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Dale Earnhardt Owned the NASCAR Spotlight — and Still Does
The Intimidator was iconic. He was also NASCAR’s most consistent, versatile and dominant driver when the lights were brightest.
 • Neil Paine
The NBA Knows How to End Tanking — But It May Not Want To
Severing the link between draft order and record would curb incentives to tank overnight. But doing so might cost the league something it values more.
 • Neil Paine
Ilia Malinin and the Curse of the American Olympic Coronation
Anointed as America's next Olympic icon, Malinin instead joined the long history of U.S. stars undone by the weight of expectation.
 • Neil Paine
🏅 Who's Winning The 2026 Olympic Medal Race — And Who's Beating History?
A look at which nations are outperforming (or falling short of) their historical share of Olympic medals in 2026 events completed so far.
 • Neil Paine
🏁 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Rankings 🚗
Tracking the top drivers in the sport, all season long.
 • Neil Paine
The Seahawks' Next (and Harder) Task: Avoid Being a One-Off
For Seattle, winning the Super Bowl may have been the easy part, compared with the complications that lie ahead.
 • Neil Paine
Seattle’s "Dark Side" Defense Joined the Legion of Boom in Super Bowl Lore
Seattle’s latest championship was built the same way as its last — by overwhelming a Super Bowl opponent with historic defense.
 • Neil Paine
Which Countries Define the Winter Olympics?
You may only watch these sports once every four years, but the medal table follows familiar patterns — from Norway’s cross-country machine to America’s…
 • Brendan Farrell and Neil Paine
Will the NHL Pick Up Where It Left Off After the Olympics?
After tonight, the league won't play again for another 20 days. Let's look at what happened after previous long leaguewide pauses.
 • Neil Paine
Who Would Get the Most Out of a Trade-Deadline Upgrade?
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday afternoon, and some teams could benefit from adding talent more than others.
 • Neil Paine
The Paradox of Sports Video Gaming
We all want more competition... but do we want what it takes to get it?
 • Neil Paine
How the Patriots and Seahawks Got Back To the Super Bowl
Eleven years after Malcolm Butler's interception sent the franchises down radically different paths, New England and Seattle have come all the way back…
 • Neil Paine
Patriots-Seahawks Could Have Been St. Louis vs. Anaheim
And other assorted weirdo curiosities before Super Bowl LX kicks off on Sunday.
 • Neil Paine
The Seahawks Are Huge Super Bowl Favorites (*by current-day standards)
The days of big Super Bowl favorites are over, making Seattle’s 4.5-point spread about as lopsided as these games get anymore.
 • Neil Paine
What to Watch for in Super Bowl LX
Early takeaways for Super Bowl LX, from Seattle's forecast edge and Sam Darnold's vindication to dilemmas around the recent play of Drake Maye — and the…
 • Neil Paine
Can Arizona Finally Act Like the Best Team in the Country?
The Wildcats have been dominant — but a long history of tournament underperformance hangs over a season that, otherwise, feels different from the rest.
 • Neil Paine
The Maple Leafs Can’t Escape the Bubble
That goes for both the playoff race — where Toronto's odds have hovered around 50-50 for months — and a franchise stuck between pushing forward and…
 • Neil Paine
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