In sports, you are going to see amputees with prosthetics who run faster than able-bodied humans. I don't think the day is very far away where we see Paralympians breaking speed records. | | | | Kenya's Mark Otieno Odhiambo doesn't stumble out of the blocks at the IAAF/BTC World Relays.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “In sports, you are going to see amputees with prosthetics who run faster than able-bodied humans. I don't think the day is very far away where we see Paralympians breaking speed records.”
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| | rantnrave:// It's ironic that the NBA is elevating its MVP reveal to its most high-profile stage yet this year by creating an awards show in June. Not because the MVP doesn't deserve the pomp this year -- this may be the greatest MVP race ever -- but because awards have never held less prominence. Our understanding of sports and data and the subtleties of player performance is ever increasing, which means that superlatives are losing their import. We have so many ways to evaluate players that awards now feel like relics. Whether RUSSELL WESTBROOK, JAMES HARDEN or KAWHI LEONARD is named MVP will not hide that the actual difference between them this year is negligible and arbitrary. Or that an award like the MVP can lose its luster when MIKE TROUT has won it only twice. Leagues are in the content game now too, not just by owning networks and websites, but through their need to provide something for media to cover and for fans to consume, and awards are tightly packaged, easily marketed content. But as JASON GAY points out, how many more awards shows do we really need... This week's NEW YORKER cover... NFL players will have access to their own biometric data and have the ability to sell it too. The deal with WHOOP is an intriguing next step in wearable tech in sports, not only because it involves the biggest league in the US but because it allows the information to be used as a commercial product. I wonder how players will be able to make money off their own biometric data. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
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 | Nerdist |
| Jonah Keri talks to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the PM’s first-ever podcast in office. The two discuss the Montreal Expos; Separatism in Quebec; Canadian identity; the Nixon prophecy and being called to serve; gender equality; government’s role in creating jobs; universal health care; immigration and the global refugee crisis; dealing effectively with world leaders with whom he disagrees; the state of and future of journalism; and Prime Minister Trudeau’s Life Tips. | | |
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 | FanGraphs |
| Each new stadium has been noted for its lack of obstructed seats, but it’s the absence of obstructed seating and increase in luxury suites has devalued the experience for all those unable to sit in the lower bowl. | | |
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 | Deadspin |
| It goes without saying (hey there, Las Vegas Raiders!) that the NFL’s gambling policy is a hypocritical mess. But now that I no longer work for Rupert Murdoch, I can plainly state that every word out of Roger Goodell’s mouth about legalized sports betting for the past 20 months has been nothing but lip service. | | |
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 | Vice Sports |
| By creating Adidas and Puma, the Dassler Brothers divided both their families and their home town, all while changing sports forever. | | |
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 | Fast Company |
| Pioneering UAE weightlifter Amna Al Haddad and other female athletes help Nike to address the sportswear needs of a massively underserved market. | | |
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 | Real Clear Markets |
| Through the stories of Aliquippa’s residents, their successes and many failures, S.L. Price has produced a history that all politicians, economists and pundits would be wise to read. | | |
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 | The Ringer |
| Russell Westbrook will be named MVP. His team will also lose in the first round. His successes and his failures are not equitable. | | |
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 | Yahoo Sports |
| Pitcher Matt Barnes retaliating at Manny Machado, the $300 million-plus man from the bonanza Free Agent Class of 2018-19, is actually a gift to MLB, because it offers a star around whom to mold new legislation. | | |
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 | ESPN |
| At 32 years old, LeBron James remains superhuman, able to carry the Cavs while playing an unprecedented number of minutes. But even superhumans have their limits. | | |
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 | The Washington Post |
| Josh Hamilton was a true blue-chipper, a true can't miss prospect before drugs derailed his career. But the former No. 1 overall pick in 1999 is getting a second, and most likely final, chance with the Cincinnati Reds, who have invited him to spring training. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| “My God, my kid needs to go here”: In Hamburg, Germany, a professional soccer stadium is also home to an early-education program. | | |
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 | WSJ |
| Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward says tennis allowed him to help control his nerves and patience. | | |
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 | The Miami Herald |
| The Manatee County tennis tournament went viral when sex sounds interrupted a match Tuesday. The story, told through those it interrupted. | | |
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 | CBS News |
| Charlie Rose goes to horse country to report on the centuries-old tradition of "timber racing," an exhilarating and dangerous sport characterized by steep jumps. | | |
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 | Mercury News |
| For Warriors coach Steve Kerr to raise the possibility that he may not coach again during the postseason tells us all about the pain he’s enduring. | | |
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 | FiveThirtyEight |
| They happened all the time during baseball’s glorious early days. | | |
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 | Bleacher Report |
| How did T.J. Watt's ceiling get so high? The answer, as you could guess watching him with his brothers, is that he has learned well from the people around him. | | |
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| The Ringer |
| WWE’s new giant has captured the imagination of its most demanding fans. How on earth did that happen? | | |
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 | GQ |
| Looking for the next Fastest Human Alive? Start here. | | |
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 | The New Yorker |
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 | YouTube |
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