Pocket’s Best of 2022: Sports & Gaming

Good poker players have always known that they need to maintain a balance between bluffing and playing it straight. Now they can do so perfectly.

The porn trilogy for Nintendos. Atari games from the 1980s. Pristine nostalgia, potentially worth millions, gone in a night.

Australian cyclist Nick Clark built a loyal following at his Virginia bike shop, based in part on his national and international results and a lengthy professional career. There was just one problem: none of it was true.

Meet an amazing man who has dedicated his entire adult life to stone skipping, sacrificing everything to produce world-record throws that defy the laws of physics. To hear him tell it, he has no choice.

There are: Too many leagues. Too many federations. Battling billionaires. Bad behavior. And the growth of a booming sport is on the line.

In negotiations between the Oakland Athletics and city officials over the future of the A’s in Oakland, more is on the line than just baseball.

The unstoppable guard helmed one of the best offensive teams in NBA history. Two years after that dynasty fell apart, he’s willing the Warriors toward another championship run—and underlining his claim as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Young developers on the platform used by many millions of children claim they have been financially exploited, threatened with dismissal and sexually harassed.

One of the WNBA’s premier players has been detained in Russia for weeks, yet the reaction has been curiously muted.

If she is in fact done, the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s legacy will be measured not only by the accolades and accomplishments, but also by how she reshaped the sport.

Explore the stories that defined the year, and the ones we’ll still be talking about in 2023. Plus, discover the best long reads, smart advice, and entertaining culture writing that Pocket readers loved this year.