Expansion teams in ice hockeyThe Las Vegas Golden Knights are hitting hockey’s jackpotAgainst all odds, the NHL’s newest club appears poised for the playoffs
Competitive balance in baseballThe rich get richer as a home-run champion moves to New YorkDoes the Yankees’ trade for Giancarlo Stanton spell doom for small-market teams?
Shohei me the wayA Japanese trailblazer is set to transform baseballNo major leaguer has both pitched and hit since Babe Ruth. Meet Shohei Ohtani
A late penaltyRussia’s overdue Olympic ban is no cure for anti-doping impotenceIt has taken seven years for the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee to issue a fitting punishment
The teary AzzurriItaly’s World Cup exit is far from an apocalypseThe country’s football is in decent health. More worrying is FIFA’s daft ranking system
Dark NorsesHow Iceland (population: 330,000) qualified for the World CupThe Nordic minnows can thank top-notch facilities, zealous coaching and guerrilla tactics
Football in the United StatesLeft out of the World Cup, America’s footballing deficiencies are laid bareReform of the player-development system is needed to vault the country into the global elite
Race and American footballColin Kaepernick files a claim against NFL owners for collusionTeams are probably blacklisting him for his politics—but are not necessarily in cahoots
Guerrilla gymnasticsParkour’s street stuntmen resent the sport’s new organisersA philosophical form of urban acrobatics will soon feature in international competitions—to the irritation of its devotees
Runnin’ down a dreamCan the marathon’s two-hour barrier be broken?An unofficial attempt in May came within 30 seconds. But a certified breach might take decades
Baseball’s most hallowed recordWhy fans are riveted by Giancarlo Stanton’s race for seventh placeThe sport’s leading slugger chases a home-run total untainted by steroids
Winning streaks in baseballThe Cleveland Indians are great, not just luckyBut in baseball, expect even juggernaut teams to lose
Draws in tennisSorry, Roger: Rafael Nadal is not just the king of clayThe Spaniard has overcome unusually strong opposition to rack up 16 grand-slam wins
Aggression in women's tennisSloane Stephens shows you don’t have to be aggressive to win a majorHer US Open victory bucks the trend of success for big hitters