Sports
Sports Betting Pays Off
The first major intersection of college basketball and legal sports betting seems to have been a completely clean affair.
Corporations Are Getting Rich off Government Aid
"I don't understand why money is leaving my pocket and going into the pocket of somebody who is wealthy."
College Soccer Player Suing Coach Who Benched Her After She Refused to Kneel During Protest
Punishing players for kneeling, or not kneeling, is a First Amendment violation at public universities.
A Minor League Baseball Bailout Would Be a Major Mistake
Taxpayers already spend millions to build minor league ballparks. Sen. Richard Blumenthal thinks they should financially support the teams, too.
Everyone Should Be Able To Bet on the Kentucky Derby From Anywhere
Six states don’t allow any horse racing bets, but others still make it difficult.
How the NFL and the Players Union Screw Draft Picks Out of Millions
During the draft, they can't even endorse snacks that the league hasn't approved.
The Plutocrats, the People, and the Globalization of World Soccer
It's good to be reminded that, sometimes, greed and venality do not carry the day in the global marketplace
Voting Laws, High-Speed Rails, and Vaccine Passports
It's a regulation-heavy Monday.
This Year's March Madness Is the Biggest Legal Sports Betting Event in American History
Even the famously stodgy NCAA is changing its views on gambling. For the first time, games will be played in a state where sports betting is legal.
Texas Senators Want Sports Teams To Shut Up and Play the Anthem
Texas state senators introduced a bill requiring the national anthem at all pro sports events.
A Radical History of Tennis?
Despite some interesting tidbits, a new history of the game falls short.
Safety Investigators Confirm the 'Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act' Wouldn't Have Prevented the Fatal Crash That Killed Lakers Legend
The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed that a costly terrain warning system lawmakers wanted to mandate in response to Bryant's death would have been a non-factor in the accident that killed him.
Tampa Mayor To Hunt Down Maskless Super Bowl Attendees
"Bad actors will be identified, and the Tampa Police Department will handle it."
The Case for Boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in China
There is no other way to prevent the games from becoming a propaganda showcase for a brutally oppressive regime.
The NFL Challenged Conventional COVID-19 Wisdom and Kept Playing
In staring down the virus's blitz, the NFL showed that it is possible to balance caution and continuity.
In a Year of Wild Conspiracy Theories, Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Is a Classic
Plus: A reminder that censorship backfires, Wyoming city considers ban on "performance prostitution," and more...
The Case for Paying College Athletes
The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case challenging the legality of NCAA rules restricting compensation for college athletes. Legal issues aside, the policy case for abolishing these rules is strong.
What the Weirdest Game of This College Football Season Can Tell Us About COVID-19
Coastal Carolina University beat BYU on a last-second play Saturday. Four days earlier, neither team expected to be playing the other.
Into the Dugout
Jim Bouton pulled back the curtain on the MLB and changed the perception of sports forever.
The Games Must Go On
COVID-19 upended the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, and MLB. How the professional sports leagues responded offers a glimpse into our future.
Throw a Billion Dollars From the Helicopter
A tale of ballpark upgrades and wasteful government spending
Donald Trump, Bob Woodward, and the Noble Lie
The Reason Roundtable reads Bob Woodward, goes to the Oscars, weighs in on the NFL, and more.
The NFL Is Back. So Is the National Anthem Controversy. And Now There Are Two Anthems.
American society is grappling with complex, nuanced issues connected to race and political power. If we have to filter that debate through the binary of choosing to stand or sit for a national anthem, we'll never get much resolved.
Maximum Security Comes Up Short
The Sixth Circuit says neigh to the horse owners' challenge to the Kentucky Derby's disqualification of their horse.
Rights and Wrongs of Sports Boycotts
NBA players' brief boycott in protest of police abuses and racism raises the more general question of when such boycotts are appropriate. The strongest case for them is when the sports events organizers are themselves perpetrators of grave injustice, even more so when the event directly causes such wrongs.
NBA, MLB Games Postponed as Players Protest Jacob Blake Shooting
The Milwaukee Bucks refused to come out of the locker room for their scheduled game on Wednesday afternoon against the Orlando Magic. Other teams are planning similar protests.
The Return of Sports Is Great. It's Also Deeply Weird.
Playing baseball in the uncanny valley
'Throw a Billion Dollars from the Helicopter' Is a Grand-Slam Attack on Publicly Financed Stadiums
A new documentary chronicles the defeat of a grassroots protest to halt the Texas Rangers' subsidized stadium deal.
What Is Dexamethasone? A Potentially Life-Saving Treatment for Seriously Ill COVID-19 Patients
Plus: The U.S. Supreme Court stops an execution at the last minute, a senator argues that you shouldn't get HBO GO for free, and more...
A Cop Shot a 10-Year-Old and Got Qualified Immunity. Tom Brady and 1,400 Other Pro Athletes Want To Fix That.
Citing work from Reason, players and coaches from the NFL, NBA, and MLB are urging Congress to end qualified immunity.
Alone Together in the Pandemic
How we lost our social spaces and how we found them again
NASCAR and Golf Return to TV, Paving Way for Pandemic-Friendly Sports
Races reopened without fans this weekend, to mostly good reviews. Sports and entertainment are shifting to serve social-distancing needs.
Why Are Public Schools Fighting To Keep Home School Kids Off Their Teams?
In West Virginia, advocates have been fighting to pass the Tim Tebow Act since 2011. They're on the verge of scoring a partial legislative victory.
New York Court Says Daily Fantasy Sports Betting Law Is Unconstitutional
Lawmakers legalized DFS betting. The state’s top justices say that’s not allowed.
We've Entered the Sixth Stage of Grief Over Kobe Bryant's Death: Legislation
Rep. Brad Sherman (D–Calif) has introduced a bill to mandate ground collision detection systems on all helicopters.
Lamar Alexander, a Key GOP Senator, Says Trump's Delay of Ukraine Funds Was 'Inappropriate'—but Not Impeachable
Plus: Britain's last day in the European Union, political ads at the Super Bowl, John Delaney drops out of the presidential race, and more...
Super Bowl Sex-Trafficking Myths Return
And they're just as wrong and dangerous this time around.
Indian Immigrants Are Saving Canadian Hockey
How the Punjabi diaspora rescued Canada's national sport
NCAA Okays Paying Student Athletes, Republican Senator Immediately Wants to Tax Their Scholarships
Sen. Richard Burr's proposal would heavily deter any student-athlete from getting paid.
Is Everyone Wrong About NBA/China/Hong Kong Except South Park and…Ted Cruz?
Nah, the senator's still wrong about Internet free speech, argue the editors on the Reason Roundtable podcast.
The NBA's China Problem Gets Worse After 2 American Arenas Eject Hong Kong Supporters
This week's demonstrations at NBA games are a refreshing reminder that Americans won't just "stick to sports."
Why Hong Kong Protesters Are Channeling Bruce Lee
The mostly young demonstrators are calling for autonomy and democracy—and won't be silenced like the NBA.
