Sports

The Murky Path Forward for U.S. Olympic Gymnastics

Officials are trying a “nuclear option” to fix the culture of sexual assault within the elite sport. But can it actually work?

• Caroline Kitchener
• Nov 9, 2018

Why Eli Manning Is Still a Giant

He’s maybe the least respected good quarterback there ever was. But for all his obvious faults, no one can say he fell short of expectations.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Nov 5, 2018

The 2018 World Series Was Good for the Red Sox—And Bad for Baseball

With lengthy games and a lack of star power, this October fell flat in many ways.

• Hayley Glatter
• Oct 29, 2018

If the Dodgers Win the World Series

A championship victory for Los Angeles would mean the team’s sustained ability to make it to the postseason—year after year—has finally paid off.

• Robert O'Connell
• Oct 23, 2018

The Red Sox Need a World Series Win

Anything short of a championship would in many ways render Boston’s entire season a failure.

• Hayley Glatter
• Oct 22, 2018

Fight Night With LeBron

Laker fans get their first glimpse of L.A.’s newest megastar, in one of the most chaotic home openers in memory.

• Ross Andersen
• Oct 21, 2018

How the Yankees Became Baseball’s Most Improbable Underdogs

The Red Sox’s ALDS victory completes the archrivals’ role reversal.

• Hayley Glatter
• Oct 10, 2018

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid Are Torching the NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs’ upstart signal-caller and oft-imitated coach have the league buzzing.

• Robert O'Connell
• Oct 6, 2018

The Chicago Cubs’ Best Player Can Do It All

Javier Báez stands out for his incredible versatility—a trait not common to, or usually required of, MLB superstars.

• Robert O'Connell
• Oct 2, 2018

How iRacing Is Democratizing Motorsports

These days, amateur speed enthusiasts can use digital simulators to compete against the car-racing industry’s biggest stars. The e-sports arena is a playground for gamers, pros, and talent scouts alike.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Sep 29, 2018

A Heartbreaking Reality for Mets Fans

Despite a fantastic start to the season that suggested the historically disappointing New York team was on the upswing, it appears greatness is still out of reach.

• Annika Neklason
• Sep 20, 2018

The Risky Business of Branding Black Pain

The commodification of civil-rights activism may appear revolutionary, but it can undermine the basic tenets of social movements. Colin Kaepernick's Nike campaign illustrates this conundrum perfectly.

• Saida Grundy
• Sep 14, 2018

Colin Kaepernick’s Shadow Still Looms Over the NFL

As the league begins its 2018 regular season, a player whose presence it hoped would fade from view is very much in the spotlight—and on multiple fronts.

• Robert O'Connell
• Sep 6, 2018

Will Juan Martín del Potro Usher In a New, Younger Generation of Tennis Greats?

In 2009, the Argentine player was primed to lead a youth movement in men’s tennis and shift the demographics of the game. It didn’t happen, but he may have a second chance this year.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Sep 5, 2018

The San Diego Padres Found a Way to Monetize Bad Baseball

By building a promotion around poor on-field performance, the team may have offered a grim look at the future of one of pro sports’ most controversial practices: tanking.

• Jeremy Venook
• Aug 30, 2018

Randy Moss and Terrell Owens Reach the Hall of Fame

The wide receivers, known as much for their off-the-field antics as their game-day accomplishments, challenged the NFL’s domineering mores.

• Robert O'Connell
• Aug 4, 2018

An Incomplete Portrait of Baseball and America

A new Library of Congress exhibition showcases the sport’s ties to the best parts of U.S. history—while overlooking some of the darker implications of those connections.

• Jeremy Venook
• Jul 25, 2018

What It Means for Kawhi Leonard to Join the Raptors

Toronto fans may be upset about losing DeMar DeRozan, but the end of two franchise players’ tenures is a reminder that loyalty in sports is meant to be rebuilt.

• Alex Wong
• Jul 22, 2018

Who Wins When France Claims the World Cup?

Three Atlantic staffers discuss tricky questions of national—and international—allegiance in sports, after the victory for Les Bleus, which some called “the last African team.”

• Hannah Giorgis, Krishnadev Calamur, and Tanvi Misra
• Jul 19, 2018

Baseball Needs Bryce Harper to Be Better

The Washington Nationals slugger, arguably the sport’s most famous player, no longer numbers among its best.

• Robert O'Connell
• Jul 17, 2018