Sports (Page 3)

sports

Latest in Sports

Kevin Shulz catches air at the Waco training grounds.

Pro surfers hit artificial waves in the heat of the climate crisis

Medical physicist Joanna Harper

The science behind sex, gender, and athletic competition is still pretty shaky

By Britni de la Cretaz

An MLB umpire calls a strike or a ball during a 2019 game.

Major League Baseball is nearing the era of the robot umpire

By Rayvon Fouché/The Conversation

wooden derby cars

Meet the dads who can’t quit pinewood derby racing—even after their kids are over it

By Andrew Zaleski

Angler holding up a panfish.

A beginner’s guide to freshwater fishing

By Bob Mcnally/Field & Stream

a baseball player swings a bat

Why baseball players ‘bone’ their bats

By Popular Science Team

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't make the top 20 in the 2005 NFL draft. But he rated high on the Wonderlic test and has taken his team to the Super Bowl.

Some NFL teams still draft quarterbacks based on an obsolete intelligence test

By Joshua D. Pitts/The Conversation

track and field competition

Will it be safe to hold the Olympics in 2021?

By Kate Baggaley

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers pulls his 7-foot frame into a well-balanced dunk form.

The physics behind iconic NBA slam dunks

By Jacob Feldman

We have no idea how dangerous football really is

We have no idea how dangerous football really is

By Nicole Wetsman

Kansas City Chiefs celebrating their Super Bowl LIV victory by pouring Gatorade on head coach Andy Reid

How much sweat will come out of the Super Bowl? We did the math.

By Erin Blakemore

An old-school catcher throwing up a pitch sign

The best ways to steal signs in baseball

By Jacob Feldman

Lee Johnston (BMW Ashcourt Racing) hurtles a short distance from the dreaded Armco barriers, with the city in the background.

The world’s most thrilling motorcycle race, in photos

By Marta Covioli/Motorcyclist

philadelphia eagles' football field

The Philadelphia Eagles are driving the NFL toward a greener future

By Eleanor Cummins

A baseball sits on a pitcher's mound.

Scientists are one step closer to solving the mystery of MLB’s home run surge

By Lauren Theisen

weight lifting bro

Most people who dope aren’t Russian Olympic athletes. Here’s how the drugs work.

By Sara Chodosh

a person in a body of ice water

Cold take: Ice baths don’t help sore muscles heal

By Claire Maldarelli

a man hypnotizing a woman

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Ben Franklin invented a mesmerizing instrument with a deadly reputation

By Popular Science Team

kids playing soccer aggressively

High school concussion laws exist in every state, but getting them on the field is a challenge

By Nicole Wetsman

Caster Semenya on track with south african flag around her

Fitness & Exercise

The complicated truth about testosterone’s effect on athletic performance

By Sara Chodosh

Baseball’s black magic: How psychology, math, and culture created a curse-ridden sport

Baseball’s black magic: How psychology, math, and culture created a curse-ridden sport

By Jessica Boddy

Testosterone might make you run faster, but that’s kind of beside the point

Testosterone might make you run faster, but that’s kind of beside the point

By Sara Chodosh

Why are humans good at endurance running? The answer is murky.

Fitness & Exercise

Why are humans good at endurance running? The answer is murky.

By Timothy F. Kirn/Undark

How elite drivers train to endure the punishing conditions of pro racing

Fitness & Exercise

How elite drivers train to endure the punishing conditions of pro racing

How Mercedes-AMG’s Formula One hybrid tech trickles down to road cars

Electric Vehicles

How Mercedes-AMG’s Formula One hybrid tech trickles down to road cars

NASCAR may be the fastest road to learning about physics

NASCAR may be the fastest road to learning about physics

By Christine Helms/The Conversation

The weirdest things we learned this week: Feminist butter sculptures and America’s first favorite pastime

The weirdest things we learned this week: Feminist butter sculptures and America’s first favorite pastime

By Popular Science Team

The weirdest things we learned this week: College students swallowed guppies for sport and chickens wore glasses

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The weirdest things we learned this week: College students swallowed guppies for sport and chickens wore glasses

