What if the WWF became an entertainment juggernaut not despite its artificiality, but because of it?
Sports
The (Re)selling of Maria Sharapova
On the longevity of Maria Sharapova, who has built a brand beyond the bounds of her tennis stardom that has made her incredibly wealthy, but still striving for more.
The Swan (Mascot) that Would Not Be Tamed
The story of a football team’s mascot, the man inside the costume, and the town that rallied around its local hero.
ESPN Has Seen the Future of TV and They’re Not Really Into It
No matter how innovative or cutting-edge ESPN makes itself, the cable money is just too lucrative, and the costs of licensing live sports are just too great, to finally cut the cord and offer itself as a standalone internet subscription service the way HBO did with HBO Now.
Inside the ‘Tinderization’ of Today’s NBA
A compelling argument: Home teams are losing their advantage in the NBA because visiting players are partying less. ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh suggests players are using dating apps like Tinder to hook up without going to a club (and get more sleep), and they’re more serious about the detrimental effects of alcohol on physical performance.
24-Hour Competitive Rock Climbing: Finger Tips as Rough as Rhino Skin
Why would anyone want to find out how many rock climbs they can do in a 24-hour period? For fun, of course.
The Wildest Party on Earth
Eva Holland profiles the sweaty, rhino-skinned, costumed competitors of Horseshoe Hell — a competitive rock-climbing race in Arkansas, in which participants attempt to complete as many climbs as they can in a 24-hour period in blazing temperatures.
Roger Federer is Brilliant, But Don’t Ever Forget About Serena Williams
It’s always polarizing when you’re trying to designate a single athlete as the “Greatest of All Time.”
Will Roger Federer Ever Be Done?
A profile of tennis great Roger Federer, who won the Australian Open in January after five years without a Grand Slam title, and at 35 is showing no signs of retiring any time soon.
The NBA’s Secret Addiction
On how the lowly peanut butter and jelly sandwich fuelled the 2007-08 Boston Celtics to an NBA title, becoming the sweet and salty stuff of superstitious sport legend that has since spread like an addiction across the league.
