I was in the seventh grade the first time sports writing gave me a visceral feeling. UConn capped a 39-0 season to win its third national title in eight years, and I anxiously awaited the delivery of Sports Illustrated. When it arrived, Maryland’s Juan Dixon graced the cover, but across the April 8, 2002, edition…

BALTIMORE — He led the Baltimore Ravens to touchdowns on four consecutive drives, punctuating the final one to Rashod Bateman in the back of the end zone by holding his release in the air, a move that would have made Stephen Curry proud. Yet, for one of the few times all Thursday night, Ravens quarterback…

From July-August last year, I was in Australia and New Zealand covering Spain’s Women’s World Cup win — and the scandal that followed when the country’s now-disgraced federation president Luis Rubiales gave striker Jenni Hermoso an unsolicited kiss. From months before the tournament to returning to my home in Barcelona, the experience was surreal. A…

A weekly ritual begins when the clock strikes 7pm on a Sunday in Germany. Whether over a barbecue, a meet-up with friends, or from the comfort of their homes, hundreds of thousands settle in for their dose of NFL action, much like their American counterparts. On the channel that broadcasts the German versions of I’m…

The first half of the NFL’s 18-week regular season is over and team rosters are set following the close of the 2024 trade window on Tuesday afternoon. So what can we expect from the league’s 32 teams in the final nine weeks? Which players will have big performances? Which teams will win their divisions —…

Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, who rose to viral fame for her bewildering performance at the Paris Olympics, plans to retire from competition, she told a Sydney radio station Wednesday. The 37-year-old became the subject of widespread ridicule after her unorthodox Olympic routine, which included a move in which she mimicked a kangaroo hopping that…

SAN ANTONIO — Scott Boras spoke 41 words, but one would have sufficed: No. The MLB agent’s response came after a question about whether star free-agent slugger Juan Soto would consider a heavily deferred contract similar to Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason. Ohtani’s current contract is valued…

Many of those who played alongside Michael Jordan in the NBA have described him as someone who would test a teammate’s mental toughness to come through in key moments. Some failed to meet this high standard. But for those that earned Jordan’s trust, he had little hesitation passing them the ball with the game on…

Kirk Herbstreit’s golden retriever Ben, who became beloved by sports fans for his broadcast-crashing appearances at college football stadiums and NFL games in recent years, died Thursday at age 10. Ben was diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma in March, and Herbstreit — the ESPN college football and Amazon Prime NFL analyst — said Thursday the cancer…

Picking Penn State to lose to Ohio State does not deserve a victory lap. Losing big games is what the Nittany Lions do. Like James Franklin, I deserved to get booed off the field last week after posting an embarrassing 4-5 record picking up straight-up winners. My 59-31 overall record for the season feels especially…