England’s Unfamiliar Emotion: Hope
In the wake of results at the 2018 World Cup that no one was expecting, a nation adjusts awkwardly to success.
Frontiers of Sports
Where athletic pursuit can lead
The Improbable Beauty of Lukaku’s Hop
One of the most generous and intelligent moves of the World Cup helps explain why people all over the planet are obsessed with soccer.
The Annoying Genius Who Makes the World Cup Worth Watching
In defense of Brazil’s Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior—and all his antics
What’s Different About LeBron’s Move to the Lakers
The last time the basketball star left Cleveland, the world erupted. This time around, he leaves behind a legacy that’s bigger than the sport.
What’s Going on With Novak Djokovic?
He’s perhaps the most confounding player the game has ever seen—and he enters the Wimbledon draw after emerging from one of the coldest stretches of his 15-year career.
The Yankees–Red Sox Rivalry Is Back in Full Force
As New York and Boston clash for American League supremacy, the excitement that surrounded the teams last decade looks to have returned.
Chasing the ‘Holy Grail’ of Baseball Performance
Inside the wide-ranging search—led by economists and psychologists—for the elixir that turns good squads into great ones
A World Cup Without Eduardo Galeano, Soccer’s Poet Laureate
As the 2018 tournament kicks off, it’s worth revisiting the late Uruguayan writer’s classic book on a sport he approached as both a fan and a social critic.
The Warriors' All but Inevitable Victory
The outcome of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Cleveland was rarely in doubt, even if the winner didn’t need to play its very best.
Shohei Ohtani Is Proving Himself Already
Despite the early skepticism, the 23-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitcher and hitter is exceeding expectations in just the first couple months of his major-league career.