The best Substack sports stories in March

Mar 30, 2024

On Monday, I took submissions for the best sports stories on Substack this month. Y’all came through with a bunch of great work. I’ve sorted the submissions into a roundup of 10 for your weekend deep dive.

If you had any additional favorites, drop them into the comments or the chat, which is now open again.

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The Rise and Fall of The Draft Network

In 2018, a draft analysis website launched with the intention of improving NFL draft coverage. It changed the industry. And now it seems to be disappearing. What happened?

Arif Hasan

Wide Left

The Rise and Fall of The Draft Network

From 2011 to 2014, a loose network of young draft enthusiasts known as “Draft Twitter” emerged from the online football space. Draft Twitter represented a paradigm shift, refocusing the conversation around the NFL draft around in-depth analysis and skepticism rather than sourcing and traditional reporting…

a year ago · 216 likes · 28 comments · Arif Hasan

Submitted by

Cody Stoots

: “I literally the other day lamented to a colleague about The Draft Network's fall from grace and asked ‘whatever happened there?’ Then days later this spectacular piece dropped. The free portion was incredible and I immediately subbed to read the rest.”

Can basketball bring us meaning?

Hanif Abdurraqib's exploration of life's biggest questions in "There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension"

Kevin Koczwara

A Fan's Notes

Can basketball bring us meaning?

There are two magazine covers I can’t forget and both have Sebastian Telfair on them. There’s the copy of Sports Illustrated (RIP) from March of 2004 with Telfair on the cover with the words “Watch Me Now” acros…

a year ago · Kevin Koczwara

Meet NC State's Jannah Eissa, the ACC's first hijab-wearing basketball player

"Your hijab is not going to stop you from doing anything."

Lindsay Gibbs

Power Plays

Meet NC State's Jannah Eissa, the ACC's first hijab-wearing basketball player

Jannah Eissa just turned 18 years in February. She is a walk-on on the N.C. State women’s basketball team, meaning she doesn’t have an athletic scholarship. She has played just 28 minutes all season and made one field goal. And yet, when No. 3 N.C. State takes the court on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh to face No. 14 Chattanooga in the first round of th…

a year ago · 22 likes · 2 comments · Lindsay Gibbs

The Art of the Tennis Comeback

A bonus chat with Kim Clijsters

Christopher Clarey

Christopher Clarey's Tennis & Beyond

The Art of the Tennis Comeback

It is tough coming back, perhaps tougher than proud champions like Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka imagined. They have hit some high notes and wonderful shots since they recently returned to the tour after long maternity layoffs, but for now, none of these former world No. 1 players has made it past the quarterfinals in an individual tournament…

a year ago · 20 likes · 21 comments · Christopher Clarey

Rebuild Retrospective: Oklahoma City Thunder

From demolition to contention, quickly

Quinn Everts

The Broken Press

Rebuild Retrospective: Oklahoma City Thunder

If you’re searching for a shining example of how quickly the NBA moves, I recommend heading to tornado country. The Oklahoma City Thunder have lived about five full lives since decimating their roster in the summer of 2019. After the death of the old guard came the birth of something new, something exciting for the Thunder. But when the initial novelty …

a year ago · 23 likes · 4 comments · Quinn Everts

Dirty Sports

Joe Praino

and
Andy Ruther

Submitted by

Landon Renard

: “The Dirty Sports Podcast recently joined Substack and is well worth a subscription. Joe and Andy give a breath of fresh air to the dull and corporate sports media coverage that plagues all the major networks today. Their background as comedians makes the show very funny and entertaining as well.”

One Year of Formula Flash

How Substack launched my career in motorsport and brought me back to journalism

Olivia Hicks

Formula Flash

One Year of Formula Flash

I watched the Australian Grand Prix from a bar on the Upper East Side in the early hours of Sunday. As…

a year ago · 14 likes · 7 comments · Olivia Hicks

Submitted by

Thomas Pinzone

: “Incredibly inspiring.”

Michael Jordan is the GOAT and We're Not Done With the 90's

The GOAT is real and not just a product of nostalgia

Ethan Strauss

House of Strauss

Michael Jordan is the GOAT and We're Not Done With the 90's

Last week, “We’re done with the 90’s,” trended on the social media platforms, especially over politically precarious TikTok. What’s it about? It’s a phrase mostly appended to unflattering clips of 1990s basketball, often used to discredit Michael Jordan’s status. Like a lot of social media movements, there’s an element of pure provocation to it, a glee …

a year ago · 85 likes · 111 comments · Ethan Strauss

To front or box out? Looking at how NHL teams systematically block shots

I got stuck in a tactical wormhole this week and you have to come with me.

Sean Shapiro

Shap Shots

To front or box out? Looking at how NHL teams systematically block shots

NHL teams block shots at a higher rate than ever before. Or at least since it was officially tracked starting with the 2005-06 season. The NHL record for shot blocks per 60 minutes was set by the Calgary Flames during the 2014-15 season, with 18.72 per/60…

a year ago · 14 likes · 3 comments · Sean Shapiro

Submitted by

Vinh Cao

: “Really enjoyed Sean Shapiro's piece breaking down the decision to block shots or box out your man in the defensive zone. Interesting numbers, insight from NHL execs and coaches, video examples, etc.”

Good Legs and Guts

In 1971, baseball joined the rest of the country and put on the shortest short-shorts it could find

Paul Jackson

Project 3.18

Good Legs and Guts

One of the nice things about baseball stories is that sometimes they are the drink and sometimes they are the glass. This is an example of the latter, a story from the summer when the game’s promotional “experts” hopped on the world’s latest fashion craze…

a year ago · 19 likes · 13 comments · Paul Jackson

Submitted by

Matt Schlichting

: “Project 3.18 has been on absolute fire of late.”

The best Substack sports stories in March

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