The Free Press Forum Is Here
Forum
Newsletters
Sign In
Subscribe
Sports
Tyler Cowen: Is Mexico Safe Enough for the World Cup?
It has never fully unified over nearly two centuries, and it resists the pull of the U.S. That allows violence, poverty, and cultural variety.
June 9, 2026
Tyler Cowen
The Patriotic Case for the World Cup
To the Americans who spent their childhoods racing through the wet grass of suburban soccer fields—and who eventually traded soccer for something else…
June 9, 2026
Jillian Lederman
Rafael Nadal and the Price of Greatness
‘Rafa,’ the new Netflix documentary about Rafael Nadal, isn’t just about why the great tennis player was willing to endure so much but whether it was…
June 5, 2026
Joe Nocera
Great Americans: The Mensch on the Mound
Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax was, at one point, the most famous Jew in America and an athlete of genuine humility.
June 2, 2026
Joseph Epstein
Going for the Gold—on Drugs. Plus…
The progressive LA mayoral candidate ‘out-Mamdanied’ by Spencer Pratt. Martin Gurri on Trump’s Cuba plans. Evan Barker dives into the Democrats…
May 22, 2026
The Free Press
Going for the Gold—on Steroids
Athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games are encouraged to use drugs that would otherwise destroy their reputations. Could this be the future of…
May 22, 2026
Noah Bernstein
How Sports Became Our Civic Religion
And why poor, deindustrialized towns produce the most passionate fans.
April 30, 2026
Shilo Brooks
50M
How One Man Broke the Marathon’s Holy Grail
Sabastian Sawe finished the London Marathon in less than two hours. Nick Thompson describes the innovations that helped it happen, and why such fast…
April 28, 2026
Joe Nocera
Baseball Saved Me
‘Why am I doing this to myself?’ asks Mets fan Will Rahn. ‘Maybe it’s because baseball breaks my heart in a way I can handle.’
April 22, 2026
Will Rahn
Bruce Pearl: How March Madness Unites America
In a divided era, March Madness remains a rare tradition that brings Americans together.
April 2, 2026
Bruce Pearl
Paying College Athletes Has Created a Mess. It Was Still the Right Thing to Do.
For years, college sports made everyone rich except the players themselves. It was unfair, and reverting to the bad old days would be the real disaster.
March 17, 2026
Joe Nocera
The Boys of Team USA
The Americans just won the best hockey game in a generation. They did so for their fallen teammate Johnny Gaudreau—and for all of us.
February 22, 2026
Will Rahn
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts