There’s Good Reason for Sports to Be Separated by Sex
If the practice stopped, top-level women’s sport as we know it might cease to exist.
Roger Federer’s Other Legacy
Even though rivals ultimately broke his sporting records, the retiring athlete remains unmatched in fan devotion.
Where Did ‘Synchronized Swimming’ Go?
More than 30 years after its Olympic debut, the sport was rebranded as “artistic swimming”—a controversial move that athletes fear could backfire.
Watching Olympic Skateboarding Among 20 Skeptical, Aging Skaters
Skateboarders like myself feared that the activity’s mainstream debut would change our culture. Instead, we left our mark on the Games.
What Simone Biles Understands About Greatness
In walking away from an Olympic event, the world’s best gymnast rejected the false dichotomy between personal well-being and professional excellence.
The Haunting, Ambivalent Olympics Opening Ceremony
The proceedings did anything but distract from the distressing reality surrounding this year’s Tokyo Games.
Why I’m Supporting England at Euro 2020
The squad has transformed culturally since the last time the English were champions. I’m rooting for the future it represents.
The Near-Holy Experience of Watching Euro 2020
This year’s tournament has been unlike any I’ve ever witnessed, a reminder that when soccer fans enter a stadium, it becomes a church.
The Ugly Side of NBA Fandom Can No Longer Be Ignored
The post-pandemic return of spectators should be an opportunity to reset their antagonistic relationship with athletes.
The Title IX Loophole That Hurts NCAA Women’s Teams
A little-known Supreme Court ruling makes it legal for the league to promote its men’s and women’s teams unequally.
The Best Losers in America
Forget the Lions or the Clippers or even the Knicks. No team in all of American sports is better than the Mets at being the worst.
The Sports League That Refuses to Court Certain Fans
The National Women’s Hockey League distanced itself from a Barstool Sports endorsement, sparking a firestorm about how teams should build their audiences.
Hockey Has a Gigantic-Goalie Problem
Never before in the NHL’s history has a tail so wagged the dog.
Tom Brady’s Tone-Deaf Perfection
Last night’s Super Bowl was supposed to be a pleasurable diversion for weary Americans. Instead, the quarterback annoyed viewers with his flawlessness.
When Your Hometown Team Gets a New Identity
Black fans of the Washington Football Team are adapting to a new future for their beloved franchise—and reckoning with its past disregard of Native Americans.
New Orleans’s Football Stadium Reflects the State of the City
When I was young, the Superdome was full of joyful chaos. Then Katrina hit, and filled it with despair. Now the stands at Saints games are hauntingly empty.
It Had to Be the Lakers
Love them or hate them, the NBA’s most storied franchise was the right team for this moment.
This Woman Surfed the Biggest Wave of the Year
Here’s why you probably haven’t heard about it.
The Coronavirus Is Revealing Football’s Human Cost
Amid a global pandemic, the NFL’s non-guaranteed contracts force players into a familiar choice: stay safe, or stay on the field.
The NBA Had It Coming
The Milwaukee Bucks’ going on strike and disrupting their season at one of its most crucial inflection points proves that the players’ activism is no longer a fringe movement.
The NBA’s Uneasy Return Follows an Age-Old Script
The league’s insulated relaunch in Florida amid the pandemic has a surprising antecedent.
My Soccer Fandom Is Out of Shape
A lifelong fan took in yesterday’s Manchester City–Arsenal game, and struggled to connect with his onetime obsession.
Athletes During the Pandemic Are Learning What Fans Have Always Known
As players return to empty arenas, they are discovering a basic truth: Live sports is an act of social imagination.
Baseball’s Strange and Poignant Return to TV
The first live sports games to air in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic provide a hopeful, yet harrowing, look at the future.
The Mythos of Michael Jordan Continues
With its deep archival footage of the Bulls legend, The Last Dance was always going to be epic. Now it needs to fill the void of sports writ large.
Why the Super Bowl Was a Game Changer for the NFL
Sunday’s showing offered a blueprint for a potentially dynamic chapter in professional football.
The NFL’s Most Valued Cause Is Itself
A social-justice-focused ad that aired during last night’s Super Bowl affirmed a disturbing and all too familiar truth about the league.
The Astros’ Cheating Scandal Rewrites a Decade of Baseball History
Houston’s dominance once looked like the sport’s biggest success story. Now their whole legacy is in doubt.
The Case Against Stripping the Astros of Their World Series Title
The MLB has handed harsh penalties to Houston for sign stealing, but revoking the team’s ill-gained 2017 championship is implausible.
What the Patriots’ Wild-Card Loss Really Means
Even before Saturday’s game, New England was showing signs of having been passed by.
The Two Players Who Are Breaking the ‘No-Fun League’
As the 2019 season enters its final stretch, an entertaining MVP race showcases a less restrictive brand of football.
Carmelo Anthony’s Melancholy NBA Return
After a season away, the future Hall of Famer comes back to a league that no longer has much use for him.
Unpredictability Returns to the NBA
For the first time in years, nobody really knows what to expect.
The Washington Nationals’ Persistence Paid Off
Breaking a pattern of first-round heartbreak, the decade’s most downtrodden playoff team finds itself in the World Series.
Joe Maddon Was Doomed by His Own Success
The Chicago Cubs say goodbye to the manager who led them to their first World Series victory in 108 years.
The Year of the Home Run Reaches October
After a record-setting regular season, the MLB playoffs figure to host offensive fireworks and long-ball fatigue.
Lamar Jackson and the NFL’s Quarterback Double Standard
As the league looks to the future, the way many analysts talk about black players such as the Baltimore Ravens passer still belongs to an ugly past.
Rafael Nadal Takes Another Step Toward Tennis History
After a grueling and dramatic final against tournament antihero Daniil Medvedev, the Spaniard inched closer to the men’s grand-slam record.
Bianca Andreescu’s Remarkable U.S. Open Win
The 19-year-old Canadian’s victory over Serena Williams marks one of the most meteoric rises by a young tennis player in recent years.