Deontay Wilder came into tonight’s WBC heavywight title fight having knocked out every opponent of his professional career, save one: Bermane Stiverne, who surrendered the title after going the distance with Wilder two years ago. Wilder struck that blemish from his record tonight, crushing Stiverne into submission in the first round. Wilder’s now 39-0, and the question remains: will he get his match against Anthony Joshua to unify the three belts held by the generally-recognized world champ? We can only hope, which means that it probably won’t ever happen. [Showtime] …

Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, president of Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, was upset with the referees after his team’s 2-2 draw against Gaziantepspor. So much so, he instructed stadium security not to let the refs out of the of building, holding them captive until 4 a.m. the next day, only releasing them after a call from the country’s President. The Guardian has the details of the insane night: The enraged club president, Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, ordered Çağatay Şahan and his assistant referees to be detained after Trabzonspor were denied a penalty in the final minutes of the top-flight match against Gaziantepspor, which ended 2-2. Angry supporters gathered outside the stadium and the referees were locked in until the early hours of Thursday, when there was a personal interve…

Max Linsky is the editor of Longform and SportsFeat. OK, a quick word about top 10 lists: they're horseshit, of course. Totally arbitrary. Over at Longform we complied a dozen of them for our Best of 2011; in the process, we probably nixed 50 stories that were just as good as the ones that made the cut. Once you get beyond a certain quality level, it's a crapshoot. The list below, however, is even more suspect than the typical top 10. I was asked to keep it Deadspin-free, despite the fact that this site published as much amazing longform work as anyone else in 2011. So, my apologies to Alan Siegel, Katie Baker, and Luke O'Brien—your stories all deserved to make this list or be cut from it for no good reason. 1. Welcome to the Far Eastern Conference

Wells Towe…

data-mm-id=”_kat35a9y5″>Virality rules the social media world these days. It doesn't matter if it's something stupid or something important. A memorable five-second clip is more important than a year's worth of effort. Don't believe me? Just consider Tuesday night's sports coverage. In perhaps the most stunning moment of the MLB season, which started in March and is currently in its most important stage, the Tampa Bay Rays chased AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander after only four innings and beat the Astros, pushing the best team in baseball (based on regular-season record) to the brink of elimination with a decisive Game 5 to come on Thursday. But maybe you missed it and had no idea there was a baseball game last night. That's not surprising, because i…

data-mm-id=”_k6keyfm17″>Lamar Jackson has lit up the NFL in only his second year, leading the Ravens to the No. 1 seed in the AFC and putting together an ironclad MVP case. As a talented passer who can also juke defenders out of their shoes like he's a running back, the comparisons to Michael Vick have come hot and heavy, especially as Jackson continues to get better. The Get Up crew discussed the comparison on Thursday morning, and Dominique Foxworth said that Jackson is better at being Michael Vick than Michael Vick ever was. "Stop it. [Lamar Jackson] is better at being Michael Vick than Michael Vick was."—@Foxworth24 pic.twitter.com/tSEYYLDRTS— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 5, 2019"I understand why the comparison is made, but we should stop it. He's not M…

data-mm-id=”_6pd9fg3v1″>Like the rest of us, Giannis Antetokounmpo has no choice but to marvel at what LeBron James is doing this season. The young Buck said he was inspired by the 35-year-old's ability to bring it each and every night and compete with Antetokounmpo for MVP honors. It was enough to make this mid-30s sports blogger's eyes water. Finally, the younger generation is understanding the beauty of aging gracefully. Giannis on inspired by LeBron: “It’s amazing. He’s 35 and playing at a high level. He just leads the path for us. A lot of times we think that ‘Ok, we’re going to retire at 35, but seeing a guy at 35, being still top-3 best player in the world, that makes us want to be there.” pic.twitter.com/47Qf4Ixgba— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 5, 2…

data-mm-id=”_0gtvbvcoc”>The universal designated hitter appears set to come to Major League Baseball this season and a number of National League teams have to be thrilled at that prospect. Here's a look at the five NL teams that will benefit the most from the universal DH. Chicago CubsTwo words: Kyle Schwarber. When the Cubs selected Schwarber with the fourth pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, he was a catcher. But anyone who had watched him play at Indiana (Go Hoosiers!) knew he wasn't going to make it behind the plate in the big leagues. So Chicago tried to make him an outfielder, banking on his fairly decent athleticism relative to his size. That experiment has been a mess and has clearly impacted his ability at the plate. Schwarber's best position has always been DH. The 27…

data-mm-id=”_7eo4tevs8″>The NBA is three weeks from returning. It's quite exciting. We're used to a five-month hiatus between the final game of the NBA Finals and the first game of the following regular season. Now, less than three months will separate Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals and the opening of the 2020-21 regular season. More basketball is good for those who like basketball. But unfortunately, the shortened offseason is inevitably going to impact the product on the court, starting with the December 22 opening slate of games. The league announced the schedule for opening night today; the Brooklyn Nets, finally boasting both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, will take on the Golden State Warriors, while the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers will face off against their cr…

data-mm-id=”_c8reabb7p”>LeBron James is having his usual excellent playoffs run, averaging 27.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The Lakers won their first round series against the extremely dangerous Portland Trail Blazers, 4-1, and have a 2-1 lead over the Houston Rockets.Kawhi Leonard is also playing well, averaging 29/9/5 on lower shooting percentages, and is also on a team with a 2-1 series lead. And if you thought Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith were going to wait a few more days until the Clippers and Lakers were officially set to face off in the Western Conference Finals before they started talking about how Kawhi rules and LeBron drools, well you're nuts. .@maxkellerman doesn't think LeBron has proven ANYTHING in the playoffs ye…