Why the Best Sports Stories Are Beyond the Field – ProPublica

Super Bowl fans may be playing Monday morning quarterback today, but the stories that most shake up the sports world aren’t recaps of what happens on the field. L. Jon Wertheim, executive editor of Sports Illustrated, says the biggest headlines are won by investigative stories, from accusations of cheating in professional sports to high school hazing.

For this week’s podcast, Wertheim talks with ProPublica senior editor Joe Sexton about some of his favorite examples, how Sports Illustrated has adjusted to investigative journalism in the digital age, and what his new book – This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon – reveals about the psychology of sports.

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