-
![]()
HBO The Limits of the Late-Night Comedy Takedown
Samantha Bee or John Oliver may do biting, amusing segments on Trump or Syria—but fans shouldn’t overstate their real-life influence.
-
![]()
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters How MLB Keeps Its Players' Salaries Down
Baseball's labor contracts are full of technicalities that depress Major Leaguers' earnings. Meanwhile, in the minors, things are even worse.
-
![]()
USA Today Sports / Reuters Baseball Players Don't Always Make Good Managers
The sport widely continues to hire athletes with no experience running a team for the top position—but it should stop.
-
![]()
Eric Thayer / Reuters Hunger Games: The Uncertain Future of Competitive Eating
The sport should worry that it has only one popular contest and one real star—who’s reached his peak.
-
![]()
Adam Hunger / Reuters Battering the Batter
For too long, MLB has tolerated the 'tradition' of pitchers intentionally hitting the other team's players. That needs to change.
-
![]()
Allen Fredrickson/Reuters Baseball's New Parity: A Myth
Despite Bud Selig's claims, the success of underdogs in this year's MLB playoff race is a fluke.
-
![]()
Reuters The Most Dominant Athlete in a Century? A Competitive Eater
Joey Chestnut’s likely eight straight wins at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest will place him as the longest-reigning champ in any sport—better than Ruth, Jordan, or Gretzky.
-
![]()
How Comments Shape Perceptions of Sites' Quality—and Affect Traffic
Even if you don't realize it, unmoderated comments change the way you think about what you read.
-
![]()
Richard Drew / AP Baseball's Fancy New Instant-Replay System Is Useless
If MLB really wanted to cut down on umpiring errors, it could skip the bizarre rules of "extended instant replay" and start addressing erroneous ball and strike calls.
-
Chris Davis Should Be Chasing Bonds's Home-Run Record, Not Maris's
Disregarding the records set by performance-enhancing drug users like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire gives too much credit to PEDs.
-
No Sport Is Safe: How a Squabble Over Money Is Hurting Competitive Eating
By refusing to compromise on sponsorship policies, Major League Eating and six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champ Takeru Kobayashi are both losing out.
-
Baseball Doesn't Need Instant Replay—Just Better-Behaved Umpires
Fans aren't fed up with the human-error element of baseball officiating so much as they're irked by umpires' unwillingness to admit their mistakes.
-
How MLB Announcers Favor American Players Over Foreign Ones
An analysis of 200 televised pro baseball games reveals broadcasters' hidden biases.
-
The Faulty Logic Behind the Decision to Shut Down Stephen Strasburg
There's no real proof that benching the star pitcher will protect him from future injury.
-
Making Real Money in Virtual Games: The Strange Economics of MMORPGs
Online gamers have sold weapons, shoes, and spells for years using "black market" third-party sites. Now the gaming industry wants a cut of this virtual economy. Can the law keep up?
-
Should Video Game Creators Rewrite Endings That Fans Don't Like?
The gaming community's revolt against the conclusion of "Mass Effect 3" has compelling implications for the future of storytelling.
