Matt Slater
@mjslater.bsky.social
I cover the business/politics of football & other global sports for The Athletic. In other words, I mainly do bad news.
🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/matt-slater/
🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/matt-slater/
Pinned
All Olympic curling stones come from this Scottish island. Here’s how they’re made
Every stone thrown at the Olympic curling tournaments comes from the same place — the remote island of Ailsa Craig, off the Scottish coast.
www.nytimes.com
There’s a lot of cool kit, made using the latest tech, at the Olympics. And some of the world’s top brands are trying hard to make you want it.
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
In a clash of ideals, nobody won. Apart from Russia. The worst possible result.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
At site of Ukrainian skeleton athlete’s Olympic ban, IOC’s arguments ring hollow
The IOC had its reasons for barring Vladsylav Heraskevych from the Olympics. On Thursday at the Cortina Sliding Centre, they felt hollow.
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:53 PM
In a clash of ideals, nobody won. Apart from Russia. The worst possible result.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
There’s a lot of cool kit, made using the latest tech, at the Olympics. And some of the world’s top brands are trying hard to make you want it.
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
All Olympic curling stones come from this Scottish island. Here’s how they’re made
Every stone thrown at the Olympic curling tournaments comes from the same place — the remote island of Ailsa Craig, off the Scottish coast.
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
There’s a lot of cool kit, made using the latest tech, at the Olympics. And some of the world’s top brands are trying hard to make you want it.
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
And then there’s curling. But its key piece of kit, the stone, has the best story of all….60 million years in the making.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
For those wondering why Avram Glazer wants to buy an Indian cricket team that only plays two months a year & rents its stadium, there are 1.47bn reasons. No sport is as popular anywhere as cricket is in India, the world’s most populous nation & 5th largest economy.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
Why Man Utd co-owner Avram Glazer’s billion-dollar interest in Indian cricket franchises makes sense
Avram Glazer has a reported interest in two IPL franchises, this is why the Manchester United co-owner is involved
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:57 PM
For those wondering why Avram Glazer wants to buy an Indian cricket team that only plays two months a year & rents its stadium, there are 1.47bn reasons. No sport is as popular anywhere as cricket is in India, the world’s most populous nation & 5th largest economy.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
Vladyslav Heraskevych was fastest in Wednesday’s final practice session before the men’s skeleton starts tomorrow. He was second fastest on Tuesday & fifth best on Monday. So he’s in great form. It would be a shame, then (and a bad look for the IOC) if he can’t race.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
Ukrainian Olympic athlete on collision course with IOC over helmet honoring war victims
Questions have arisen about other athletes who have made similar tributes to family members or friends.
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Vladyslav Heraskevych was fastest in Wednesday’s final practice session before the men’s skeleton starts tomorrow. He was second fastest on Tuesday & fifth best on Monday. So he’s in great form. It would be a shame, then (and a bad look for the IOC) if he can’t race.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
The US men’s curling team led by Danny Casper is about to start its Olympic campaign against China. Casper likes a challenge. He must. He’s still dealing with the effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome & his day job is selling Alfa Romeos in Minnesota.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
Danny Casper, new U.S. men’s curling Olympic skip, is ready for the challenge
In November, Casper's team upended John Shuster's 20-year run as the face of U.S. men's curling. Now Casper enters the Olympic spotlight.
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:48 PM
The US men’s curling team led by Danny Casper is about to start its Olympic campaign against China. Casper likes a challenge. He must. He’s still dealing with the effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome & his day job is selling Alfa Romeos in Minnesota.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/696...
If, like millions around the world, you’ve been watching curling for the first time in four years, you’ll have spent a lot of time looking at the stones. But do you know how they’re made or, even better, where they come from? Well, wonder no longer.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/vid...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/vid...
The Scottish island that makes every curling stone
How are curling stones made, and why does only one company have the rights to make them?
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:07 AM
If, like millions around the world, you’ve been watching curling for the first time in four years, you’ll have spent a lot of time looking at the stones. But do you know how they’re made or, even better, where they come from? Well, wonder no longer.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/vid...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/vid...
With one small but powerful idea (& a brilliant PR strategy) Vladyslav Heraskevych has grabbed the Olympic family’s attention & asked it a difficult question: you say athletes come first, but what about these athletes? This is new IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s first big test.
February 11, 2026 at 9:57 AM
With one small but powerful idea (& a brilliant PR strategy) Vladyslav Heraskevych has grabbed the Olympic family’s attention & asked it a difficult question: you say athletes come first, but what about these athletes? This is new IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s first big test.
Come on, Scotland!!!!
February 10, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Come on, Scotland!!!!
Green Bay has its cheeseheads, Cortina’s got graniteheads.
