In the end, he thinks of a dunk. Of that moment when he seizes the ball, and it’s fully in his
control, and his body transitions from analysis to pure movement, not thinking about anything,
everything automatic, dribbling, almost free-floating, his legs feel like nothing…
“All right, welcome back. 2:21 left to play here in Michigan Stadium. Michigan trailing 21-16 and driving, the Wolverines needing a touchdown to go ahead, a field goal won’t do it. Nineteen, even in these uncertain times, still less than twenty-one. Into Irish territory now, with a first down from the Notre Dame forty-two. Denard calling for quiet now as he approaches the line; 115,000-plus in Ann Arbor oblige.”
When I heard about the Argentinian named Messi arriving from Barcelona, I left early in the
morning and walked the riverbank, following the quais from the Île de la Cite past the Jardin des
Tuileries to a fishing spot under the shade of the Pont Mirabeau. I caught two carp off the wake
of a tourist riverboat, enough for Hadley and Bumby to enjoy for a supper fried in butter and
potatoes.
In the end, he thinks of a dunk. Of that moment when he seizes the ball, and it’s fully in his
control, and his body transitions from analysis to pure movement, not thinking about anything,
everything automatic, dribbling, almost free-floating, his legs feel like nothing…
The ball curved through the air, a blue and white blur standing out in front of the empty stadium seats. The players in red break, pulling defenders along with them.
The Quick Lane Bowl takes place in Detroit in the week following Christmas whenever there isn’t a surging pandemic. It was founded in 1997 as the Motor City Bowl and played at the Pontiac Silverdome until moving to Ford Field in 2002, where the Detroit Lions play real NFL teams.
I was about eleven years-old when I got my first 10-speed. It was a used-up mess, but to me, it was beautiful. The chipped metallic blue paint never hindered the rocket-fast frame under my body.
Is the hyperbolic title of The Greatest Spectacle in Motorsports Racing truly apt? First, is it important to decide what a great sporting event is defined by;
the UNDER REVIEW Chapbook is an annual contest featuring a complete work or collection with a sports slant, nod or undercurrent, subtle or overt.
I am never not listening to ‘One Shining Moment.’ I’m talking about the Luther Vandross version, of course. I don’t mean this literally. I don’t have a Spotify playlist setup to play the official March Madness anthem on repeat for all hours of the day. I mean this in a similar way…
In 1977 the Portland Trailblazers won their first and, at this writing, only NBA championship. They did this after never making the playoffs before in their six year existence.
When they won their first game of the season, I thought, OK, good, not going to get shut out this year.
The second, hey, a sweep!
I’m still learning how to be sad about Kobe because I’m still learning how to be sad about myself.
It’s been a tough year to love football. I suppose it’s always difficult to grapple with the emotion of loving something as undeniably barbaric as America’s most popular sport, but justifying my love for football has been more challenging in these times than it ever has been.
I still remember the first day I saw her. Our junior varsity match complete, I sat on the sidelines watching the varsity team, filled with equal parts envy and awe as her small, muscular form sped across the field, the ball seemingly magnetized to her feet.
At a 2019 mid-season Portland Thorns vs. North Carolina Courage match, our mohawked capo revealed a dress with three arrows surrounded by a rainbow border. A cheer arose from the crowd of Rose City Riveters, the Portland Thorns supporter’s group.
In February, 2020, Power Ten, also known as Lake Phalen Community Rowing -- powerten.org --set out to bring youth of all backgrounds together to learn and enjoy the sport of rowing. The club’s slogan: Changing the Face of Rowing.
The Under Review is dedicated to featuring local and national organizations with social justice, racial equality, and/or the fight against gender or LGBTQ+ disparity, who use sports, writing, or education as their main tool for empowerment and change. It is our honor and pleasure to offer our support to Minneapolis’s own Circle of Discipline with Center Court’s inaugural post.
I was chatting with a co-worker about the Super Bowl when he said something that disturbed me: “I always liked the Chiefs because they were underdogs. I don’t think I can cheer for them anymore now that they’ve actually won it all.”
Dear Readers,
As many of you know, the Under Review is based out of Minneapolis and St. Paul, editors on both sides of the Mississippi, in the cities that we love and in cities that are nearly incapacitated with throbbing grief and anger over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
How my mom and a utility infielder made me fall in love with baseball.
I know it’s bad because I miss Jim Nantz. I miss the Masters. I miss golf. I miss what could arguably be called the most boring sport on television…
We have a predilection to abuse
antidepressants we are both tornadoes
of trailer trash who learned to skate
Dear Basketball has never not made me cry. You don't know me, but even if you did this wouldn't surprise you. I’m a natural crier. I cry while watching movies and reading books, through joy and through pain. My best and worst moments have this truth about me in common.
I have not had a subscription to Sports Illustrated since I was in middle school, but there are three I have purchased off the shelf and saved as a middle-aged adult.
Two of them are from this year.
Both of those have Megan Rapinoe on the cover.
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RT @WASquarterly: Let’s give an official congrats to @terryhorstman for taking the WAS Women’s March Madness Pick ‘Em, and… https://t.co/P8tC9bwyHL
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Hey everyone, call your local independent book seller/library and get Ari’s book right the heck now! Seriously do i… https://t.co/SnCFMpvkCb
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We wanna be Mina Kimes when we grow up #Savage https://t.co/rBpc5cCQWe
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RT @kt_sinback: Howdy @UnderReviewLit! I have a new sporty story out on @NecessaryFic that I thought you might enjoy. Who puts the… https://t.co/0V1YGQpV71
Indubitably, Babe Ruth’s trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees for $100,000 ranks as the worst baseball swap ever. Still, serious fans of every major league team can emphasize with cursed Boston rooters over ruinous trades involving a parade of franchise icons.