A rainbow lace is seen being tied on a football boot next to a cone during Stonewall's rainbow laces 'Lace Up and Keep It Up' equality and inclusion campaign.

Tackling homophobia in soccer with online tools: Is it working?

Having a World Cup in Qatar put more of a focus on LGBTQ+ fans — but has that greater awareness led to action?

On Mar 30, 2023 by Katey Lovell

basket ball players playing with blue rectangle in front

Use these analytics bloggers—and not Kenpom—to fill out your March Madness bracket

What to know before joining your office pool.

On Mar 13, 2023 by Adam Huff

man in hockey gear

‘I wasn’t imagining these things’: Hubert Davis explores Black hockey player experiences in unflinching documentary, ‘Black Ice’

From the Coloured Hockey League of 1895 to the current state of the NHL, Canadian filmmaker Hubert Davis thinks we need to talk about it.

On Feb 28, 2023 by Phil West

close-up with the puck during a hockey game

Is hockey really for everyone? An ambitious NHL marketing campaign and the complicated case of Ivan Provorov

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov is the latest in a long line of players to make his stance on the 'Hockey is for Everyone' initiative clear: It's just not for him.

On Feb 14, 2023 by Xandra Harbet

Dave Ewers scores during the Aviva Premiership Ruby game

Changing the Chiefs: How an online campaign got a rugby team to ditch their racist branding

The Exeter Chiefs are among England’s oldest and most storied rugby teams – and based on its recent logo and branding alterations, one of the most controversial.

On Feb 7, 2023 by Chris Jaworski

woman yelling with arms out in parking lot with caption 'Karen thought she was gonna win but not today lady. This happened to us one too many times' (l) woman yelling in parking lot with caption 'Karen thought she was gonna win but not today lady. This happened to us one too many times' (c) woman yelling with arms out in parking lot with caption 'Karen thought she was gonna win but not today lady. This happened to us one too many times' (r)

‘Karen thought she was gonna win but not today’: Woman tries to save parking space during Astros FanFest

'Not today lady.'

On Jan 25, 2023 by Cecilia Lenzen

three men standing in a stadium

‘I don’t think you know that black lives matter’: How cricket found a critical moment to address its institutional racism

Cricket became the first sport back after the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and used the moment to connect with Black Lives Matter.

On Jan 6, 2023 by Jeremy Blackmore

A side-by-side image of pool player Jeanette Lee leaning over a pool table with cue in hand on the left and NFL quarterback Tom Brady poised to throw a football in the snow on the right.

Every ESPN ’30 for 30′ documentary of 2022—and why you should watch them

ESPN's '30 for 30' is still going strong.

On Dec 29, 2022 by Dan Wilbur

laptop and smartphone screen with mobile app for betting in hand with blue Presser rectangle

Win or lose: Chinese smartphones and WhatsApp enable offshore betting, newfound income, and hope for young Zimbabweans

Young bettors in Zimbabwe are connecting on WhatsApp and betting on the World Cup — even though it's illegal.

On Dec 17, 2022 by Ray Mwareya, Deogracias Kalima

two women playing soccer

‘Protect your players’: How the digital public square contributed to NWSL’s great reckoning

It took reporters' exposes, players and fans taking to Twitter, and a pair of sobering investigations to try to fix women's soccer. Has it been enough?

On Dec 16, 2022 by Meg Swanick

Nike Blazer 77

2002: The year of the magical basketball shoe

Kids in 2002 wanted to be like Mike. But then they wanted to be like Allen Iverson, too. And some just wanted vintage Chuck Taylors.

On Dec 12, 2022 by Hannah Borenstein

Senegal fans at the world cup

‘Just inviting a heart attack’: A quest to reverse the African jinx at the World Cup

Friday's match pits the robber against the robbed in what's been called "the biggest robbery in World Cup history."

On Dec 1, 2022 by Chidinma Iwu

curacao presser future goals students

In an era of soccer cynicism, a legendary European club partners with a resort chain in Curacao to teach kids and clean the ocean

On Nov 25, 2022 by Kristi Eaton

Elton Jantjies

How the arrest of a South African rugby star bared racist fangs of the sport’s fans

South African rugby star Elton Jantjies' arrest highlighted online tensions reflective of the nation's Apartheid past.

On Nov 3, 2022 by Ray Mwareya

Homepage article image

‘We’re not gonna take it’: Designers and jersey merchants go online, offering USMNT fans a better way to rep at the World Cup

People don't like the jerseys Nike created for the U.S. team going to the World Cup. A few of them decided they'd just make their own.

On Oct 27, 2022 by Phil West