HEAVY LIFTING
College football is phasing out two-a-day practices. While that’s good news for players’ health, it obscures a darker side to the modern game.
Evin Demirel, an Arkansas-based writer, has written for the likes of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the New York Times, Sporting Life Arkansas and SB Nation Longform. He's really into sports and history.
REMEMBER
150 years ago, 1,800 passengers on the steamship Sultana—mainly Andersonville POWs—died. The deaths were overshadowed by Lincoln's, whose backdoor dealings may have played a part.
BIG, BAD
Schools are more than happy to help players bulk up but nothing is done to help them slim down after the cleats get hung up. The consequences are serious and potentially deadly.
NATIVE TALENT
Competing as their own national team, the tribe medaled for their first time in the world championship, but not without controversy. Whites said using traditional sticks was cheating.
Metrics
With a spreadsheet and an obsession with basketball, Jeff Stotts can predict how long it will take a battered athlete to return. That sort of knowledge can make or break champions.
JAM!
A century before Saturday’s Slam Dunk Contest, someone literally “changed the game.”
Dash
With 1,700 players, it’s virtually certain gay men are on the gridiron. There’s good reason one of them may not want to follow a rookie as the league’s first out member.
Historic
For the first time since football records began almost a century ago, the game ended 43-8. The scoreline was more exciting than the match-up.
There Will Be Blood
Denver’s historic offense, Seattle’s fearsome defense, and the NFL’s physical arms race are a recipe for injuries on Sunday.
Gridiron Grudge
Individual accomplishments are great, but the hype around the quarterback matchup of the year, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, misses the most important element of their success.