The hottest Sports Substack posts right now

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The Work of Leaving Sports Behind

Oliver Bateman Does the Work • 157 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
🎾 Sports
  1. Athletes face uncertainty and tension when transitioning out of their careers.
  2. The metaphor of flight captures the fleeting nature of athletic careers.
  3. Retired athletes often find themselves in a liminal space between past identities and future paths.

The Lions' Stubbie/Special Cut-up from Week 1

MatchQuarters • 157 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🎾 Sports Football Defense Team Strategy Film analysis
  1. The Detroit Lions used a popular Trips coverage called Stubbie to surprise the Chiefs in Week 1.
  2. Stubbie, while having Cover 2 elements, is more related to Quarters than Cover 2 due to the locked CB on #1 WR.
  3. The Lions' decision to switch to Quarters as their base coverage in Week 1 paid off, with the use of Stubbie helping them effectively defend against the Chiefs.
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#FromtheArchives: Billie Jean King's belligerence

Power Plays • 157 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🎾 Sports Tennis History
  1. Billie Jean King secured equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open by getting sponsorship.
  2. Power Plays website features a series called #FromtheArchives that looks at historical events in sports.
  3. The featured post includes newspaper clippings from the early '70s about Billie Jean King's impact on and off the tennis court.

From Sellouts to Shortfalls: Colorado Projects $27 Million Deficit After Deion Sanders 3-9 Season

Huddle Up • 17 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🎾 Sports College sports Football Recruiting Media Coverage
  1. The University of Colorado’s athletic department is facing a record deficit — $27 million projected this fiscal year, or about $41.1 million when institutional support and student fees are included.
  2. Big spending on Deion Sanders (a $54 million extension and roughly $10 million a year) hasn’t translated into success or revenue: the team went 3–9, recruiting fell to 75th, star players left for the NFL, and fan interest and attendance dropped sharply.
  3. While the coach’s salary is being highlighted, the shortfall reflects multiple problems — falling attendance, lost media coverage, and weaker recruiting — not just a single contract.

Simulate Your Next Marathon Race Pace

The Healthtech Initiative • 2 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🎾 Sports Running Endurance Training Performance Analytics Coaching Physiology
  1. A predictive marathon model built from 101 runners explains about 79.3% of the variation in finish times and has an average prediction error of roughly 18.3 minutes.
  2. Running performance is framed as two parts: baseline ability (like genetic or starting pace) and adaptation to training (how much fitness you gain per minute of training).
  3. About 21% of finish-time differences are unexplained — things like weather, illness, sleep, motivation, nutrition, and luck — which shows there are real limits to modeling human performance.

Inside The NFL's Plan To Use Supersonic Airplanes For International Expansion

Huddle Up • 19 implied HN points • 26 Nov 25
🎾 Sports International Sports Business
  1. A startup is trying to bring back commercial supersonic flights and has airline orders and a prototype that broke the sound barrier, promising New York–London trips in roughly 3–4 hours by around 2030.
  2. Cutting transatlantic flight times in half could make regular U.S.–Europe travel practical for the NFL, enabling weekend trips and even the idea of permanent European franchises.
  3. Huge obstacles—massive cash burn, ambitious timelines, and tough engineering, financial, and insurance challenges—make the technology and its benefits for the NFL far from certain.

Seek Sunlight

Investing 101 • 69 implied HN points • 19 Jul 25
🎾 Sports Athletics Mental health Personal Growth Life lessons Reflection
  1. Chasing professional success doesn't always bring true happiness. Achieving goals may feel good temporarily, but it often leads to more questions about purpose.
  2. Reflecting on what truly matters in life is important. Finding fulfillment often comes from personal values and relationships, not just accomplishments.
  3. Living authentically means prioritizing what matters long-term, like family and well-being, rather than just aiming for professional achievements.

Mega newsletter: Thoughts on NCAA investigation, Daily/State News game, Week 8 viewing guide, B1G power rankings and more

Scott Bell's newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🎾 Sports Sports News College Football Entertainment
  1. The post discusses the NCAA investigation into Michigan for stealing signs.
  2. The newsletter includes coverage of the cancellation of the Daily-State News annual touch football game.
  3. The author expresses gratitude for responses to a personal column about their mom.

