VICE SPORTS

The Mercy Rule

Hall of Lame

Like talk-radio types, Baseball Hall of Fame voters are blithely holding others to impossible standards in the most self-righteous way possible, and define “getting tough” as “accusing people you barely know of being cheaters instead of dealing with a complex issue.” The difference between them and sports radio show callers is that, on balance, the talk radio people are slightly more drunk. Full story

The King of Women Fighters

Before he watched Amanda Nunes first step into a Strikeforce cage on a chilly winter night in Tennessee in 2011 and lay out the woman across from her in 14 seconds, Chris Vender just knew her as the girl who once picked him up from an airport in Brazil. 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

Epicly Later'd

Eric Dressen - Trailer

When I first saw Eric Dressen I was a little star struck and kind of intimidated. He told me he liked my show and that the Anthony Pappalardo episode was his favorite. That tripped me out. My immediate reaction was "Do you want to do an episode?" He was down, and here we are. Full story

From NFL Cheerleader to MMA Fighter

These days, when Rachel Wray's lips are red at work, it's not lipstick—it's blood. Wray talked to us about leaving cheerleading and how she's prepping for her upcoming fight at the Voodoo Lounge in Kansas City later this month. Full story

MMA Is the Future of Fighting in Philadelphia

Jimmy Binns knows boxing. As a well-off kid from the Philly suburbs, he used to get the starch knocked out of him at a gym on Passyunk Avenue until his worried dad convinced the Pennsylvania boxing commissioner to write Jimmy a letter asking him to quit. So Binns grew up, got a l… Full story

Robert Griffin III, Teenaged Runaway

Robert Griffin III is a suburban teenage girl wandering around the city at dusk with no bra. He is too naïve to be scared. He believes in himself too much. This can’t end well, The gap in knowledge is too great. The lessons won’t stick if they come any way but the hardest. Full story

The Best Worst Cases of Player vs. Coach Violence

Manchester City footballer Mario Balotelli and his manager, Roberto Mancini, got into a mild dust-up the other day, which prompted me to think back on the most significant entries in the canon of player-coach violence. Full story

Kill the Engine

Ten Things That Happened in Skateboarding During 2012

I thought I'd close out 2012 with a list of things that happened in skateboarding this year. I don't consider myself an expert and certainly don't keep up with the staggering skate video output the internet has beseeched us with, so don't consider this a list of the best moments Full story

Prolate Spheroid Preview

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

Fightland

The Ultimate Fighter's Passage to India

The Elite Football League of India launched this summer to yawning indifference from audiences in the sub-continent and curious derision from observers in the US. Importing American football—shoulder pads, helmets, down markers, and all—to a country where even rugby is a fifth-ru… Full story

Prolate Spheroid Preview

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

UFC Ring Announcer Bruce Buffer Talks Octagons and Poker Tables

Bruce Buffer is the half brother of Michael Buffer, the guy who says "Let's get ready to rumble." He is also a ring announcer himself—the “Veteran Voice of the Octagon” they call him—and he’s as much a part of MMA as the chain-link and the sound of a gate locking. Full story

Ultimate Fighter Jonathan Brookins Is Leaving for India

Next month, Brookins will be traveling to India on a spiritual quest, and he doesn’t know when or even if he’ll be back. We called him recently at his home in Orlando, where he’s getting ready for his next, more spiritual, journey. Full story