Des Bieler
@desbieler.bsky.social
Soon-to-be-former Washington Post sports writer.
Was going through some materials accumulated over my many years at The Washington Post, and I was struck by these words of wisdom from the legendary Eugene Meyer, particularly (in light of recent events) the fifth graf.
February 13, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Was going through some materials accumulated over my many years at The Washington Post, and I was struck by these words of wisdom from the legendary Eugene Meyer, particularly (in light of recent events) the fifth graf.
There REALLY should be a rule against showing ads for scary movies during a program and time that would likely have a lot of kids watching
February 8, 2026 at 11:32 PM
There REALLY should be a rule against showing ads for scary movies during a program and time that would likely have a lot of kids watching
Looking to get back into the top 10, and presumably all the way back to No. 1, after so much early-career success, Naomi Osaka is off to a splashy start Down Under (although she could help herself by keeping her early-round matches under 3 sets)
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
With fashion and feistiness, Naomi Osaka makes waves at the Australian Open
After becoming the talk of the tournament with her ensembles, Osaka gets to the third round with a contentious victory that continued her bid to return to the top.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Looking to get back into the top 10, and presumably all the way back to No. 1, after so much early-career success, Naomi Osaka is off to a splashy start Down Under (although she could help herself by keeping her early-round matches under 3 sets)
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
Sports quiz time! (Unless you've taken it already today, in which case, thanks very much.) We have looks at the recently concluded CFP final and upcoming NFL conference title games, as well as questions related to baseball, basketball, boxing and more!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
This week’s questions involve Indiana, Mike Tyson and a baseball cheating scandal. How many can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Sports quiz time! (Unless you've taken it already today, in which case, thanks very much.) We have looks at the recently concluded CFP final and upcoming NFL conference title games, as well as questions related to baseball, basketball, boxing and more!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Great quote on Curt Cignetti, via an excellent column by @barrysvrlugawp.bsky.social:
“He flipped the culture for us,” said [Elon's AD]. “When I talk about that, it turned from ‘Who do we play this week?’ to ‘Who do we get to play this week?’ 1/2
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
“He flipped the culture for us,” said [Elon's AD]. “When I talk about that, it turned from ‘Who do we play this week?’ to ‘Who do we get to play this week?’ 1/2
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
Column | Indiana’s Curt Cignetti conquered college football six seconds at a time
The Hoosiers’ incomprehensible journey to the sport’s mountaintop resulted from following their coach’s methodical approach.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Great quote on Curt Cignetti, via an excellent column by @barrysvrlugawp.bsky.social:
“He flipped the culture for us,” said [Elon's AD]. “When I talk about that, it turned from ‘Who do we play this week?’ to ‘Who do we get to play this week?’ 1/2
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
“He flipped the culture for us,” said [Elon's AD]. “When I talk about that, it turned from ‘Who do we play this week?’ to ‘Who do we get to play this week?’ 1/2
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
OMG, that was a crazy TD pass. Sometimes, the regular view you get on TV (i.e., not seeing the whole field) adds to the excitement, b/c there was no way to know who or what Caleb was throwing to there
January 19, 2026 at 2:37 AM
OMG, that was a crazy TD pass. Sometimes, the regular view you get on TV (i.e., not seeing the whole field) adds to the excitement, b/c there was no way to know who or what Caleb was throwing to there
I think that if the ball had popped out there when Cooks went to the ground with it, it would have been considered an incompletion. So he could be considered to have not completed the process of the catch when McMillian grabbed it, making for an interception. Just going by the NFL's rules, folks.
January 18, 2026 at 1:07 AM
I think that if the ball had popped out there when Cooks went to the ground with it, it would have been considered an incompletion. So he could be considered to have not completed the process of the catch when McMillian grabbed it, making for an interception. Just going by the NFL's rules, folks.
Has a hook and ladder (or lateral, if u prefer) play ever NOT worked? Can understand why teams only go to it in desperate situations, but also have to think versions of it could be used much more frequently.
January 18, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Has a hook and ladder (or lateral, if u prefer) play ever NOT worked? Can understand why teams only go to it in desperate situations, but also have to think versions of it could be used much more frequently.
