Basketball
Polishing a Terp: Why Maryland Left the ACC
At a time when football and its megabucks are steering athletics departments nationwide, the ACC has been unsuccessful in its efforts to build a gridiron powerhouse out of a conference whose identity has been tied to men’s basketball and the four North...
Taking a Step Back
A football player committed a murder-suicide on Saturday, and folks seem to be forgetting about his girl. In less serious but still depressing news, David Stern fined a coach a lot of money and the NHL still isn't happening. Man, this sucks.
Brooklyn Is Not Ready for College Hoops
Barclays Center has more corporate sponsors than basketball fans watching the games that take place there. Somehow Madison Square Garden is still the better venue… how is that possible?
Canadian Man Delivers Whupping to Non-Canadian
Georges St. Pierre won, the Marlins gutted their team again, and there are now 14 teams in the Big Ten. Also, college basketball began while the NHL continues to not begin. Sports? Sports. Again.
Twenty-Four Straight Hours of College Basketball Destroyed My Mind
An endless parade of crimson-lipped cheerleaders and reptilian coaches began to bleed together, and all the games merged into a single, massive, all-consuming monstrosity of competition whose sole purpose was to wear me down. Here, in the cruel light...
Nothing Stops Syrian Basketball
Coaching a youth sports team is a tough task as it is, but it gets much, much harder when the families of the players are dying in a civil war.
The Day the Running Stopped
This past week in sports saw the New York Marathon appropriately cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the NBA regular season kicked off, baseball free agency started and some important college football games.
Jay-Z Barely Owns the Nets and That Barely Matters
Despite owning the most hilariously small sliver of the Nets’ pizza pie, Jay-Z basically facilitated the Nets’ migration across from Jersey to Brooklyn. He's the team's mascot, its public face, and he's laughing all the way to the bank.
Sonics Fans Are Politely Pumped for Their New Arena
The crowd included Mayor Mike McGinn, gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee, and a guy who told me a long story about his friend Binky who he used to sell drugs to.
Mitchell Jackson Has an Excellent Jump Shot
Mitchell Jackson is a writer from Portland and a protégé of legendary editor Gordon Lish who has what his brother calls a “James Jones-style jumper with great form.” He’s also the creator of two kids, the owner of a great smile, and has the ability to...
Free Agents of Destruction
If it involves a ball, puck, or respected state university covering up a horrible pedophile's transgressions, it's in this post.
Welcome to the NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is here, and with it an opportunity to project upon a host of gangly young giants the irrational aspirations of a nation of basketball fans.