Sports

The Change That Could Make the NBA Playoffs Watchable

The postseason is lagging in action and viewership. A skunk rule could be the solution.

• David Dennis Jr.
• May 18, 2019

Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Thinking Like the MVP

The Milwaukee Bucks’ do-everything prodigy has simplified his approach and become the NBA’s best player.

• Robert O'Connell
• Apr 18, 2019

Why Tiger Woods’s Masters Win Was Different This Time

The most appealing aspect of the golf pro’s 15th major championship is that it doesn’t quite signal a return to dominance.

• Robert O'Connell
• Apr 15, 2019

Why Female Surfers Are Finally Getting Paid Like Their Male Peers

For the first time in its history, the World Surf League requires that cash prizes be uniform for men and women. But gender inequality isn’t completely eradicated from the sport.

• Saxon Baird
• Apr 14, 2019

MLB’s Bold Efforts to Remake Baseball

Opening Day 2019 finds the league tinkering with the sport to draw younger audiences—and weighing which aspects of the game are essential.

• Robert O'Connell
• Mar 28, 2019

Baseball’s Best Player Deserves More Than $430 Million

Mike Trout just signed a record-breaking contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels. What he really needs is a team that can win championships.

• Robert O'Connell
• Mar 21, 2019

The U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team Makes a Really Good Case for Equal Pay

In a new lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, the athletes say they earn just a fraction of what their less successful male counterparts make.

• Maggie Mertens
• Mar 19, 2019

Why Zion Williamson Is Poised to Change the Course of NCAA History

It’s clear that the Duke freshman doesn’t need the league as much as it needs him. This makes the phenom uniquely positioned to revolutionize the game.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Mar 18, 2019

Two Superstars Gamble on Record-Breaking Deals

Bryce Harper’s and Manny Machado’s contracts are similarly lucrative, but they represent two different approaches to the same bet.

• Jeremy Venook
• Mar 13, 2019

The Patriots’ Super Bowl Victory Was Boring—Yet Inimitable

In a tedious championship game against the Los Angeles Rams, New England confirmed that the ingredients of its success can’t be replicated by the rest of the NFL.

• Robert O'Connell
• Feb 4, 2019

Rob Gronkowski and the Cost of Greatness

As the ageless Tom Brady and Bill Belichick lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl, the star tight end shows signs of wear and tear.

• Robert O'Connell
• Jan 31, 2019

Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open Victory Shatters the Status Quo

How the 21-year-old Japanese phenom cemented her position as a bona fide superstar—plus a look at what lies ahead for the men’s final

• Kevin Craft
• Jan 26, 2019

How the Showtime Saints Became Championship Favorites

With shrewd drafting and a style adjustment, New Orleans built a team capable of helping out its star quarterback—and winning a Super Bowl.

• Robert O'Connell
• Jan 18, 2019

A Book That Honors an Underrated Sport

The Circuit, Rowan Ricardo Phillips’s latest book, deftly chronicles tennis’s 2017 season with a joyful reverence.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Dec 10, 2018

The End of the NBA’s G.O.A.T. Era

LeBron James has just started his next act with the Lakers. But when he retires, what will become of the endless debate over which player is the Greatest of All Time?

• David Dennis Jr.
• Nov 30, 2018

In the New College Football, Alabama Is Still Out Front

As the sport gets faster and scores climb higher, a formerly traditionalist program and its star quarterback embrace the future.

• Robert O'Connell
• Nov 23, 2018

LeBron Returns to Cleveland, This Time as a Laker

With a match against the Cavaliers looming, James could be on the brink of taking a big step forward with his new team.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Nov 21, 2018

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