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Baylor Is Firing From Everywhere — Including, At Long Last, Beyond The Arc Baylor Is Firing From Everywhere — Including, At Long Last, Beyond The Arc

In the entire history of Baylor women’s basketball prior to this year, the program had only five games with 12 or more made threes. Sunday, in their 87-61 win over then-No. 7 Iowa State, Baylor reached that threshold for the third time this season. To anyone who has followed the Baylor women’s basketball team for […]
We Taught Computers To Play Chess — And Then They Left Us Behind We Taught Computers To Play Chess — And Then They Left Us Behind

Oliver Roeder is a journalist, author and games player. He is a former senior writer for FiveThirtyEight, where he covered the World Chess Championship and other gaming pursuits. The following is adapted from his new book, “Seven Games: A Human History,” published by W.W. Norton. It’s in stores today. I still remember the first board […]
Nothing Will Top The NFL’s Greatest Playoff Weekend Ever Nothing Will Top The NFL’s Greatest Playoff Weekend Ever

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): We couldn’t have asked for much more from the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. We got three upsets, all won on last-second field goals by the road team, and the one game won by a favorite was perhaps the best playoff game in history. (Shut up, recency bias.) Let’s […]
The NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend Was Weirder And Dumber Than It Had Any Right To Be The NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend Was Weirder And Dumber Than It Had Any Right To Be

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): Though only a third of the games were competitive on the first weekend of the NFL playoffs, we still got plenty of weirdness across the board. An inadvertent whistle! A tight end throwing a touchdown! Players forgetting that a ref needs to place the ball!  Lots to talk about before […]
In The 1990s, The New York Knicks Fought Everyone — Even David Stern In The 1990s, The New York Knicks Fought Everyone — Even David Stern

Chris Herring, author of “Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks,” is a former senior writer for FiveThirtyEight who previously covered the Knicks. This is an excerpt from his book, which is available today. The one play that perfectly crystallizes the 1990s Knicks isn’t the famous dunk by John […]
The WNBA Free Agents Who Might Be On The Move The WNBA Free Agents Who Might Be On The Move

You might have thought that the 2021 WNBA postseason, complete with Candace Parker returning to the top with her Chicago Sky and Diana Taurasi slamming (and breaking) doors, was as dramatic as the WNBA could get. Buckle up: The offseason is here, the movement is about to begin and things are going to get frenetic. […]
The NFL Regular Season Ended As It Started: In Absolute Chaos The NFL Regular Season Ended As It Started: In Absolute Chaos

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): The NFL’s 2021 season brought us pure, beautiful chaos from start to finish, and we concluded Sunday night with more of the same. We were on the cusp of the most amazing result in NFL history, in the win-and-you’re-in, tie-and-you’re-also-in matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders. […]
The Buffalo Bills Got The Least Bang For Their Schedule’s Buck This Season The Buffalo Bills Got The Least Bang For Their Schedule’s Buck This Season

Perhaps the easiest way to start a fight with NFL fans is to assert that their favorite franchise hasn’t beaten anyone. In one fell swoop you’ve devalued a season’s worth of victories and also cast substantial doubt on the team’s postseason prospects. Accusations of a cupcake schedule make for sensitive discourse because a handful of […]
How Omicron Has Reshaped Sports How Omicron Has Reshaped Sports

Just when the sports world was putting the finishing touches on a year of greater normalcy than 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck back with a vengeance. Since Dec. 13 alone, the NHL has postponed 93 games (and counting) over the virus, while the NBA postponed 11 games and the NFL rescheduled three games. Five college […]
We Finally Have Some Playoff Teams … And We Don’t Believe In Any Of Them We Finally Have Some Playoff Teams … And We Don’t Believe In Any Of Them

