Senior writer at The Athletic, adjunct professor IU Media Schoolhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3ml4ctvf4322lA year ago, just as his podcast was blowing up — before he'd partner with @TheAthletic and win a Pulitzer — I profiled @PabloTorre, the Harvard grad who bombed the LSAT, couldn't quit journalism, then grew tired of ESPN's constraints. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6329507/2025/05/30/pablo-torre-finds-out-podcast-bill-belichick/05 May 2026 13:41 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4ctvf4322lhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mkztpnart22gExtra timeouts. Free challenges. Awful spots. Fuming coaches. One ref -- a diehard Saints fan -- fired hours before reffing a Saints game. Replacement refs could be on their way back. Was 2012 as bad as we remember? Hear it from the refs and coaches: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7205395/2026/05/04/nfl-replacement-referees-2012-fail-mary/04 May 2026 14:05 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkztpnart22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mkiuxmpwqc2vDid the Bucs get the steal of the draft? Do we really believe Sean McVay? And a look at the Raiders' plan to sit Fernando Mendoza behind "a mature adult." What stood out from the 2026 draft: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7230204/2026/04/27/nfl-draft-sean-mcvay-ty-simpson-rueben-bain/27 Apr 2026 20:12 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiuxmpwqc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mjmn6srmu22r"Part of what was fun playing for you, BA, is you’d MF us in public." "It was awesome to have an OC who talks a lot of s— to the defense" “Don’t be a f—ing robot, Coby!" How'd Bruce Arians and Andrew Luck make it work? Insightful read from our Jayson Jenks https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7195812/2026/04/15/andrew-luck-bruce-arians-leadership-colts/16 Apr 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmn6srmu22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mj37nfhw4c2hIt wasn't that long ago the Raiders hired a head coach straight from TV, then did the same thing at GM. The result: 4 years of chaos. Inside Jon Gruden's second run with the Raiders from those inside the building — and why they're still trying to get it right: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7152485/2026/04/09/raiders-jon-gruden-coaching-history/09 Apr 2026 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj37nfhw4c2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3miyf2zt7c222The Beast is here. Bravo, @danebrugler.bsky.social 402 profiles, 2,700 rankings, 45,000 verified measurements and almost 300,000 words !! Enjoy: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/the-beast-2026/08 Apr 2026 13:20 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3miyf2zt7c222https://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mfcgy3xkuc2uThere's no guarantee skimo is back at the 2030 Olympics. I took it all in Thursday. The wild races. The history. The competitors — one of which tried to make the Olympics in **three** other sports before trying skimo. An ode to those who love the climb: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7057800/2026/02/19/ski-mountaineering-skimo-olympic-debut-2026/20 Feb 2026 15:40 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfcgy3xkuc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mfcdgcvyc222What's it like when the President of the United States calls you a "loser" before you compete in your first Olympics? “Probably the hardest two weeks of my life," Hunter Hess says. Then he aced his run Friday and flashed an 'L' at the finish line: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7059744/2026/02/20/hunter-hess-president-trump-controversy/20 Feb 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfcdgcvyc222https://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mf2m3reoa22xHe paints his nails. He samba dances. And he retired three years ago, only to reinvent himself. A skier representing Brazil(!) just beat Marco Odermatt, the sport's reigning king, to win gold in super-G? Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is one of a kind. So is his story: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7046275/2026/02/14/lucas-pinheiro-braathen-mens-giant-slalom/17 Feb 2026 12:50 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf2m3reoa22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mf2lwf4bqk2xThere's no media spotlight at the Olympics quite like what Eileen Gu faces. Two hours to get thru interviews? And with her success comes more scrutiny about her choice to ditch the US and represent China, how it's benefited her, and how she justifies it. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7049798/2026/02/17/eileen-gu-winter-olympics-freestyle-skiing-china-controversy/17 Feb 2026 12:47 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf2lwf4bqk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3meqpdwrxv22v" I wanna go for it, because that's what I do." Chloe Kim had one run left, and a decision to make at the top of the hill: play it safe ... or drop the hammer. "Exciting but terrifying," her boyfriend, Myles Garrett, called it. Story from Livigno: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7043205/2026/02/13/chloe-kim-2026-winter-olympics-silver/13 Feb 2026 14:21 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3meqpdwrxv22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3melxbgfuj22zChloe Kim tore her labrum 34 days ago. She wasn’t back on a board until 2 weeks ago. She hasn’t competed in 10 months. No matter. “I might be better at snowboarding than I am at walking,” she said. But how’s she doing all this with a dislocated shoulder?? