“For decades, the sport has been shaped in large part by one company — and one man.”
Sports
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories by Willa Köerner, Robyn Ross, Ariel Sabar, Julian Lucas, and Dan Moore.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Start a Professional Sports Team, Win Games, and Save the Town
“After the A’s announced they were leaving Oakland, a pair of lifelong fans set out to do something audacious: start a beloved pro baseball team of their own. Remarkably, they pulled it off. Now the Oakland Ballers need to survive.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
“It’s Time to Play Ball, British Style”
“A hot dog, a Pimm’s cup and two national anthems: The cultural dissonance of watching America’s pastime in London.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Meet The New Kingpin
“With the rise of Bowlero, private equity has come for bowling — will your neighborhood alley ever be the same?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Surfing the American Dream
“There’s a new fad in the sport I love. I should have hated it. Deep in a mega-mall, I surprised myself by how much it stirred in me.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Racial Slur and a Fort Myers High Baseball Team Torn Apart
“The avalanche of broken relationships within this baseball community at Fort Myers High . . . served as a microcosm for a polarized country.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Behind F1’s Velvet Curtain
“If you wanted to turn someone into a socialist you could do it in about an hour by taking them for a spin around the paddock of a Formula 1 race.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Wild West of NBA Jump Balls
“Basketball’s most iconic tradition is also one of its oldest and most curious events, characterized by the same foggy rule interpretations, quirky styles, and chicanery as the first jump balls ever tossed.”