Group expectationsDespite Germany’s exit, this World Cup has been quite predictableOf the 16 teams most likely to qualify, 14 have reached the knockout rounds
In the redCan Russia’s national football team emerge from its recent slump?Despite an emphatic 5-0 opening win, daft domestic policies are holding the country back
A lack of clear chancesWhy predicting the winner of the World Cup is so difficultGamblers can price in random quirks that statisticians struggle to capture in their models
Cheating in cricketA ball-tampering row consumes AustraliaAnd leads to long suspensions for some of its best-known sportsmen
Positive spinWhy spinners are enjoying a purple patch in cricketAggressive tactics and trickery have contributed more than video replays
World rankings in tennisDespite an abbreviated schedule, Roger Federer rules the roostThe world’s top-ranked player disproves the adage that 80% of life is showing up
Upsets in college basketballThe maddest March: at last, a 16-seed upsets a number oneFor the first time in history, the NCAA tournament delivers the ultimate upset
A screening testHow to solve football’s video-refereeing problemsThe proposed new system reduces major errors by about 80%, but needs to be more intelligible to fans
Baseball economicsSavvy or collusion? Why baseball’s free-agent market has turned ice-coldAfter decades of fighting against a salary cap, the players may have to learn to love one
Ice hockey at the OlympicsBy abandoning the Olympics, the NHL has done Russia a favourRussia cannot compete under its own flag, but hosts the world’s second-strongest domestic league
No movement in the channelsDomestic demand to televise the Premier League might have peakedBut football’s richest division still has plenty of scope to grow its global revenues
Halfpipe dreamsHow to predict winners at the winter OlympicsMulti-competitor events and infrequent contests make forecasting results difficult, but not impossible
Unrequited gloveWhy football’s goalkeepers are cheap and unheraldedIncreasingly sophisticated number-crunching suggests that attacking players contribute more to their teams
Super Bowl LIIThe Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions at lastWith a backup quarterback at the helm, the gritty team pulled off three consecutive upset victories
