Meet the New President, Same as the Old President

If you’re still feeling warm and fuzzy about our president four years into his term, you’ve been living in a very different world than I have. Obama turned out to be a politician constrained by all sorts of circumstances beyond his control, and not particularly determined to fundamentally change America—in other words, he’s like every president to ever hold office. Full story

Manti Te’o: Another Narrative Bites the Dust

The story of Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend destroyed the ready-made image of the Notre Dame linebacker. He's no longer an Upstanding Young Man, but neither is he Harmlessly Wacky or the related Speaks His Mind About Political Topics. He may be a Student of the Game or Just a Winne… Full story

What’s It Like Being a Stand-Up Comic in Saudi Arabia?

Omar "the White Sudani" Ramzi was one of the first comedians in Saudi Arabia. In four years of doing stand-up, he made good money doing underground comedy gigs, and was featured on national TV and in an English-language daily newspaper. The catch was that despite being bored and… Full story

The Seattle Sonics’ Fate Is in the Hands of the Oligarchs

The Kings may soon be sold to a bunch of rich guys from Seattle, which underscores the fact that no matter how passionately ordinary fans feel about our teams, we don’t have a say in making sure they stay in our towns, or even in whether they exist. "Your" team isn't really yours… Full story

All Around Losing - How to Be a Man

Harry normally evades conflict by running away or nervously laughing. He would like to become a man someday, so he endured a physically draining work out with a Krav Maga expert and went to a shotgun-training session at a gun range with an NRA-certified Israeli. Watch as Harry's Full story

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What I Want from the NFL in 2013

First of all, I want football to continue to happen and not cease to exist because the world has been swept by disease/war/starvation/robots and we no longer care about frivolous things like what large men do with an oddly shaped ball. Then I want Tim Tebow to be happy. Full story

The 40-Year-Old Town at the End of the World

We traveled to Nueva Jerusalén, a town run by apocalyptic priests who say they receive orders from the Virgin Mary, to see why people there were so angry they destroyed a public school with sledgehammers. Full story

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The NFL Is Terrible This Week

A whopping 13 games this week feature either two miserable teams flailing at each other like a bitter married couple going through the motions during an argument, or a really good squad that’s already secured a place in the playoffs and a toxic, tumor-ridden failure of a franchis… Full story

America's Congress Is Cracking Up

The main issue facing the United States isn’t that the bad guys are in control of the government, it’s that the government—in particular, Congress—can’t get anything done. Or won’t, same difference. Full story

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The Ennui of Raiders-Chiefs

"Will we remember this game any more or less than another when we are taking stock of our lives in our twilight years? Or is true meaning found in pursuits distant from the field: raising children, loving a wife, helping our neighbors in times of need? Ah, well, another day…”… Full story