Sports quiz time! Sure, you know which golf tour has until very recently been home to Brooks Koepka (you do, right?), but can you identify the two folks further down whose heads have been cropped out?
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
Test your knowledge with our weekly game. From figure skating to the NFL, how many of our eight questions can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Sports quiz time! Sure, you know which golf tour has until very recently been home to Brooks Koepka (you do, right?), but can you identify the two folks further down whose heads have been cropped out?
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Here’s my terrific colleague @candacedbuckner.bsky.social on why it was so problematic for a reporter to use her time at a Jaguars postgame news conference to give their coach a pep talk.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
Column | News conferences exist to inform fans. It’s too bad so many don’t get that.
The debate over a reporter’s actions after a Jacksonville Jaguars game reveals a troubling misunderstanding.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Here’s my terrific colleague @candacedbuckner.bsky.social on why it was so problematic for a reporter to use her time at a Jaguars postgame news conference to give their coach a pep talk.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
Jags' TD with just over 4 minutes to go is the eighth 4th quarter lead change in three playoff games thus far (and this one ain't over, as I'm sure Jax fans fully realize)
January 11, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Jags' TD with just over 4 minutes to go is the eighth 4th quarter lead change in three playoff games thus far (and this one ain't over, as I'm sure Jax fans fully realize)
Have you taken our sports quiz today? If not yet, then no better time than now (unless sometime a little bit later would work much better). This one touches on an NFL coach firing, the CFP semifinals, a red-hot college basketball team and more!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
Test your knowledge with our weekly game. How many of our eight questions can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Have you taken our sports quiz today? If not yet, then no better time than now (unless sometime a little bit later would work much better). This one touches on an NFL coach firing, the CFP semifinals, a red-hot college basketball team and more!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
The ball doesn't drop for another seven hours, so in the meantime, why not take this quiz? Eight questions related to the place of New Year's Day in sports history.
If you score well, it could be an auld lang syne of good things to come in 2026!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
If you score well, it could be an auld lang syne of good things to come in 2026!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: New Year’s Day edition
Test your knowledge with our weekly game. How many of our eight questions can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
The ball doesn't drop for another seven hours, so in the meantime, why not take this quiz? Eight questions related to the place of New Year's Day in sports history.
If you score well, it could be an auld lang syne of good things to come in 2026!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
If you score well, it could be an auld lang syne of good things to come in 2026!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
For your reading pleasure, here are a bunch of decisions by sports figures that did not go well in the past year. Apologies for no Sherrone Moore section, but fwiw, the worst decision there arguably came in 2024, when Michigan signed him to a 5-year contract.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
The very worst sports decisions of 2025
There was no shortage of poor choices this year, including a terrible trade of a superstar, a guy stealing a hat from a child and a former NFL quarterback picking a drunken fight over ... parking.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
For your reading pleasure, here are a bunch of decisions by sports figures that did not go well in the past year. Apologies for no Sherrone Moore section, but fwiw, the worst decision there arguably came in 2024, when Michigan signed him to a 5-year contract.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Why is it such a talking point that Philip Rivers is possibly delaying his Hall of Fame election/induction by another five years? He seems perfectly okay with that scenario and, in fact, pretty excited about the chance to play again.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Column | Could a 44-year-old grandpa start an NFL game Sunday? ‘Heck yeah.’
Philip Rivers, 44, hasn’t played in five years and watched this past Sunday’s games from his couch. That might not stop him from being in the Colts’ huddle.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Why is it such a talking point that Philip Rivers is possibly delaying his Hall of Fame election/induction by another five years? He seems perfectly okay with that scenario and, in fact, pretty excited about the chance to play again.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
The 2026 World Cup draw is taking place right now, but it's not the most enthralling watch. Much better to follow along with our live, updating file to catch up on and learn about all the major developments!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
World Cup draw live updates: FIFA group selection underway as Trump receives Peace Prize
National soccer teams will learn their group stage opponents at the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The 2026 World Cup draw is taking place right now, but it's not the most enthralling watch. Much better to follow along with our live, updating file to catch up on and learn about all the major developments!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Quiz time! Apologies to those who don't follow British soccer, because we have a wee test of knowledge there, but hey, getting seven out of eight would also be pretty good.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Eight questions to test your knowledge
In this week’s game, we look at a skiing record, an infamous NBA suspension and a Heisman Trophy winner turned political figure.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Quiz time! Apologies to those who don't follow British soccer, because we have a wee test of knowledge there, but hey, getting seven out of eight would also be pretty good.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
I mean, I've seen something like that plenty of times on the golf course (including by me, all too often, stubbing my club well behind the ball on a horrendous swing), but never anything quite like that on a football field.
