Tag: Sports

Like Michael Scott stepping out on “The Office” and shouting, “I declare bankruptcy!” — convinced that would wipe out his old debts — Washington Football Team officials will appear on the “Today” show Wednesday morning and declare the new name for the franchise, hoping it will wipe away the bad memories created by owner Dan Snyder. But when Wednesday’s made-for-television moment of collective back-patting is over, Snyder’s debts, just like Michael Scott’s, will remain. The man who rang up all those bills — the decades-long toll of dysfunction, destruction and disgust — will still be in charge. Maybe, for symmetry, they’ll bring in disgraced former “Today” show host Matt Lauer to help with the announcement. No matter what the franchise’s new alias, people want answers. One day after the a...

When Grand Slam title No. 21 belonged to him, when the Australian Open final was over after 5 hours, 24 minutes of twists and turns and he somehow completed a comeback from two sets down, Rafael Nadal dropped his racket to the court, covered his face with his taped-up fingers, then shook his head and smiled. “Just unforgettable,” is how he described his 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Daniil Medvedev, a result that seemed particularly unlikely when Nadal faced three break points midway through the third set. Tapping his heart with his right hand, Nadal added: “One of the most emotional matches of my tennis career, without a doubt. Means a lot to me.” This was, in various respects, a fitting way for Nadal to set himself apart, at least for the moment, from Roger Federer and Novak...

The Cheated Generation finally got handed the check Tuesday. Their heroes, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, were passed over by baseball writers for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the 10th and final time — and it was like that moment when the mark realizes he’s just been scammed: Pain. Anger. Lingering disbelief and delusion. “Keeping … those guys out,” wrote Chris Vannini of The Athletic, on Twitter, “tells my generation that our childhood stars and memories don’t actually count. Just my opinion, but that does more long-term damage than letting them in would do.” He’s right about the vote sending a message, but the point isn’t about destroying a generation’s dreams. It’s about standing for the truth, painful though that might be. It’s about telling a generation of fans — and write...

When LeBron James scored his sixth point on Tuesday during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game at Brooklyn, it meant he had reached 36,387 in his career. That put him 2,000 points shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Start the countdown. It’s no longer a question of if James will pass Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, but when. At his current pace, it’s possible that James may move into the No. 1 spot by this time next season, maybe even a bit earlier. “As I’ve continued to climb the ranks, it is natural, human, to look at it and see where you are and see if it’s even possible, see if you’re capable,” James said. It’s more than possible. He’s more than capable. James is going to get a taste of what it’s like to catch Abdul-Jabbar in the next few games. When talking about official record...

Aaron Rodgers seemed tired and uninterested, almost as if working overtime to spread fake science and conspiracy theories was more important to him than getting the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady didn’t look much better. He was beaten up and aging quickly on the field in Tampa Bay - until suddenly he wasn’t. They both ended up losers on a NFL playoff weekend that might have been the most entertaining ever. And they both left their respective fields unsure of where they will be playing next year - or if they will be playing at all. Not that it matters all that much. In an epic round of playoff games, the young quarterbacks showed the NFL will be in good hands for years to come. Patrick Mahomes outdueled Josh Allen and the Bills in a game so good it should have been a Super...

The Olympic Charter runs 112 pages and reads like something Gwyneth Paltrow would have written if she were in charge of the Games instead of Goop. “The goal of Olympism,” the charter reads, “is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” OK, forget about all that high-minded stuff. The International Olympic Committee and their Chinese handlers abandoned any such appeals not long after the bid was awarded in 2015. Forget about all the human-rights abuses in the host nation since then, too. With two weeks left until opening ceremonies, the sales pitch has been pared down to “the Games must go on,” because we all need a diversion right about now. True enough. What the...

A conservative media watchdog group launched a billboard campaign Thursday outside Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters, calling on the soft drink giant to explain its sponsorship of the upcoming Beijing Olympics in light of China‘s human rights abuses. Accuracy in Media accused the company of hypocrisy with a billboard displaying the phrase: “Why does Coke support genocide?” The group notes that Coke condemned its home state of Georgia for implementing a new Republican-authored voting law and supported Major League Baseball’s decision to strip Atlanta of the All-Star Game because of the law — yet the multinational remains a major sponsor of the Beijing Games, “despite the fact that China is the greatest source of evil in our world.” “Coke claims to celebrate diversity but their hypocrisy is...

At this time two years ago, Emma Raducanu was participating in the Australian Open junior event - and losing in the first round. A year ago, she was keeping tabs on Melbourne Park via TV, holed up at home in England, a teenager taking a break from the tour while studying for high school exams. Look at her now. On Tuesday, Raducanu, still just 19, was on a show court at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament … as a reigning Grand Slam champion … facing a past Grand Slam champion … going three sets for the first time in a Grand Slam match … and pulling out the victory. Everything has come dizzyingly quickly for someone who went from the qualifying rounds to the trophy at the U.S. Open four months ago, and yet she views herself as a work-in-progress who needs to keep building her game. If th...

While other baseball teams were making high-profile free agent signings before the game closed up shop due to the owner’s lockout in their labor dispute — Max Scherzer to the New York Mets was particularly painful — the Washington Nationals were doing their grunt work, signing a one-year deal with infielder Cesar Hernandez and bringing back infielder Alcides Escobar on a one-year deal. These were solid deals, but no press conferences and nothing in particular to make their fans feel encouraged about climbing back from their last-place finish 65-97 in 2021. But Washington made a big splash last week doing international business, landing one of the prize young free agents and one of the top prospects in the pool — Cuban outfielder Cristhian Vaquero, who came to the Dominican Republic in 2020...

Novak Djokovic’s loss in a court of law is also a loss for the Australian Open, a loss for tennis fans and a loss for the sport as a whole. Setting aside, for a moment, everything that led to his deportation from Australia on Sunday — a fundamentally hard-to-fathom reason for any athlete to be forced to sit out any event — who wouldn’t want to see the player who dominated men’s Grand Slam tennis in 2021 competing for what would be a historic title to begin 2022? Unaccustomed to defeats on a big stage, especially lately, he could have pursued his 10th trophy at Melbourne Park, which would break his own record, and his 21st overall from all major championships, which would break the men’s mark he shares with Rafael Nadal (who is in Australia) and Roger Federer (who is not, followin...