February 10, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Green Bay has its cheeseheads, Cortina’s got graniteheads.
Reposted by Matt Slater
Ukrainian skeleton competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych said a helmet he has used in training at the Milano Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition after being told by the IOC that it violates a rule on political statements.
February 10, 2026 at 2:24 AM
Ukrainian skeleton competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych said a helmet he has used in training at the Milano Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition after being told by the IOC that it violates a rule on political statements.
Reposted by Matt Slater
We are five years on from Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds' takeover of Wrexham, then a fifth tier side — now one promotion from the Premier League.
They both spoke to @rsooty73.bsky.social to reflect on their time so far — and the future ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
They both spoke to @rsooty73.bsky.social to reflect on their time so far — and the future ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
February 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM
We are five years on from Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds' takeover of Wrexham, then a fifth tier side — now one promotion from the Premier League.
They both spoke to @rsooty73.bsky.social to reflect on their time so far — and the future ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
They both spoke to @rsooty73.bsky.social to reflect on their time so far — and the future ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
Reposted by Matt Slater
Women’s Super League Football, the organisation which oversees the top two tiers of women’s football in England, is monitoring developments with X’s artificial intelligence tool Grok due to concerns regarding its creation of sexualised images.
More from @charpur.bsky.social
bit.ly/4ai5rn6
More from @charpur.bsky.social
bit.ly/4ai5rn6
February 9, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Women’s Super League Football, the organisation which oversees the top two tiers of women’s football in England, is monitoring developments with X’s artificial intelligence tool Grok due to concerns regarding its creation of sexualised images.
More from @charpur.bsky.social
bit.ly/4ai5rn6
More from @charpur.bsky.social
bit.ly/4ai5rn6
Reposted by Matt Slater
YouTube TV announced the creation of a sports-focused monthly subscription plan that would carry most available live sports at a $20-per-month discount to its existing one-size-fits-all plan.
The sports-specific plan will cost about $65 per month for existing YouTube TV subscribers.
The sports-specific plan will cost about $65 per month for existing YouTube TV subscribers.
February 9, 2026 at 6:14 PM
YouTube TV announced the creation of a sports-focused monthly subscription plan that would carry most available live sports at a $20-per-month discount to its existing one-size-fits-all plan.
The sports-specific plan will cost about $65 per month for existing YouTube TV subscribers.
The sports-specific plan will cost about $65 per month for existing YouTube TV subscribers.
Reposted by Matt Slater
Bad Bunny's halftime show at Super Bowl LX rose to the occasion.
So, where exactly does his performance rank among the greats?
@saadyousuf126.bsky.social has it in the top 10, narrowly above Kendrick Lamar's show last year 👀
So, where exactly does his performance rank among the greats?
@saadyousuf126.bsky.social has it in the top 10, narrowly above Kendrick Lamar's show last year 👀
February 9, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Bad Bunny's halftime show at Super Bowl LX rose to the occasion.
So, where exactly does his performance rank among the greats?
@saadyousuf126.bsky.social has it in the top 10, narrowly above Kendrick Lamar's show last year 👀
So, where exactly does his performance rank among the greats?
@saadyousuf126.bsky.social has it in the top 10, narrowly above Kendrick Lamar's show last year 👀
Reposted by Matt Slater
Eileen Gu secured silver in the women's freeski slopestyle final in her breathtaking first run in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
An outlier on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, Gu earns $23m a year — but just $100k of it from her sport.
An outlier on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, Gu earns $23m a year — but just $100k of it from her sport.
February 9, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Eileen Gu secured silver in the women's freeski slopestyle final in her breathtaking first run in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
An outlier on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, Gu earns $23m a year — but just $100k of it from her sport.
An outlier on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, Gu earns $23m a year — but just $100k of it from her sport.
Reposted by Matt Slater
A day after President Donald Trump called Olympian Hunter Hess “a real loser” over the freestyle skier’s comments about representing the United States, Chloe Kim had this to say in these Winter Olympics that are becoming ever more politically charged.
February 9, 2026 at 9:51 PM
A day after President Donald Trump called Olympian Hunter Hess “a real loser” over the freestyle skier’s comments about representing the United States, Chloe Kim had this to say in these Winter Olympics that are becoming ever more politically charged.
Reposted by Matt Slater
JUST IN: Lindsay Vonn sustained a “complex tibia fracture" when she crashed in Sunday’s women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics.
"Despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets," she wrote on Instagram.
"Despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets," she wrote on Instagram.
February 9, 2026 at 10:53 PM
JUST IN: Lindsay Vonn sustained a “complex tibia fracture" when she crashed in Sunday’s women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics.
"Despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets," she wrote on Instagram.
"Despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets," she wrote on Instagram.
