[USA Gymnastics'] biggest priority from the beginning, and still today, is their reputation, the medals they win, and the money they make off of us. I don’t think that they care. | | | | Novak Djokovic isn't often caught off balance.
(Michael Dodge/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “[USA Gymnastics'] biggest priority from the beginning, and still today, is their reputation, the medals they win, and the money they make off of us. I don’t think that they care.”
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| | rantnrave:// "American soccer is not accessible to everyone." That's a striking start to KEVIN MCCAULEY's story on how US SOCCER ignores talent from minority communities. It's a hell of a way to get your attention. US Soccer is in a difficult place right now. No need to rehash the last few months but losing JONATHAN GONZALEZ to MEXICO was a particularly hard hit for the USMNT. It seems like that was less an outlier and more of a symptom. US Soccer can't afford to lose talent for any reason, let alone through negligence and arrogance. Its unwelcoming pose towards dual-nationals has always been troubling. TIM HOWARD questioned their excitement about representing the US. Former coach BRUCE ARENA has had his own issues relying on dual-nationals. There are legitimate questions about US Soccer's development system and how it rears players, but that's separate from accepting all players and the othering that's present in US society. The next president of US Soccer will be vital in diagnosing these problems and fixing them. If US Soccer wants to rely on homegrown players and not scavenge for free agents, it shouldn't denigrate the ones who do want to play for the USMNT. Ignorance won't be rewarded on the pitch... Can eSports compete with the NBA or NFL? The OVERWATCH LEAGUE, with teams in 12 cities worldwide, thinks it can. Can it live up to its own hype? SportsSET: "Is Overwatch League the Future of (e)Sports?"... We have the same policy at REDEF headquarters... The evasive tricks NHL teams play with their injury reports never made sense. Trying to disguise injuries by limiting them to lower or upper body injuries always seemed like petty gamesmanship and not productive. It might be dangerous for the players, so all praise to STARS coach KEN HITCHCOCK for ending this charade. The fewer lies, the better... FLORIDA ATLANTIC's new offensive coordinator is 24 years old. He's also CHARLIE WEIS' son. LANE KIFFIN, never boring... ADAM RIPPON vs. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE. Will we see more antagonism towards the US government from its athletes ahead of the OLYMPICS? Pence will lead the US Olympic delegation in SOUTH KOREA... RIP TYLER HILINSKI. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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 | REDEF |
| Can eSports compete with the NBA or NFL? The Overwatch League, with teams in 12 cities worldwide, thinks it can. Can it live up to its own hype? | | |
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 | Origins with James Andrew Miller |
| In today’s crowded content universe, how does a new idea break out to become a celebrated brand? What do filmmakers covet most? (Hint: It’s not money). Discover the story behind all the stories care of Barry Levinson, John Skipper, Bill Simmons, and many more. Welcome to the 30for30 on 30for30. | | |
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 | SB Nation |
| American soccer is not accessible to everyone. "I don't think we have enough people in the federation who understand Hispanic or African-American communities to have conversations with them and make them feel like they're part of the American soccer community," says Hugo Perez. | | |
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 | The Ringer |
| The newly launched Overwatch League presents an unfamiliar dilemma for fans and players alike: Can an esports team truly represent a city and secure its support if it has no real roots in the region? The Wilpon-owned New York Excelsior are about to find out. | | |
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 | The Verge |
| An ambitious bet from Blizzard. | | |
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 | Deadspin |
| When Allison Janney won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Tonya Harding's mother LaVona Golden in I, Tonya, she made sure to shout out Harding, who sat in the audience that night. This was not just a passing thought. | | |
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 | The New Yorker |
| In basketball, aesthetic pleasure usually comes by way of difference. But sometimes the stars align. | | |
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 | The Washington Post |
| When Dallas Stars Head Coach Ken Hitchcock departed from a favored practice by many of limiting injury details to ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ body designations, it opened questions about what good is provided from withholding injury information. And what harm it could cause. | | |
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 | Dame Magazine |
| 150 athletes have accused Larry Nassar of sexual assault and abuse-among them Aly Raisman and Simone Biles. So why is this not the biggest sports scandal of all time? | | |
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 | Sports Illustrated |
| Wikipedia strives to document the truth in a neutral way, which makes the ongoing battle over UCF’s national championship claim … complicated. | | |
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 | CBS News |
| The best-selling author's latest book is due out on January 22 | | |
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 | San Francisco Chronicle |
| When Warriors fans look at West, they see a center who excels as the fulcrum for head coach Steve Kerr’s movement-heavy system. They see a 37-year-old who plays with a fervor that belies his age, and averages seven points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 13.3 minutes per game. What they don’t see is the deep-thinking introvert who, midway through his 15th NBA season, is a self-taught expert on African American history. | | |
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 | Plattform Produktion |
| We sought to capture people facing a difficult situation, to make a portrait of humans in doubt. We found 67 people who had never been on a 10-meter (about 33 feet) diving tower before, and had never jumped from that high. We paid each of them the equivalent of about $30 to participate — which meant climbing up to the diving board and walking to its edge. We were as interested in the people who decided to climb back down as the ones jumping. | | |
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 | Los Angeles Times |
| Grit and daring have made 17-year-old Chloe Kim of La Palma a wunderkind in her sport. The first woman to land back-to-back 1080s - two triple-spins in a flash - she is expected to medal at the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics. | | |
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 | Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Meet the Eagles' stain guards. | | |
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 | Outside Online |
| The 92-year-old gear innovator, guide, and teacher has fished with everyone from Ernest Hemingway to Tom Brokaw to Yvon Chouinard to Fidel Castro | | |
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 | Vice Sports |
| Rippon, who finally qualified for the Olympics on his third try, will be the first out gay man to represent the USA in the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018. | | |
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 | Golf |
| I once told the musician T Bone Burnett that one of the things I like most about golf is how it fosters friendships. In response, T Bone wrote, "You could say the same thing about Renaissance Faires or Civil War reenactments. Or anything, really. What I love most about golf is the solitude of it. You initiate every action — alone." | | |
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 | FanGraphs |
| The story of the offseason thus far has been the lack of activity on the free-agent market. As has been thoroughly covered elsewhere, this offseason is the slowest in recent memory, with seven of FanGraphs' top-10 free agents still unsigned halfway through January. | | |
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 | GQ |
| What if Kyrie is the last sane one in a world that's gone completely mad? | | |
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 | YouTube |
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