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Did you notice what happened to those who dared to criticize or voice their discomfort with Jason Collins' announcement? They're the ones who found themselves isolated, under attack and pressured to remain silent.

What happens over the next months and years will say more about American society and its boundaries of acceptance than it ever could about Jason Collins or Kirk Walker or Kevin McClatchy or Martina Navratilova.

Is pain a means to grace? To clarity? Is it an "instrument for perfecting" ourselves? Where's the line between the instructive and the destructive? What are sports meant to teach?

To paraphrase Chris Rock, desperation is the worst cologne. And when it comes to the post–NCAA tournament coaching carousel, the landscape of college basketball feels cloaked by a cloud of metaphysical Drakkar Noir. The absurd time crunch and c...

America loves an underdog, and so do college basketball fans who use Facebook and Twitter. Not surprisingly, Florida Gulf Coast University was the most mentioned team on both social media sites during the early rounds of the NCAA tournament, accordin...

After seeing the Los Angeles Lakers' winning streak come to an end at 33 games in 1972, forward Jim McMillian said NBA fans had seen something special. "We just finished a streak that I don't believe any other team is going to break," he told the ...

The most perfect thing in sports looks like a pair of identical ant trails. It looks like the War of the Stick Figures. For 23 days -- from mid-March to early April -- we are under its spell wholly, happily and willingly. When it comes to crowning a sporting champion, the NCAA tournament bracket has no rival.

In a time of high unemployment and low job creation, oddly, there still seemed to be money for sports. A closer look reveals a largely stagnant industry -- except for skyrocketing media rights to broadcast sports.

The games today are different. The feel is different. Because of scandals, concussions, PEDs and other strains, if sport has not reached its tipping point, it is in the throes of serious transition.

This weekend saw an epic game. Now brace for an epic gallery, one that contains the best images from the past few days -- including college basketball, NBA, NHL and ... pond hockey? Oh yeah, it's in there. Photos of the Week: Feb. 8-10...

Ryan Arcidiacono hit the tying 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, and James Bell hit consecutive 3s in overtime to send Villanova to its second win over a top-five team this week, 75-71 over No. 3 Syracuse on Saturday.

Professional sports has reached its tipping point. The players, already too big, already too fast, already too strong, are now engaged in a game of attrition not against the other team, but against the regular season.

From more competitive games in women's college basketball, to healthier players and more cooperative stars, our writers weigh in on their holiday wishes for the sports world.

1. The National Association of Basketball Coaches' board of directors is meeting in Indianapolis on Thursday, with the issue of transfers and how to handle the requests as a primary agenda item. The board has some notable names, including Wisconsin c...

Here's a look at the numbers behind some of the biggest sports stories this past month. Send us suggestions for next month's edition by tweeting at @michaelkruse with the hashtag #GrantlandStats. Average number of viewers for NBA games on TNT this...

1. One of the top agenda items for new NCAA vice president Mark Lewis is the site of the 2013 NCAA tournament East Regional. The original plan was to hold the 75th anniversary of the event at Madison Square Garden in New York. But according to multip...