USA’s fire & ice combo down the hometown favourites in a ding-dong mixed doubles curling semi. But while “boy Korey” & “girl Cory” have a shot at gold tomorrow, GB’s Dodds & Mouat must bounce back from a heavy defeat to Sweden. They play Italy for bronze.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
U.S., in dramatic finish, beats Italy to reach Olympic mixed doubles curling final
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin scored five in the final three ends to win, 9-8, and knock off the defending Olympic champs.
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:39 PM
USA’s fire & ice combo down the hometown favourites in a ding-dong mixed doubles curling semi. But while “boy Korey” & “girl Cory” have a shot at gold tomorrow, GB’s Dodds & Mouat must bounce back from a heavy defeat to Sweden. They play Italy for bronze.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
Lindsay Vonn was the 13th racer in the start list and she was 13 seconds into her run…today was a bad day for triskaidekaphobics. Here’s a video from a subdued/worried women’s downhill course, which is a shame on lots of levels, not least for Breezy Johnson, who was brilliant.
February 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Lindsay Vonn was the 13th racer in the start list and she was 13 seconds into her run…today was a bad day for triskaidekaphobics. Here’s a video from a subdued/worried women’s downhill course, which is a shame on lots of levels, not least for Breezy Johnson, who was brilliant.
Reposted by Matt Slater
The vice president of Lionel Messi’s boyhood team Newell’s Old Boys says the club are working on plans to bring the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner back to the side in 2027.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
February 4, 2026 at 11:52 AM
The vice president of Lionel Messi’s boyhood team Newell’s Old Boys says the club are working on plans to bring the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner back to the side in 2027.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
Reposted by Matt Slater
Me on the death of the Washington Post sports section.
This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry.
www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...
This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry.
www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...
Death of a Sports Section
The Washington Post sports department was dismantled before its leaders gave it a chance to change
www.theringer.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Me on the death of the Washington Post sports section.
This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry.
www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...
This isn't a day to be nostalgic. It's a day to be angry.
www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/m...
It’s OK, we’ve had our first row about some new aerodynamic kit Team GB has developed - we can start the Olympics now. This one is about helmets the top-ranked British skeleton team want to use. Skeleton’s governing body said no. CAS to decide on Friday.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
Team GB goes to CAS over skeleton helmet ban at Winter Olympics
The IBSF says the aerodynamic shape of the British helmets does not comply with the rules.
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM
It’s OK, we’ve had our first row about some new aerodynamic kit Team GB has developed - we can start the Olympics now. This one is about helmets the top-ranked British skeleton team want to use. Skeleton’s governing body said no. CAS to decide on Friday.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/702...
The 2026 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony is on Friday but curlers curl when they want & they start this evening with the mixed doubles. As it’s probably been 4 years for most of you, I asked 2022 champ Eve Muirhead for a refresher on the lingo, rules & tactics. 🥌🧹🥇
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
Guide to curling at the Winter Olympics: How it works, teams to watch and more
Everything you need to know about curling as the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games get underway.
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:14 PM
The 2026 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony is on Friday but curlers curl when they want & they start this evening with the mixed doubles. As it’s probably been 4 years for most of you, I asked 2022 champ Eve Muirhead for a refresher on the lingo, rules & tactics. 🥌🧹🥇
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
Hugely significant moment at the IOC Session in Milan. Olympic bosses have just voted on whether pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping:
Yes - 46
No - 49
Common sense prevailed. Just.
Yes - 46
No - 49
Common sense prevailed. Just.
February 4, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Hugely significant moment at the IOC Session in Milan. Olympic bosses have just voted on whether pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping:
Yes - 46
No - 49
Common sense prevailed. Just.
Yes - 46
No - 49
Common sense prevailed. Just.
Reposted by Matt Slater
'It’s David against Goliath'
I went behind the scenes at RC Lens last week, who are trying to do the unthinkable and pip Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title
Includes interviews with their owner, head coach and captain
#FiersDEtreLensois #RCL
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...
I went behind the scenes at RC Lens last week, who are trying to do the unthinkable and pip Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title
Includes interviews with their owner, head coach and captain
#FiersDEtreLensois #RCL
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...
Inside RC Lens: The David challenging Paris Saint-Germain’s Goliath in France
We visit northern France to speak to the key figures at a small club taking on the might of a team funded by a nation state
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
'It’s David against Goliath'
I went behind the scenes at RC Lens last week, who are trying to do the unthinkable and pip Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title
Includes interviews with their owner, head coach and captain
#FiersDEtreLensois #RCL
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...
I went behind the scenes at RC Lens last week, who are trying to do the unthinkable and pip Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title
Includes interviews with their owner, head coach and captain
#FiersDEtreLensois #RCL
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...