To win, you've gotta wheel and deal. | | | | | An empty ring at UFC 144. (tenaciousme/Flickr) | | | | |  | “To win, you've gotta wheel and deal.”
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| | rantnrave:// The UFC is going through an arduous maturation process as it moves on from upstart to full-fledged professional sports league. Which means it must deal with the difficulties and stresses of labor demands and Congressional oversight. UFC is now in a bit of a tiff with CONOR MCGREGOR, its star. It has fighters trying to unionize – understandable since ownership can hardly be trusted to act in the best interests of its talent. CONGRESS wants to govern over it like it does with boxing -- and the UFC is trying to suppress its opposition by preventing an ex-fighter from testifying at a congressional hearing. Figuring out how to wriggle through these landmines is the next step for UFC. The company has become ingrained in the sports landscape, but it must deal with internal and external issues as it tries to keep up its growth curve… Baseball writers can no longer vote for the HALL OF FAME in secrecy, and it’s about damn time. Most writers I know have wanted this – it's evident by how many make their votes public – but it’s good that the BBWAA has legislated it. Transparency matters. Sports writing, like all journalism, should try to be as open to readers as possible at a perilous time for the business… MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’s ramped up its quest to avoid increasing player salaries when it established a PAC to influence public opinion. MLB salaries have skyrocketed but minor leaguers get paid a pittance still. That MLB and the PLAYERS ASSOCIATION haven't tried to help them is foolish too. The minors may sort out who will eventually make millions – and who won't – but that's no reason to neglect the players at a time when many are struggling financially… Hopefully NBA games in virtual reality on a mass scale aren’t too far away because they sound pretty cool… LEBRON JAMES is executive producing a game show for NBC. It’s interesting to watch how he doesn't limit himself by the usual athlete's boundaries. Imagine what the next generation of stars will want to do in their downtime. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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 | Sports Illustrated |
| In one of his toughest NBA opponents, Jayson Williams has found his staunchest ally as he struggles with alcoholism and the role it played in a fatal shooting. | | |
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 | ESPN.com |
| The Raptors guard grew up in Kobe Bryant's shadow. Now, he's rising out of it to chase the Mamba's throne. | | |
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 | MMQB |
| When the NFL’s first great free-agent shocked the football world by signing with the Packers, it suddenly turned pro sports’ smallest-and whitest-market into a destination for black players and set a fabled franchise on course for a Super Bowl title. | | |
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 | SB*Nation |
| The league, and all who follow it, need to have a grown-up conversation about marijuana and the league’s policy on other painkillers. | | |
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 | The Undefeated |
| In this excerpt from chapter three of his upcoming book, The Murder of Sonny Liston, ESPN senior writer Shaun Assael talks about Liston’s uneasy relationship with the civil rights movement. | | |
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 | Unusual Efforts |
| Pinball? Yes, pinball. The struggles in other communities are the same faced by women in soccer. Oh, and the World Cup Soccer machine's pretty awesome. | | |
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 | Philadelphia Inquirer |
| The first female and fourth African American winner in the 55-year history of the award for contributions to baseball writing, she will be honored officially at the Hall's annual induction ceremonies this July in Cooperstown. Her name will be permanently inscribed on the list of writers and announcers in the Hall's Library. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| After Tom Thibodeau was fired by the Chicago Bulls, he spent the next several months on a listening tour. The strategies he learned prepared him for his next job in Minnesota. | | |
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 | The Gentleman Ultra |
| Whilst touring North America, Roma’s general manager Mauro Baldissoni (a Roman himself) spoke to Sports Illustrated and knighted Francesco Totti. “The Son of the City.” He went on to proclaim: “He’s not just a player. He’s not just the best player. He’s not just the idol. He’s a person of the family. He’s a brother…He’s a son of the people.” | | |
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 | USA Today |
| A day in the life of the Big Ten commissioner shows his investment and involvement. | | |
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 | Bleacher Report |
| The best player in your fantasy league is having his moment, but he's just getting started. | | |
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 | Rolling Stone |
| Tony Hawk and the other members of the Bones Brigade look back on the 30th anniversary of 'The Search for Animal Chin." | | |
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 | WSJ |
| As the NBA D-League matures, the Santa Cruz Warriors toil in the shadows of the best team in basketball. | | |
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 | The Ringer |
| How Luke Walton made playing in purple and gold fun again. | | |
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 | Yahoo! Sports |
| There are a lot of good things about the Nationals. Harper, even after a poor 2016, is the best of them. Which made Monday’s story (Dec 5) in "USA Today" in which a Nationals executive essentially kneecapped Harper all the more curious. | | |
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 | Baseball Prospectus |
| When it comes time to negotiate the next CBA, perhaps Scott Boras could help the players reclaim lost ground. | | |
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 | Mercury News |
| This is one way Steve Kerr kept his spirits up and kept going last season, one thing he kept repeating to friends and probably to himself more than anyone: Some day, hopefully soon, he was going to wake up and finally feel good again. | | |
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 | Vice Sports |
| The feud between A.J. Styles and Dean Ambrose, which reached a crescendo in a wild match for the WWE World Championship Sunday (Dec 4), has brought out the best in both wrestlers all year. | | |
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| ESPN.com |
| In acquiring ace Chris Sale for a package of top prospects, Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski showed he isn't afraid to risk everything for a ring. | | |
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 | TIME |
| The tech has a long way to go, but this could be the future of sportswatching. | | |
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 | via YouTube |
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