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): At long last, we finally have ourselves a playoff picture in the NFL — and it only took until Week 16. Six teams have clinched playoff berths, and though that’s still just 43 percent of the postseason field, at least we’re getting closer. Eighteen teams still have a shot at […]
These Freshmen Might Be The Next Big Names In Women’s College Basketball These Freshmen Might Be The Next Big Names In Women’s College Basketball

We are approximately a third of the way through the 2021-22 NCAA women’s basketball season, and it is clear that the talented freshman crop lacks a top end of superstars that powered last season’s contenders. Last year at this time, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark were staking their claims as two of the […]
The NFL Keeps Chugging Along Through The Chaos, On And Off The Field The NFL Keeps Chugging Along Through The Chaos, On And Off The Field

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): At this point in Week 15, I was expecting the only game outstanding to be tonight’s Vikings-Bears game, which we could blissfully ignore. But instead, we still have four games left: The regularly scheduled Monday Night Football game is joined tonight by the Raiders-Browns game, which was moved from Saturday, […]
The New Technology That May Upend How We Watch Basketball The New Technology That May Upend How We Watch Basketball

Advanced technology is everywhere in basketball, and it’s only gaining steam. Some tech elements are already considered essential to the sport’s operations, such as rafter camera tracking technology that’s been in the NBA for nearly a decade; others, like detailed basket tracking provided by companies like Noah Basketball, are still in the early stages of […]
Our 51 Best (And Weirdest) Charts Of 2021 Our 51 Best (And Weirdest) Charts Of 2021

In 2021, FiveThirtyEight’s visual journalists told stories of the pandemic, political gridlock and the world of sports. We’ve fought to make our work more accessible and to sharpen our storytelling. Through it all, we kept it weird. Now we continue our tradition of celebrating our best — and wackiest — charts of the year. Here […]
Cincinnati Stands On The Shoulders Of Past Mid-Major Giants Cincinnati Stands On The Shoulders Of Past Mid-Major Giants

Cincinnati made history in just about every conceivable way this college football season. The Bearcats’ 13-0 record was the best in school history, and it was the first time the team went undefeated since going 3-0 back in 1918. Quarterback Desmond Ridder finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting, the highest placement ever by a Cincinnati […]
The World Chess Championship In 5 Charts The World Chess Championship In 5 Charts

The 2021 World Chess Championship ended last week with Magnus Carlen of Norway, the world No. 1, defending his title against challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia. It was Carlsen’s fifth victory in the world championship, a title he has held since 2013, and the match went a long way toward cementing his status as the […]
Magnus Carlsen Wins The 2021 World Chess Championship Magnus Carlsen Wins The 2021 World Chess Championship

Magnus Carlsen of Norway successfully defended his world chess championship title on Friday, extending an unbroken reign atop the game that began in 2013. He defeated his challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, in the most lopsided championship in recent memory, over a series of 11 games in Dubai that began two weeks ago. The championship […]
Brilliance And Blunders Have Defined The World Chess Championship Brilliance And Blunders Have Defined The World Chess Championship

Magnus Carlsen of Norway continued his unrelenting march toward the world chess title on Wednesday, holding his challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, to a quiet draw over 41 moves in just over two hours. With a 6.5-3.5 score in the race to 7.5, Carlsen is all but guaranteed to extend an unbroken reign atop the […]
After Another Blunder, The World Chess Championship Is Off The Rails After Another Blunder, The World Chess Championship Is Off The Rails

The Russian grandmaster desperately needed a win. After losses in an all-time classic Game 6 and a howler in Game 8, in which he blundered away a pawn, Ian Nepomniachtchi began Tuesday’s world championship game down 2 points to Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, the defending world champion and the best chess player in the world. The […]
The Lions Won A Game, The Ravens Lost A Close Call, And The Chiefs Made A Deal With The Devil The Lions Won A Game, The Ravens Lost A Close Call, And The Chiefs Made A Deal With The Devil

