The NFL’s MVP Award has been around since 1957. In that time, fullbacks have won the award four times. Two defensive players have been given the honor, and even a kicker has taken home the hardware. Zero pass catchers have won the award though, and for the most part, none have gotten particularly close. Cooper Kupp put up one of the greatest receiving seasons of all-time in 2021 and only mustered one vote. Jerry Rice finished second in voting in 1995, but still fell 59 votes short of Brett Favre. He received 15 votes in 1993, and finished third in voting, behind his quarterback Steve Young as well as Emmitt Smith. The closest Rice got though was in 1987 when he recorded 22 touchdowns in just 12 games. Still, Rice finished six votes shy of John Elway. The disrespect to pass-catche…

The NCAA awarded the men's Final Four in 2031 to Atlanta on Thursday. It will mark the city's first Final Four since 2013, which was hosted at the now-demolished Georgia Dome. Atlanta was scheduled to hold the Final Four in 2020 at the Atlanta Falcons' new venue, Mercedez-Benz Stadium, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Atlanta had to wait another decade-plus to get back into the rotation. It will join Kansas City, Indianapolis, New York, New Orleans, San Antonio, Seattle and Louisville, Ky., as cities to host at least five Final Fours. "The cancellation of the 2020 tournament, including the Men's Final Four in Atlanta, was a necessary yet devastating decision for student-athletes, coaches and fans. It significantly impacted the …

A few years ago, when my children were very small, I lamented the fact that I had to cut a great deal of sports out of my life. This happens when you have a baby. There’s no time to watch a tetrafinal playoff game because the kid needs to be fed or taken for a stroll or put to bed or have its butt wiped. But now my children are older, and more self-reliant, and I am slowly coming out of the great parenting fog and reclaiming my sports fandom. I have watched most of these NBA playoffs and I have discovered, to my great delight, that there is a LOT to hate about the two teams you will watch do battle tonight. That’s right, people. It’s time to put on the grumpy pants and say horrible, spiteful things about the Cavs and the Warriors. And for this hater’s guide preview, I’m ranking…

Peru's football fortunes have rarely mirrored those of South American counterpart countries. They haven't qualified for the World Cup since 1982, and their U-20 youth squad has never gotten the nod for inclusion in that division's world championship. That could change with a strong performance in the CONMEBOL Youth Championship just underway in Argentina, though, and if they qualify they'll have goalkeeper Ángelo Campos to thank. For sure, Campos got himself into a sticky situation late in last night's match against Uruguay. His attempt to play a long pass by coming out of the box ended up giving Uruguayan striker Gonzalo Bueno an open shot on the goal; Campos busted ass to keep it from crossing the goal line, then laid out to stop the rebound strike and pres…

The Golden State Warriors are down 2-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and it looked for a while like they would have to try to claw their way back to even without their second-most important player after Draymond Green kneed Steven Adams in his dick and balls again. According to Woj, nah, he’ll play in Game 4. The foul was, however, upgraded to a flagrant 2 and Green picked up a big fine. Green has maintained that his knee only wedged itself into Adams’ crotch because he was flailing about looking for a foul and, despite the repeated dick mashings, the NBA says they believe him. Of course, a Green-free Game 4 wouldn’t have had nearly the entertainment value as it will now and that most likely played a part in the decision. The hefty fine seems like they were trying to punish hi…

data-mm-id=”_vwlcigon8″>Kyle Kuzma appears to be on the trade block as the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly listening to offers for the 24-year-old forward. So far, the Lakers are asking for a ton in return for the third-year pro and it needs to stay that way. Any deal the Lakers make needs to net them a haul in return, or it's not worth doing. Kuzma has struggled this season coming off a foot injury and trying to find his place on a Lakers' team where he's a bench guy, and the third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. So far this season, Kuzma is scoring 11.8 points and grabbing 3.5 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game and he has started just once in 27 games. But those numbers aren't indicative of the kind of player he is. Last season, Kuzma shined. He fin…

data-mm-id=”_kzvuecnds”>The last four months of no live sports has left lots of room to think about the future. Thinking about the immediate future is usually depressing, so I tend to think about the far future. I was doing just that the other afternoon while playing NBA 2K. I was the GM of the Dallas Mavericks, and we were damn good. That got me thinking about the real-life viability of the Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis pairing. Honestly? The sky is the limit. Porzingis played for the first time in a while this year. He tore his ACL in February 2018 and was traded to the Mavs a year later, but didn't suit up until the fall of 2019. He played in 51 of 67 possible games this season and was still getting back into the swing of things, but averaged 19 points per game with two blocks…

data-mm-id=”_k67r5temm”>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFL offseason hype award when they added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to an offense that already featured Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, and Ronald Jones. As Bruce Arians enters his second year as head coach of the team, expectations have exploded in Tampa Bay, with many oddsmakers giving his squad top-five odds for a Super Bowl title in 2020. However, many talented teams have failed to live up to expectations in the past and Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins provided a reminder of that reality today. While appearing on Good Morning Football, Jenkins said he and his Saints teammates aren't focused on the Bucs loaded roster because: "It's paper. You gotta produce on the field." .@Saints C…

data-mm-id=”_4szxpnyqt”>The Houston Rockets appear to be on the edge of imploding as the week brought an avalanche of news that a whole lot of players are real unhappy within the organization. James Harden was worried if the team could actually compete for a title in the near future. As the cherry on top of the sundae, Russell Westbrook requested a trade. One of the teams linked to the ferocious point guard would be almost too good to be true: the New York Knicks. Westbrook is perfect for the Knicks. An aging but not yet old superstar. When he's on, he's one of the most exciting players in the league, bar none. The Knicks are all about star power, shiny objects, and flashy play. Westbrook is all of that, from his coast-to-coast slams to his eclectic wardrobe choices. He would…

data-mm-id=”_4hqoisw83″>Brooks Koepka looked good as ever during the opening round at the Masters on Thursday, blasting his way into a three-way tie for the lead at 7-under. But his LIV Golf cohorts didn't fare as well, and some played themselves completely out of contention after 18 holes. Koepka was fantastic all day, notching eight birdies against one bogey. He was 4-under at the turn and finished 3-under on the back-nine. He sits in a tie with Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm, with Jason Day and Cameron Young lurking two shots back at 5-under. The rest of the LIV Golf group didn't keep up. Cameron Smith, winner of the 2022 Open Championship, finished 2-under, while Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann and Dustin Johnson were all 1-under. Talor Gooch, Abraham Ancer and…