Will Leitch Author Archive
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Will Leitch

Contributing Editor

Will Leitch has been a contributing editor at New York since 2008, covering sports and film. He is the author of six books, including the Edgar-nominated novel How Lucky and The Time Has Come.

  1. games
    Who You Should Root For in March Madness (Not Oral Roberts)A totally harmless guide for the extremely casual fan.
  2. games
    Sports Are About to Look Like 2019 AgainThe Texas Rangers and Wrestlemania are paving the way for crowded stadiums and arenas to become the norm within weeks.
  3. games
    March Madness Is Back, Outbreaks Be DamnedThe NCAA won’t let COVID ruin its cash cow a second time.
  4. games
    The Athletes Have More to SayAthlete activism is the new normal — and organizations like LeBron James’s More Than a Vote are here to stay.
  5. games
    It Already Feels Like the Post-COVID Era in SportsA shockingly ordinary baseball spring training presages a return to normalcy — or close to it.
  6. games
    Sports Have Been a Shadow of Themselves Without FansThe wisdom of bringing spectators back right now is debatable. But there’s no arguing how much they’ve been missed.
  7. in memoriam
    10 Essential Christopher Plummer PerformancesA look back at the late actor’s decades-spanning career.
  8. games
    A Telling Streak at the Pandemic Super BowlA blowout that should have been remembered for cementing Tom Brady’s legacy instead served as a symbol for the nation’s coronavirus failures.
  9. super bowl
    Six Big Questions About the Pandemic Super BowlA lot of weird stuff has gone down in years past. Sunday has the potential to be the strangest big game yet.
  10. games
    A Marquee Super Bowl Is the NFL’s Reward for Cutting CornersCOVID schmovid. It’s Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes!
  11. games
    7 Ways Trump Changed Sports ForeverHe left a permanent imprint — and not entirely in a bad way.
  12. games
    Bill Belichick Can’t Escape Trump That EasilyThe Patriots coach declined a Medal of Freedom, but his and other Trump-friendly sports figures’ legacies remain linked to the president.
  13. games
    How on Earth Are They Going to Pull Off the Olympics?Almost a year after their postponement, the pandemic is still raging. Maybe giving up altogether wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
  14. games
    The 10 Most Important Sports Figures of 2020The athletes, executives, and yes, politicians, who defined a stormy year.
  15. games
    10 Ways 2020 Changed Sports ForeverThe pandemic and the racial-justice movement will leave permanent marks, on and off the field.
  16. games
    Cleveland’s Baseball Team Shouldn’t Get Too Much CreditChanging its name is a welcome move, but one that’s long, long overdue.
  17. vulture lists
    Every Meryl Streep Movie, RankedFrom Sophie’s Choice to The Prom, we take a closer look at the acting legend’s career.
  18. games
    How Sports Leagues Are Gearing Up for Another Weird SeasonEveryone is hoping for vaccine-enabled normalcy in 2021, but some sports are better positioned than others to wait things out.
  19. reasons to love new york
    Farewell to My Go-toRuth Reichl, Rumaan Alam, Jiayang Fan, and more on losing the place where they were a regular.
  20. games
    The NFL Is Too Big to Let COVID Stop ItThe increasingly pandemic-afflicted league has learned an important lesson from other sports: Just keep playing.
  21. games
    Sports Are Making COVID Look Like No Big DealCoaches and athletes’ casual approach to the virus doesn’t exactly set a great example for the rest of the country.
  22. vulture lists
    10 Essential Movies About ChessQueen of Katwe, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and other films to satisfy your sudden desire for chess content.
  23. games
    COVID Is an Existential Crisis for College BasketballThanks to unlucky timing, no sport has been as badly hit by the pandemic.
  24. games
    Sports Leagues Are Being Very Trumpy After the ElectionThe NFL, NBA, and MLB may have veered left this year, but they aren’t acknowledging that Biden won.
  25. games