Uni Watch Blog Digest for the Week Ending Jan. 19, 2024

Uni Watch • 78 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Uniforms Leagues Events Interviews News
  1. The Uni Watch Blog had a busy week covering uniform-related news in various sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.
  2. There were interesting articles on topics such as uniform designs, historical sports artifacts, and potential uniform changes for teams like the Seattle Seahawks.
  3. Uni Watch also featured the Uni Watch News Ticker, providing daily updates on uniform news from different leagues.

Zane Robertson (13:13/27:33/2:08:19) just got eight years in the athletics cooler; his twin brother and training partner (13:15/27:30/2:08:26) just got nervous

Beck of the Pack • 137 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
🎾 Sports Running Doping Athletics Coaching Professionalism
  1. Zane Robertson, a New Zealand athlete, got suspended for eight years for doping and lying
  2. Robertson's twin brother and training partner might face consequences too
  3. The suspension reveals a complex web of doping, moral issues, and support systems in athletics

Are we allowed to criticise Australian national teams?

The Pick and Roll • 137 implied HN points • 18 Sep 23
🎾 Sports Criticism Basketball
  1. The Australian Boomers failed at the FIBA 2023 World Cup, and their coach admitted they deserve criticism for the failure.
  2. It's important to acknowledge both the benefits of positivity and the necessity of facing truths, like the fact that failure is part of life.
  3. In a culture that often leans towards endless positivity, it can be challenging to objectively critique and address failures in professional sports.

Who I’d pick for the Baseball Hall of Fame

Silver Bulletin • 186 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🎾 Sports Baseball Hall of Fame Athletes Performance Culture
  1. Ichiro Suzuki is a top pick for the Baseball Hall of Fame and may get in unanimously. His hit record is impressive and he's respected for his contributions.
  2. Recent Hall of Fame ballots include many international players, which shows baseball's growing diversity. This means that performance from players around the world is important.
  3. When considering Hall of Fame candidates, both statistics and a player's character matter. Some great players, despite their achievements, face scrutiny over their behavior or past controversies.

My Journey to NBA Big Board

Chad Ford's NBA Big Board • 339 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
🎾 Sports NBA Draft Basketball Scouting
  1. Rafael Barlowe took over NBA Big Board from Chad Ford and shared his journey in basketball and scouting prospects.
  2. NBA Big Board is a reader-supported publication that provides scouting reports, Big Board updates, and Mock Drafts.
  3. Barlowe's dream of creating his own NBA Draft website led him on a unique journey traveling abroad to cover international prospects and build his brand.

Bad News on Brock Purdy's Toe

House of Strauss • 18 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
🎾 Sports Injuries Athletes Football Performance Health
  1. Turf toe is a tricky injury that can linger, causing ongoing pain even long after it seems healed. It's easy to re-injure it in everyday activities.
  2. Quarterbacks rely on their big toe for mobility and stability, which makes turf toe particularly problematic for their performance. It affects their throwing ability even if they don't feel pain.
  3. The injury can create a false sense of confidence, making athletes believe they can perform at full capacity when they actually can't. It can surprise them with sudden weakness during physical activity.

What Happens When Moneyball Works Too Well?

No Grass in the Clouds • 139 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🎾 Sports Sports Analytics Soccer Team Ownership
  1. The Billy Beane-led ownership group at Toulouse had to relinquish control of the club because they won too many games last season.
  2. Toulouse's alternative, analytical team-building approach led to unexpected success, including winning the French Cup.
  3. Success in sports, particularly when driven by data and analytics, can sometimes lead to unexpected consequences.

True Pressure Score (TPS): Grading the the top 22 in pressures through the first seven weeks of the season

Trench Warfare • 138 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🎾 Sports NFL Statistics Player evaluation
  1. True Pressure Score (TPS) is a metric used to evaluate pass-rushers based on different types of pressures.
  2. The Pressure Quality Ratio (PQR) measures the efficiency of pass-rushers by comparing high quality pressures to low quality pressures.
  3. Players like Crosby and Hutchinson lead in TPS, while Garrett and Carter stand out in PQR with high efficiency ratios.

Raiders Fire McDaniels-Ziegler! Top HC and GM Candidates for 2024 Offseason

The Draft Scout • 117 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🎾 Sports Coaching Management
  1. The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, and general manager Dave Ziegler in a dramatic move.
  2. Owner Mark Davis will need to hire a new staff, possibly with a mix of experienced and inexperienced candidates.
  3. Top general manager candidates for the Raiders include Mike Borgonzi from the Kansas City Chiefs and Ian Cunningham from the Chicago Bears.