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Thomas Victor / Delacorte Press When the Tall Tale Grew Bigger
50 years ago, Thomas Berger's novel Little Big Man was unfairly dismissed as lowbrow. But as its stature grew, it boosted critical acceptance for other westerns, too.
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Reuters Germany, Argentina, and What Really Makes a World Cup Team
If America wants to become a true soccer superpower, its sports landscape will have to change. One place to start: college.
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AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar The 4 Biggest Myths About Baseball
The sport isn't in decline. Football isn't more competitive. So why do people say otherwise?
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Brennan Linsley / AP Is March Madness a Sporting Event—or a Gambling Event?
Even the tiniest of office pools threaten the integrity of the game, according to the NCAA. But the organization knows that if it weren't for bracketology, the madness wouldn't be so mad.
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David Kohl / AP Should Pete Rose Be in the Hall of Fame? Let the Voters Decide
One of baseball's longest-standin
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A Stealth Contender for Super Bowl MVP: Julius Thomas
Moving like “a sidewinder missile” in pro football's most demanding position, Thomas may be a legend in the making—and he'll be a huge asset to the Broncos on Sunday.
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Cam Newton Could Become an NFL Legend—If He Wins Now
The Carolina Panthers player has all the makings of an all-time great quarterback, but history suggests the best ones usually achieve their potential early in their careers.
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Norman Mailer, Sportswriter
A recent biography of the literary legend's life largely ignores a fascinating part of Mailer's life and career: his deep love for sports like baseball, bullfighting, and boxing.
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A&E Why Bonnie and Clyde Won't Die
The duo lives on in film after film because the ordinary couple's desire for fame, not riches, resonates through the decades.
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AP Why the New York Jets Have Been So Bad for So Long
Blame decades of mismanagement by owners and coaches uninterested in long-term solutions.
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AP The Integration of College Football Didn't Happen in One Game
An excellent documentary recalls USC's historic 1970 victory over the University of Alabama's all-white team, but doesn't dispel the enduring, aggrandizing myths about it.
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Sorry, NFL: Baseball Is Still America's Pastime
Sure, TV ratings suggest otherwise. But that metric ignores other strong indicators—like local fan-base fervor and enduring cultural relevance—that baseball still matters.
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AP Why Can't America Love a Ukrainian Heavyweight Boxing Champ?
American fans' interest in heavyweight boxing may have disappeared along with American boxers' dominance of it—and that's a shame for spectacular talents from other countries.
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AP Muhammad Ali's Most Formidable Opponent Was the U.S. Supreme Court
A new HBO film remembers when Ali was the most controversial figure in America—an anti-war icon who nearly lost his heavyweight title for resisting the draft.
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Andy Pettitte Deserves to Be in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Using Human Growth Hormone has hurt the Yankees pitcher's reputation, but his admission came before HGH was banned—and his career stats equal other Hall of Famers'.
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Forget 2002—This Year's Oakland A's Are the Real Moneyball Team
Michael Lewis built a legend (erroneously) around the unusual, thrifty management methods of the 2002 A's, but the 2013 A's prove those methods can actually work.
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AP The Sheer Absurdity of Favoring Eli Manning Over Peyton Manning
The Giants' Justin Tuck says he'd rather have Eli lead his team than Peyton because Eli "has more Super Bowls." Nice sentiment from a teammate, but a silly choice.
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Bear Bryant: The Vince Lombardi of College Football, and Then Some
Born 100 years ago today, the University of Alabama legend was the greatest college football coach ever—and he still influences every level of the sport.
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The Case for Believing in Tony Romo
Despite his "choker" reputation, the Cowboys captain is actually the best fourth-quarter QB in the NFL. He just needs to start performing in the first three quarters, too.
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Wikimedia Commons America's Most Dangerous Football Is in the Pee-Wee Leagues, Not the NFL
The United States of Football reveals the risks of football brain injuries, both among pros and in Pop Warner—where "our worst coaches are coaching the most critical position.”