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): The Sunday that brought Minshew Mania back to the NFL gave us a little more chaos and a little more clarity. In Week 13, one hapless team (the Houston Texans) was eliminated from playoff contention, while another (the Detroit Lions) got its first win.  Does anyone know what happened in […]
One Misplaced Pawn May Have Just Clinched The World Chess Championship One Misplaced Pawn May Have Just Clinched The World Chess Championship

We didn’t see much of Ian Nepomniachtchi on Sunday, though the Russian grandmaster is nominally competing for the World Chess Championship in Dubai. He spent much of the day in a private room, hidden away from spectators and cameras, while the chess world watched his position deteriorate on the board. Magnus Carlsen of Norway, the […]
Another Draw Is A Win For Magnus Carlsen Another Draw Is A Win For Magnus Carlsen

A peaceful draw was widely predicted for Saturday in the World Chess Championship — a respite just hours after Game 6, the longest game in the history of the championship and the first decisive result in the event in over five years. And the two players delivered: Magnus Carlsen, the defending world chess champion, maintained […]
The Nation’s Best Punter Is Changing The Game The Nation’s Best Punter Is Changing The Game

Matt Araiza’s favorite punt of the season was an 81-yard boomer. It wasn’t just the distance that the San Diego State junior enjoyed, but what it did to the punt returner. “It was a moonshot,” Araiza said. “You could see on the film he basically looked like he had never seen anything like that before. […]
Some Humble Suggestions To Save Chess From Itself Some Humble Suggestions To Save Chess From Itself

Your diligent chess correspondent spent the morning watching some chess.  Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia (not pictured) are in fact in Dubai battling for the 2021 World Chess Championship. The grandmasters — the world Nos. 1 and 5, respectively — had both stepped away from the board and into their private […]
The World’s Best Chess Players Are Too Good To Win The World’s Best Chess Players Are Too Good To Win

Since Friday, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi have been spending their days in a glass box in Dubai, vying for the 2021 World Chess Championship. It’s a title that challenger Nepomniachtchi is hoping to wrest from Carlsen, the world No. 1, who has held it since 2013. But neither has yet yielded any […]
Are The Bucs Back? Depends On What You Think Of The Colts. Are The Bucs Back? Depends On What You Think Of The Colts.

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): The chaos that is the 2021 NFL season continued in Week 12, with consistency as elusive as ever. Six teams that won their most recent game lost this week, while eight teams that lost their prior game turned things around with a win.  But two-thirds of the way through the […]
Neither Grandmaster Yields In A Chess Tug Of War Neither Grandmaster Yields In A Chess Tug Of War

A game, the philosopher Bernard Suits wrote, is “the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” It’s one thing to shove a fistful of chess pieces across the board to surround the enemy king. It’s quite another to get them there in accordance with the ancient game’s intricate rules, and while your grandmaster opponent tries to […]
A Chess Player Almost Won A Chess Game A Chess Player Almost Won A Chess Game

The auditorium in Dubai hosting the 2021 World Chess Championship is reminiscent of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Each features a grand, darkened room with a glowing diorama, filled with motionless drama. And in both, a squid and a whale remain deadlocked in their boxes, caught in the middle of […]
The World Chess Championship Opens With An Endless Knight-Rook Dance The World Chess Championship Opens With An Endless Knight-Rook Dance

With a tense draw lasting four hours and 45 moves, Magnus Carlsen on Friday began the latest defense of his World Chess Championship title. The Norwegian grandmaster has been No. 1 in the world for a decade and has held the sport’s top title since 2013. His challenger, Russian grandmaster and world No. 5 Ian […]
Tua Tagovailoa Is Playing Well, Which Is A Real Inconvenience If You’re The Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa Is Playing Well, Which Is A Real Inconvenience If You’re The Dolphins

After taking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft, the Miami Dolphins appeared to have given up on the Alabama star this season. They signed capable spot starter Jacoby Brissett in the offseason, then seemed to bench Tagovailoa for Brissett going into Week 10. But the kicker was the extensive […]
Where Have All The Good NFL Teams Gone? Where Have All The Good NFL Teams Gone?

