nytimes.com August 22, 2019

Did Venus Williams Ever Get Her Due?

Venus is hitting the ball, still, after all these years. Venus, the dutiful Williams daughter, who actually followed the 78-page playbook her father wrote even before she was born to make her a tennis champion.

theringer.com August 23, 2019

How the Browns and Paul DePodesta Brought Moneyball to the NFL

Two decades ago, the strategist was an oddity with the Oakland A’s. Now, he’s an archetype, applying the lessons of baseball’s analytics revolution to football one Cleveland draft pick at a time. The Cleveland Browns are the NFL’s “it” team this preseason.

bloomberg.com August 20, 2019

The Sports News Site Haters Love to Dunk on Keeps Signing Up Subscribers

The Athletic now has more than a half-million readers, but can it turn a profit? It’s a do-over, of sorts. Two years ago, while talking to the New York Times, Mather spoke less warmly about newspapers when describing his company’s ambition.

espn.com August 21, 2019

'You're the guy with the ball to the crotch': The inside story behind the funniest baseball card ever made

Keith Comstock played on four major league clubs as a journeyman reliever, but his professional career is most often remembered for one thing: a ball to the crotch.

si.com August 21, 2019

Inside story of the Bears' wild kicker competition

This story appears in the Aug. 26–Sept. 2, 2019, issue of Sports Illustrated. For more great storytelling and in-depth analysis, subscribe to the magazine—and get up to 94% off the cover price. Click here for more.

edge.org August 24, 2019

Edge.org

The sophisticated "scientific concept" with the greatest potential to enhance human understanding may be argued to come not from the halls of academe, but rather from the unlikely research environment of professional wrestling.

theringer.com August 21, 2019

‘NCAA Football’ Is Still Alive, Because One Online Community Won’t Let the Game Die

EA Sports stopped issuing new versions of its beloved college football title in 2013. But you can still play the video game with updated rosters—thanks to the tireless efforts of an unlikely group of caretakers.

theringer.com August 23, 2019

The Future Star Who Got Away From Each MLB Team

As breakout performers pop up around the league, every club can look back on at least one player it let leave too early, only to rue the mistake Gio Urshela spent the past few weeks showing his previous employers what they’re missing.

newsweek.com August 22, 2019

Meet Henry Orenstein, the Man Who Changed How the World Plays

Orenstein's letter to President Ronald Reagan, published in The New York Times, April 22, 1985. Henry marveled at the ludicrous scene—cadaverous prisoners, selected for their "expertise" and tasked with inventing secret weapons for the Nazis, were doing work that wouldn't tax a third-grader.

theringer.com August 21, 2019

Are We Sure … the Magic Won’t Make a Leap?

This offseason, Orlando doubled down on the core that won one first-round playoff game. But look closer and you’ll see a team that could be a contender in the East next season. The NBA offseason established a bunch of new story lines that require closer inspection.