    If Trump Wins, Athletes Might Just Stop PlayingA shock victory next week would have a tectonic effect on activists in the NFL and other leagues.
  26. games
    The Pandemic Lessons From MLB’s Surprisingly Successful SeasonFour takeaways and four unknowns as the World Series looms.
  27. games
    The Fans Can Go to Games Again. Will They?The stadiums are open, but fans aren’t exactly rushing through the doors.
  28. the race to animate
    How Don Hertzfeldt Survives as an Indie AnimatorThe World of Tomorrow author talks watching his own back, turning down studio work, and whether or not we’re all doomed.
  29. games
    Why Are Pandemic Sports Ratings So Terrible?Some theories on why viewers have unexpectedly turned away in droves.
  30. games
    LeBron James Is Now at the Center of EverythingStill dominant on the court, he has fully embraced his role as sports’ moral conscience as he vies for another title.
  31. games
    Sports Pulled Off a Miracle in 2020. Now What About 2021?The pandemic isn’t going anywhere, but leagues can’t afford another season with no fans.
  32. games
    If Athletes Want to Force Real Change, They Need to Stop PlayingSocial-justice momentum in the NBA and NFL is already stalling. Radical action is needed.
  33. games
    The NFL Is Returning To a Different World. Can It Adapt?Every NFL season brings with it madness and unpredictability, but none has ever had more potential for implosion than this one.
  34. games
    College Football Is Still Recklessly Barreling ForwardSome of the big conferences canceled their seasons. Others seem to have adopted a “let’s hope for the best” pandemic strategy.
  35. jacob blake
    The NBA Strike Is Jarring. That’s the Point.A work stoppage was a completely reasonable — and courageous — reaction to the chaos going on outside basketball’s bubble.
  36. games
    Where Did All the Trump-Boosting Jocks Go?Many of the athletes who proudly supported the president in 2016 have gone quiet. That says something about his political standing.
  37. the replacements
    Wanted to Watch Tenet? Try These 5 Movies InsteadA twisty sci-fi mind-bender, an underrated John David Washington cop drama, and more.
  38. vulture lists
    Every Russell Crowe Movie, RankedWith the release of Unhinged, we take a closer look at the actor’s diverse filmography.
  39. games
    The U.S. Government Could Learn a Lot From the NBASports are one of the few American institutions getting the pandemic right.
  40. games
    Don’t Just Blame COVID-19 for College Football’s Lost SeasonPresident Trump, the NCAA, and many of the sport’s most loyal fans had their chance to improve the odds. They blew it.
  41. games
    Sports Now Feel Meaningless — and More Valuable Than EverWith the narrative stakes gone, each game is a pure, self-contained piece of entertainment.
  42. games
    Baseball Without Fans Is Best Enjoyed From AfarIf you find yourself envious of those who are able to set foot inside the ballpark, you shouldn’t be.
  43. the replacements
    Wanted to See The French Dispatch? Try These 5 Movies Instead.A newsroom love story, a Paris anthology film, a coming-of-age comedy, and more.
  44. games
    Can Baseball Really Pull This Off?After a very rocky road back, the sport finally starts up this week amid a coronavirus spike.
  45. games
    The Washington Football Team Is Finally Changing Its Name. Who’s Next?The worst moniker in sports is no more. It may soon have company.
  46. vulture lists
    Every Charlize Theron Movie, RankedWith The Old Guard out on Netflix, we take a look back at Theron’s filmography.
  47. games
    Trump Can’t Turn Bubba Wallace Into Colin KaepernickIn his attempt to demonize an innocent driver, the president finds that even NASCAR won’t listen to him anymore.
  48. games
    10 Tips on How to Bring Your Sport Back During a PandemicFake crowd noise is good. So is shaming players who break the rules.
  49. the replacements
    Wanted to Watch Top Gun: Maverick? Try These 5 Movies InsteadAmerican Made, Iron Eagle, and more.
  50. games
    The Only Thing That Would Stop Sports NowA player dying from the coronavirus is an unlikely but real possibility.
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