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): Another week in the NFL, another upset by a double-digit underdog. Welcome to the club, Houston!  Upsets happen, of course, and perhaps Tennessee was just struggling to get up for a game against the lowly Texans after beating so many highly rated teams in a row. (And it didn’t help […]
As Chess Booms, Magnus Carlsen Returns To Defend His Crown As Chess Booms, Magnus Carlsen Returns To Defend His Crown

It has been 1,090 days since the last World Chess Championship. In the meantime, the ancient game has seen a modern resurgence, a swell in popularity driven by technology and a global pandemic, a dramatic prologue to the game’s marquee event. Beginning this week, at long last, Magnus Carlsen of Norway will once again defend […]
How Can The Chargers Help Justin Herbert? How Can The Chargers Help Justin Herbert?

Halfway through the longest NFL regular season in history, Los Angeles Chargers fans must feel like they’ve already lived through two miniseasons: the one where their team had an .800 winning percentage and one of the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks, and the one where they played .250 football with Justin Herbert in the midst of […]
Are We Buying Or Selling The Patriots? Are We Buying Or Selling The Patriots?

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): It seems like each week of this NFL season has ended with more questions than answers, and Week 10 fit that bill. Tampa Bay looked like a shadow of its former self against a pretty uninspiring Washington Football Team; a Kansas City offense that had struggled against everyone suddenly couldn’t […]
One Group Of Student-Athletes Is Conspicuously Absent From NIL Deals One Group Of Student-Athletes Is Conspicuously Absent From NIL Deals

Nouredin Nouili woke up on July 1 nervous and excited. It was the first day in the 115-year history of the NCAA that athletes would be afforded the same fundamental rights as their college peers: the ability to monetize their names, images and likenesses. Overnight, nearly half a million athletes across all 50 states could […]
OG Anunoby Might Be The Next Star Wing … But He’s Finding His Own Way There OG Anunoby Might Be The Next Star Wing … But He’s Finding His Own Way There

That greatness can come from modest beginnings is a common trope — look no further than almost any fairy tale. To put that in the language of the NBA, not all star wings enter the league as stars. Of the 11 All-Stars last season who could be classified as wings, four — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi […]
The Big East Isn’t Only About UConn The Big East Isn’t Only About UConn

Connecticut’s return to the Big East last year carried with it both opportunity and frustration for the other members of the conference. A standard-bearer is a valuable thing for the Big East — the same way it has been for women’s basketball as a whole during the Geno Auriemma era in Storrs. But with the […]
Week 9’s Winner: Josh Allen. Week 9’s Loser: Also Josh Allen. Week 9’s Winner: Josh Allen. Week 9’s Loser: Also Josh Allen.

sara.ziegler (Sara Ziegler, sports editor): Sunday gave us some wild outcomes in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys put up goose eggs for the first three quarters of a dismantling at the hands of the Denver Broncos; the New Orleans Saints staged a furious comeback in the last eight minutes of their game against Atlanta only […]
Madden’s Player Speed Scores Are Surprisingly Good. But Whose Ratings Did The Game Get Wrong? Madden’s Player Speed Scores Are Surprisingly Good. But Whose Ratings Did The Game Get Wrong?

Football fans born after “Dirty Dancing” left theaters have never known an NFL without John Madden Football. The venerable video game franchise now known as Madden NFL released its first title in 1988 — for MS-DOS and the Apple II — the season Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals for […]
Soccer Looks Different When You Can’t See Who’s Playing Soccer Looks Different When You Can’t See Who’s Playing

During the 2018 World Cup, Zito Madu pointed out the racially coded language commentators used to describe a match between Poland and Senegal, which didn’t line up with what he saw on the field. A typical article claimed that “‘Poland struggled all game against the pace and physicality of Senegal,’ which is an absurd line […]