By Popular Science Team

Baseball players outlive most of us, but some positions are better than others

Baseball players outlive most of us, but some positions are better than others

By Sara Chodosh

TaylorMade’s new drivers start out too fast for the rules of golf

TaylorMade’s new drivers start out too fast for the rules of golf

By Stan Horaczek

Women soccer players usually peak in their 20s—here’s why some excel into their 40s

Women soccer players usually peak in their 20s—here’s why some excel into their 40s

By Nicole Wetsman

Inside the racing simulators drivers use for realistic training

Inside the racing simulators drivers use for realistic training

6,000 tires, 700 horsepower, and 230 miles per hour: The Indy 500 by the numbers

6,000 tires, 700 horsepower, and 230 miles per hour: The Indy 500 by the numbers

Muscle stiffness can be an athletic superpower

Fitness & Exercise

Muscle stiffness can be an athletic superpower

By Philip Anloague / The Conversation

Formula 1 racing teams have intense recruitment programs for engineers

Formula 1 racing teams have intense recruitment programs for engineers

By Jordan Golson

Football on turf is hard on the knees

Football on turf is hard on the knees

By Nicole Wetsman

How Nike engineered its latest record-breaking marathon shoe

How Nike engineered its latest record-breaking marathon shoe

By Claire Maldarelli

F1 steering wheel

The steering wheel in an F1 race car requires fighter jet components and lots of practice

a tigress licking her paws

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The weirdest things we learned this week: hot air balloon riots and the man-eatingest tiger

By Rachel Feltman

An ‘acoustic fingerprint’ should keep Alexa from waking during Amazon’s Super Bowl ad

Watch the Super Bowl

Here’s how to stream the 2019 Super Bowl without cable

By Stan Horaczek

Yankees go green with an environmental advisor—but what can he actually do?

Yankees go green with an environmental advisor—but what can he actually do?

Rodeo dirt Fort Worth Austin

Dirt can make or break a rodeo

By Eleanor Cummins

Hafthor Bjornsson elephant bar

Building a barbell for 1,000 pound deadlifts takes careful engineering and lots of testing

By Stan Horaczek

Want your kid to be an elite athlete? Let them play the field.

Want your kid to be an elite athlete? Let them play the field.

By Nicole Wetsman

How elite athletes keep their heads in the game

Throwing knives is growing more popular—here’s how to get started

Throwing knives is growing more popular—here’s how to get started

By William Gurstelle

The physics of throwing a perfect baseball pitch

A young woman doing a lunge stretch by the side of a river under a gray cliff.

Fitness & Exercise

How to stretch for any type of workout

By Sara Chodosh

football players pouring water on coach

For young football players, too much water can be just as bad as not enough

By Tamara Hew-Butler/The Conversation

Old footage of sports events can help scientists track climate change

Old footage of sports events can help scientists track climate change

By Marlene Cimons

world cup 2014 argentina germany

The complex physics behind bending it like a World Cup player

The biomechanics of a perfect penalty kick

The biomechanics of a perfect penalty kick

By Tim Bennett/The Conversation

This is how, and why, explorers go cave diving

This is how, and why, explorers go cave diving

The science of superstition

The science of superstition

By Neil Dagnall and Ken Drinkwater/The Conversation

How the new World Cup ball was designed to not influence the games

How the new World Cup ball was designed to not influence the games

Pro basketball players’ synchronous movements might help us predict the next NBA champ

Pro basketball players’ synchronous movements might help us predict the next NBA champ

By Dana G. Smith

The physics behind a baseball bat’s sweet spot

By Sara Chodosh

The math behind the perfect free throw

The math behind the perfect free throw

By Larry M. Silverberg/The Conversation

Playing hockey on a sled totally changes the game

Playing hockey on a sled totally changes the game

By Alicia M. Gal/The Conversation

The best weather for hitting a home run, according to scientists

The best weather for hitting a home run, according to scientists

By Jessica Boddy

Superstition keeps a lot of Olympians from boinking. But what does the evidence say?

Superstition keeps a lot of Olympians from boinking. But what does the evidence say?

By Erin Blakemore

The Olympic sport most likely to kill you

The Olympic sport most likely to kill you

By Erin Blakemore

Razor-sharp snowflakes are wreaking havoc on Olympians’ skis

Razor-sharp snowflakes are wreaking havoc on Olympians’ skis

By Erin Blakemore