A Heartbreaking Reality for Mets Fans
Despite a fantastic start to the season that suggested the historically disappointing New York team was on the upswing, it appears greatness is still out of reach.
Sports
The Risky Business of Branding Black Pain
The commodification of civil-rights activism may appear revolutionary, but it can undermine the basic tenets of social movements. Colin Kaepernick's Nike campaign illustrates this conundrum perfectly.
Colin Kaepernick’s Shadow Still Looms Over the NFL
As the league begins its 2018 regular season, a player whose presence it hoped would fade from view is very much in the spotlight—and on multiple fronts.
Will Juan Martín del Potro Usher In a New, Younger Generation of Tennis Greats?
In 2009, the Argentine player was primed to lead a youth movement in men’s tennis and shift the demographics of the game. It didn’t happen, but he may have a second chance this year.
The San Diego Padres Found a Way to Monetize Bad Baseball
By building a promotion around poor on-field performance, the team may have offered a grim look at the future of one of pro sports’ most controversial practices: tanking.
The Athletic Acrobatics of Sepak Takraw
A sport in which athletes launch themselves into the air to volley or block a ball over a five-foot-high net using their feet, legs, head, back, or chest—anything other than their arms or hands
Randy Moss and Terrell Owens Reach the Hall of Fame
The wide receivers, known as much for their off-the-field antics as their game-day accomplishments, challenged the NFL’s domineering mores.
An Incomplete Portrait of Baseball and America
A new Library of Congress exhibition showcases the sport’s ties to the best parts of U.S. history—while overlooking some of the darker implications of those connections.
What It Means for Kawhi Leonard to Join the Raptors
Toronto fans may be upset about losing DeMar DeRozan, but the end of two franchise players’ tenures is a reminder that loyalty in sports is meant to be rebuilt.
Who Wins When France Claims the World Cup?
Three Atlantic staffers discuss tricky questions of national—and international—allegiance in sports, after the victory for Les Bleus, which some called “the last African team.”