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7038240/2026/02/11/chloe-kim-womens-snowboard-halfpipe-qualification-2026-winter-olympics/?source=emp_shared_article11 Feb 2026 17:00 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3melxbgfuj22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mejpavqlfk2nCan a silver medal mean more to an Olympian than a gold? Alex Hall says yes. Let him explain why: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7035521/2026/02/10/mens-freeski-slopestyle-2026-winter-olympics-alex-hall/10 Feb 2026 19:31 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mejpavqlfk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mejbayb25c2jShe was one of our first female star athletes to grow up in the social media era — she has the receipts to prove it. At one point, she hated winning. After Beijing, she wasn't sure she'd be back. On Chloe Kim, chasing history with a dislocated shoulder: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7033044/2026/02/09/chloe-kim-2026-winter-olympics-history/10 Feb 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mejbayb25c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3meiskdqr7c2tOne of America's most unique Olympians goes for back-to-back golds today. "Maybe the most successful ski bum on the planet" spends his winters in a van with his buddies, filming tricks. He loves Google earth. He keeps his gold medal in a sock drawer. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6967649/2026/01/28/alex-hall-us-freeski-olympics-slopestyle-gold/10 Feb 2026 10:57 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3meiskdqr7c2thttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3meiseeekls2tMorning walk through Bormio 🇮🇹10 Feb 2026 10:54 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3meiseeekls2thttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3meirwn7nac2t"It really runs contrary to everything the Olympics should be." "We need to lead with love and compassion ... I'd love to see more of that." Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu chime in on Donald Trump's criticisms of Hunter Hess. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7032765/2026/02/09/chloe-kim-president-trump-hunter-hess/10 Feb 2026 10:46 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3meirwn7nac2thttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3megjr6ppz22uOn Sunday, President Trump called US snowboarder Hunter Hess "a real Loser." On Monday here in Livigno, snowboarding star Chloe —daughter to two immigrants — offered up her opinion on the matter: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7032765/2026/02/09/chloe-kim-president-trump-hunter-hess/09 Feb 2026 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3megjr6ppz22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mebzjx7o2k2o"That haunted me for nine years. I just decided ... 'F— living with regret. I'm doing this, even if it all blows up in my face.'" She retired at 20, became a plumber, then nine years later gave her Olympic dream one last shot: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7002130/2026/02/05/maddy-schaffrick-olympic-snowboarding-contender/?source=emp_shared_article07 Feb 2026 18:14 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mebzjx7o2k2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3mebziv7tj22oShe won gold in 2022 — then felt empty, aimless and unmotivated. She could hear an angel on one shoulder, the devil on another. Mathilde Gremaud — who just qualed first in slopestyle skiing — peels back the curtain on the hidden side of Olympic success: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7026614/2026/02/07/mathilde-gremaud-freeski-slopestyle-milan-cortina/07 Feb 2026 18:13 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3mebziv7tj22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3me6y3xkol22x"That haunted me for nine years. I just decided ... 'F— living with regret. I'm doing this, even if it all blows up in my face.'" She retired at 20, became a plumber, then nine years later gave her Olympic dream one last shot: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7002130/2026/02/05/maddy-schaffrick-olympic-snowboarding-contender/?source=emp_shared_article06 Feb 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3me6y3xkol22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3me4nixgd422wShe turned pro at 14. She quit at 20, never wanting to touch a snowboard again. She ended up in AA. She worked as a plumber. Now — at age 31 — she’s chasing an Olympic medal in Italy. Maddy Schaffrick’s remarkable story: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7002130/2026/02/05/maddy-schaffrick-olympic-snowboarding-contender/?source=emp_shared_article05 Feb 2026 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3me4nixgd422whttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3me6xi54tfc2d👋🏻 Greetings from Bormio, Italy06 Feb 2026 12:59 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3me6xi54tfc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/zakkeefer.bsky.social/post/3me4nixgd422wShe turned pro at 14. She quit at 20, never wanting to touch a snowboard again. She ended up in AA. She worked as a plumber. Now — at age 31 — she’s chasing an Olympic medal in Italy. Maddy Schaffrick’s remarkable story: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7002130/2026/02/05/maddy-schaffrick-olympic-snowboarding-contender/?source=emp_shared_article05 Feb 2026 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:eb36lkmkcoeyqx4dnijgrr47/app.bsky.feed.post/3me4nixgd422w