The Sporting Scene
Saying Farewell to Rafael Nadal
The tennis champion, who is likely in his last year on the tour, brought an unusually considerate—and hugely endearing—ferocity to the game.
The Kafkaesque Journey of the Oakland A’s
As the team’s current owner tries to move the franchise to Las Vegas, its situation has become hopeless and absurd.
There Was a Model for Luka Dončić. Now He’s Broken It
For years, the Dallas Mavericks star was compared to James Harden, whose footsteps he seemed to follow. But Dončić plays with a different kind of freedom.
Does the “Hot Hand” Exist in Hockey?
Nearly every hockey fan and player will tell you that, when the playoffs arrive, you have to go with the goalie who’s on a roll. Are they right?
The Baltimore Oriole Who Looks Like a Cherub and Swings the Bat Like a Legend-to-Be
Jackson Holliday has had perfect swinging form since he was three years old. As a major leaguer, though, he’s still in his infancy.
The Legend of Playoff Jimmy
For years now, just in time for the N.B.A. post-season, sure as the daffodils, Jimmy Butler has transformed into the world’s greatest basketball player—or something close to it.
How Women’s Basketball Became the Hottest Thing in College Sports
Talented and charismatic stars, including Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, and Paige Bueckers, have made the games appointment viewing.
Mookie Betts Makes Baseball Fun Again
Overshadowed by his epochal teammate, the diminutive superstar, now a shortstop, plays the game with a quick, open mind and an astonishing array of skills.
It’s Shohei Ohtani Season in L.A.
Even before the startling accusations made against Ohtani’s interpreter, the Dodgers star was seemingly at the center of civic life.