One of Thomas Tuchel’s old bosses calls him a “footballaholic”. The image is of a man who spends every minute of every day poring over the game’s tactical intricacies. No wonder Tuchel quickly made good on his promise to turn Chelsea into a team that nobody would relish playing after inheriting a broken unit from Frank Lampard in January 2021.

They were champions of Europe four months later, stunning Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in a tense final in Porto after perfectly carrying out Tuchel’s plan. It was a remarkable achievement. Chelsea were flailing in mid-table when the German who has agreed to be England’s next manager took over. They were shipping goals at an alarming rate. Undeterred, Tuchel immediately ironed out …

Broadcasters in the 2023 WNBA season are mostly pronouncing players’ names right. Considering the frequency with which on-air talent mispronounced players’ names (or misnamed players) in recent years, this is a triumph. It shouldn’t be. Saying players’ names correctly is a requirement of the job. Teams before each game distribute pre-game materials that include pronunciation guides to assist with this requirement. “Taking the time to learn the players’ names and proper pronunciation is so important to demonstrating that you respect the players as professionals and as people, and also shows your dedication to perfecting your craft,” Terrika Foster-Brasby, a sideline reporter for the Connecticut Sun, shared by email. This matter is of no small consequence, given the media�…

We would have had you vote on Tommy Craggs getting into the Deadspin Hall of Fame, but he goes straight in via the Veterans Committee, because you people, the audience he built, would have fucked it all up: Plaque by Jim Cooke …

Some people are fans of the Philadelphia Eagles. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Philadelphia Eagles. This 2017 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here. Your team: Philadelphia Eagles. Your 2016 record: 7-9. Last season featured a five-game losing skid and all nine losses coming in the last 12 games. I promise you that will not stop these fans from thinking that they’re poised to go 14-2 this year and win every playoff game by 50 points. Philly fans talk a good hate game, but secretly they’re the most gullible marks in the world. Your coach: Doug Pederson, who always looks like he’s about to offer you a hamburger off his grill. Pederson is only in his second season and yet—bizarrely—he’s already on th…

Some people are fans of the San Francisco 49ers. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the San Francisco 49ers. This 2014 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group.
Your team: San Francisco 49ers
Your 2013 record: 12-4. Let's see how it ended:
Damn. See, you would have made the Super Bowl if that had been a touchdown instead of an interception! Funny how that works! Now let's watch Richard Sherman talk shit to Michael Crabtree as you, the Niners fan, sit there helplessly, knowing there's not a fucking thing you can do to rebut it.

It's always rough when you get fully emasculated like that and spend the next year or so fumbling for a decent comeback, when there isn't one to be had. You can be like, "Well, at least we …

The Georgian luger told his father before he died that he was "scared of one of the turns," but the luge federation says it's not the track's fault that he failed to "compensate properly" after a bad curve. Awesome. [WSJ/ESPN/DMN] …

I love Worst of the Year articles. So let us now eschew all the good things from 2010 like Winter's Bone and iPad porn and spend some time wallowing in SHEER SUCK. Critics are usually parsimonious with their Worst of 2010 lists. They always occupy a small box in the "Best of" feature, and they usually only cover five movies instead of the 30 or so I'd like to see tied to a post and lashed. Yeah yeah, asshole. We know you liked The Social Network. Get to the Sex and the City 2 bile POST HASTE. So none of that "Best of" business for us today. No, we're spending this day rooting around in nothing but SHIT. The stinking, fetid, fecal remains of 2010. There was so much to hate about this year. In fact, it seems like every successive year living in America m…

data-mm-id=”_3zxhj8m9q”>The Clippers announced that Kawhi Leonard is out for tonight's game against the Jazz; unsurprisingly and justifiably, ESPN management is not happy about it, The Big Lead has learned. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.You could see this frustration manifested on The Jump. Rachel Nichols called the NBA and asked if the Clippers would be fined, given that load-managing stars on national TV is supposed to be against their rules: The Clippers are holding Kawhi Leonard out vs. Utah tonight for "load management/knee," even though its a national TV game. Here's what the NBA had to say about whether the team will be subject to a fine: pic.twitter.com/omrlMud81o— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 30, 2019They said that the team was in …

data-mm-id=”_pouhmnzfw”>Black Monday has come and gone and the Dallas Cowboys decided not to make a decision on Jason Garrett's future yet. Yes, they actually sent reporters home Monday night with no news about their coach's future. How can Jerry Jones and company not have their minds made up after 10 seasons and a disastrous 2019 campaign?Just told not to expect a decision by #Cowboys on Jason Garrett today.— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 30, 2019Seriously, what can they learn by waiting one more day? What possible new information can be gleaned in the next 24 hours? Garrett has a 10-year track record of mediocrity and most of that came with a loaded roster. After a promising 2018 season in which the Cowboys went 10-6, won the NFC East and reached the Divisional Round…

data-mm-id=”_vl34r8m2x”>It all came down to the wire, but the NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to most of the important health guidelines they'll need to adhere to in order to have a 2020 season. The finer details still need to be worked out, but players will be tested daily and enough safety measures will be installed for everyone to feel comfortable about reporting to camp over the next few weeks. As the final big domino to fall, the NFL capitulated and told the NFLPA that there will be no preseason games in 2020. The players didn't want to play any exhibition games because it seemed like an unnecessary risk, which is true. Preseason games are important for roster evaluation, but that pales in comparison to the importance of keeping everyone as virus-free as possible before th…