Younghoe Koo probably won't kick another NFL field goal after that shit lol
December 2, 2025 at 2:20 AM
I mean, I've seen something like that plenty of times on the golf course (including by me, all too often, stubbing my club well behind the ball on a horrendous swing), but never anything quite like that on a football field.
Man, we're getting an Odell Beckham-esque catch, like, every couple of weeks now. Must be the gloves, right?
Not that I'm complaining about an area of growth in the highlight-reel play category.
Not that I'm complaining about an area of growth in the highlight-reel play category.
December 1, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Man, we're getting an Odell Beckham-esque catch, like, every couple of weeks now. Must be the gloves, right?
Not that I'm complaining about an area of growth in the highlight-reel play category.
Not that I'm complaining about an area of growth in the highlight-reel play category.
Still in a food coma, or maybe stricken by a new, leftovers-induced one? Here's some good news: It's as easy as pie (apologies if the last thing you want right now is a food reference) to click on our Thanksgiving-themed sports quiz and test your knowledge.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Thanksgiving edition
Test your knowledge with eight questions about Thanksgiving sports history.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Still in a food coma, or maybe stricken by a new, leftovers-induced one? Here's some good news: It's as easy as pie (apologies if the last thing you want right now is a food reference) to click on our Thanksgiving-themed sports quiz and test your knowledge.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
An update to this story, which we posted last night: State police now say that Union H.S. Coach Travis Turner is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. He is now considered a fugitive.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Search continues for missing coach of undefeated Virginia high school team
Travis Turner, whose Union football team advanced in the playoffs without him, has been missing since Thursday, the same day police were sent to his house.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:56 PM
An update to this story, which we posted last night: State police now say that Union H.S. Coach Travis Turner is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. He is now considered a fugitive.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Quiz time! Test your sports knowledge with these eight questions.
That is, you know, if you dare.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
That is, you know, if you dare.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
This week’s questions range from the NFL to the Netherlands.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Quiz time! Test your sports knowledge with these eight questions.
That is, you know, if you dare.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
That is, you know, if you dare.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Looking for something to do at halftime of the Jets-Pats game (or during the second half of what, let's face it, will inevitably be a Jets loss)?
Try our sports trivia quiz!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Try our sports trivia quiz!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
How many of this week’s questions — with topics ranging from the NBA and the NHL to beach volleyball (!) — can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Looking for something to do at halftime of the Jets-Pats game (or during the second half of what, let's face it, will inevitably be a Jets loss)?
Try our sports trivia quiz!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Try our sports trivia quiz!
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Quiz time! Test your sports knowledge with these eight questions (and maybe learn something about early-days NFL team names)
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game
How many of this week’s questions — with topics touching on tennis to NFL history to NASCAR — can you get right?
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Quiz time! Test your sports knowledge with these eight questions (and maybe learn something about early-days NFL team names)
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Whether this is an actual bro-mance or something a little more transactional, the increasingly warm relationship between Trump and Gianni Infantino seems like noteworthy context for FIFA's announcement today that it will begin awarding an annual peace prize.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
As Trump-Infantino bond tightens, FIFA announces inaugural peace prize
The soccer governing body’s president has frequently spent time with Trump this year. The award will be presented at December’s World Cup draw in D.C.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Whether this is an actual bro-mance or something a little more transactional, the increasingly warm relationship between Trump and Gianni Infantino seems like noteworthy context for FIFA's announcement today that it will begin awarding an annual peace prize.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...