »

There Are No Major Sports on TV Today: Go Outside and Play Bocce!

There Are No Major Sports on TV Today: Go Outside and Play Bocce!

Why the midsummer lull is good for sports fans More »

The MLB All-Star Game Continues Its Slide Toward Irrelevance

The MLB All-Star Game Continues Its Slide Toward Irrelevance

Need proof? This is the second year in a row Albert Pujols isn't on the roster. More »

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