The Sporting Scene
A hundred years of great writing, curated for The New Yorker’s centenary.
How One Swimmer Became the Focus of a Debate About Trans Athletes
Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., and her initial meets drew little attention. Then some people decided that she was winning too much.
By Louisa Thomas
A Full Revolution
In the run-up to the Olympics, Simone Biles is transforming gymnastics.
By Reeves Wiedeman
Breaking the Waves
Can the record-breaking long-distance swimmer and senior citizen swim from Florida to Cuba?
By Ariel Levy
The Tonya Harding Fan Club
Harding can weather hard times, and to her home-town supporters that may be a more valuable talent than skating.
By Susan Orlean
Poet and Pedagogue
Cassius Clay has a skittering style, like a pebble scaled over water. He’s the only poet—or boxer—in America who can recite this way.
By A. J. Liebling
Babe Ruth’s Bad Behavior
At thirty-two, baseball’s “bad boy” is erratic, impulsive, and—despite a slew of financial scandals—nearly a millionaire.
By Arthur Robinson