If I was walking down the highway with a quarter in my pocket and a briefcase full of truth, I’d be so happy. | | | | NHL Hall of Famer Paul Kariya.
(Donald Miralle/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “If I was walking down the highway with a quarter in my pocket and a briefcase full of truth, I’d be so happy.”
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| | rantnrave:// Two lines in LEE JENKINS' profile of BEN SIMMONS in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED caught my eye. "BEN SIMMONS is not the next LEBRON JAMES. But he may be the first star to fill the lane LeBron opened." It's a remix of the usual sports conversation fare: this youngster is the next version of this legend. But even in trying to dispose of the stereotype comp, the story puts Simmons in the context of James. Sometimes it seems like that can't be avoided; that our only way of understanding and appreciating players is by creating comps in our minds. The next LeBron. The next JORDAN. Next MANTLE. Next GRETZKY. Does that shortchange our experience of them? Does that lessen our appreciation? It's not a question of fairness to the athlete but to ourselves. That comp line of thinking is ingrained in sports discussion. Draft analysts use pros as comparisons to project prospects. To explain them to fans. (But why are white basketball players always compared to other white players? Is that mandated by a Constitutional amendment?) It gives us a shorthand to understand how good someone is or might be. But can be hard to drop. Watch Simmons and see a freakish lefty barreling through defenses, rare vision and passing skills, a dynamic scorer without a jump shot, and trying to pull a losing franchise into the postseason at just 21. That's pretty special on its own... TIGER WOODS is back. Again. Will he be the old Tiger? Probably not. But it's good to see him on a course again. Would be fun to see him be healthy for awhile and get back to competing for majors. Would even take being relevant on Sundays. For now, a 3-under 69 in the first round of the HERO WORLD CHALLENGE will do. Golf's more fun with Tiger. Is this going to be his last comeback?... I used to love hockey fights. Then I read about DEREK BOOGAARD. And the brain injuries enforcers suffer from. And how it can wreck lives. ICE GUARDIANS, on NETFLIX, puts a spotlight on them and whether fighting belongs in hockey. The movie does its fair share of lionizing enforcers but questions their place in the game... The US isn't in the WORLD CUP. Might as well find a new team to root for... The BROWNS may still get a parade this season. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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 | Sports Illustrated |
| Ben Simmons is not the next LeBron James, but he may be the next NBA star to fill the lane he opened. | | |
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 | The California Sunday Magazine |
| Two young female boxers and potential Olympic hopefuls balance family, school, and gender norms. | | |
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 | Deadspin |
| You already know what is worth celebrating about the Olympics. You may know this because the Olympics will not stop reminding you of them, but this does not mean they're not real. The spirit of sportsmanship is not just a cliché for the telecast, and the games really do give women athletes, undervalued sports, and lesser-known nations valuable time in the global spotlight. | | |
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 | Pro Football Weekly |
| Insane Patriots-Bills finish 19 years ago killed a life-changing 10-game NFL parlay but not the man who lost the bet. | | |
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 | Racked |
| From blue-black lipstick to fake blood. | | |
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 | Slate |
| “Eric received a message,” the source told Slate. “The comment was: Would you be willing to end the protests if they made a donation?” | | |
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 | The Hardball Times |
| Major League Baseball is an ever-evolving behemoth with independent organizations bargaining for collective rights often to the detriment of the players it employs. Inside this power vacuum, fight for control between players and ownership is the pursuit of small or cutting-edge advantages, ones which information like advanced statistics and immense data collection provides. | | |
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 | B/R Mag |
| His 24/7 is contagious, from iPads in the Vikings' hot tub to running around at home--and running circles around your fantasy team. Can you believe this guy almost sold dental equipment instead of playing in the NFL? Can you say Super Bowl? | | |
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 | Complex |
| Former Nike employee Drew Greer explains how the collaboration came about and how it wasn't a popular decision at Nike to make sneakers for rappers. | | |
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 | Fusion |
| Basketball is a big sport in Serbia, so big that some kids dream of nothing other than making it in the NBA. | | |
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 | New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
| He's conquered extreme poverty, crippling insecurity, NBA giants, and American pop culture. He's married model after model, dyed his hair neon colors, and worn a wedding dress to a book signing (where he married himself). But now, as Rodman settles again into obscurity, the question is: What the hell's next? | | |
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 | The Players' Tribune |
| “It’s 1991, you’re 35-and-a-half years old, you have two bad knees and seven months left on your contract…you’re going to become a professional wrestler.” | | |
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 | Sports on Earth |
| Georgia has not won the SEC since 2005 or a national championship since 1980. During those droughts, it has watched as its top rivals have all won acclaim, making the Bulldogs hungrier for more. On Saturday against Auburn, they get their chance. | | |
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 | The Undefeated |
| As Woods dealt with his divorce and sex addiction, he put his famous friends on hold. | | |
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 | The Washington Post |
| The Wizards sent Simmons to the line an NBA-record 24 times in the fourth quarter. | | |
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 | The Ringer |
| The head coach of the Golden State Warriors joins the show to answer some your burning questions. | | |
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 | CBSSports.com |
| New stars, new coordinators and a new attitude have Auburn atop the SEC and perhaps college football. | | |
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 | ESPN |
| MLB's new rule means that drawing an intentional walk takes less athleticism than perhaps anything else in sports. That fact has forever changed how hitters are greeted when they reach first base. | | |
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 | VideoInk |
| The NFL is using its digital deals as a draft combine for its next TV rights pact. In 2022, the NFL's legacy TV contracts with CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC all are set to expire. That gives the league four years to decide whether to return with the same team of distributors or to scout out new prospects - including going entirely in-house. | | |
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 | SB Nation |
| LaTisha Satchell, a Warriors fan, is suing her favorite team over the behavior of the team app. Beyond providing updates of team news activities and scores, the lawsuit alleges the app used the microphone on Satchell's phone to record her private conversations. She was being recorded at all times, even when she wasn't directly using the app. | | |
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 | YouTube |
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