Michael Weinreb

"Lou Holtz Was Not Made for Professional Football" (1976) He was made for a version of college football that no longer exists.

Latest newsletter: As college and professional football converge, Lou Holtz feels more and more like the last of his kind. throwbacks.substack.com/p/lou-holtz-...

Kasparov's Last Stand (1996) Thirty years after a computer first beat the world's best chess player, we're still trying to figure out what it means.

Latest newsletter: Thirty years ago, Garry Kasparov sat down to play chess against a supercomputer. He thought he'd win easily. He was right--until he wasn't. What do his matches with Deep Blue tell us about our modern-day AI panic? throwbacks.substack.com/p/kasparovs-...

The Undefeated Team College Basketball Doesn't Want Fifty years after Indiana went undefeated, does winning still matter more than metrics?

Latest newsletter: A college basketball team is undefeated this season and somehow on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. When did metrics come to matter more than winning? substack.com/home/post/p-...

You need to track down the writer who came up with those fake headlines

The Five: Even They Couldn't Ruin These Olympics Mikaela Shiffrin, George Orwell, and why patriotism is not nationalism.

Latest newsletter: On Mikaela Shiffrin, George Orwell, and patriotism trumping nationalism during an otherwise memorable Olympics. throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-five-e...

Oakland's Alysa Liu: A Brief Coda This is Throwbacks, a newsletter by me, Michael Weinreb, about sports, history, culture, and politics—and how they all bleed together.

Latest newsletter: Alysa Liu is the most unique figure skater in modern history, which is why she could only find her true self in a city like Oakland. throwbacks.substack.com/p/oaklands-a...

Mark Cuban Wants the NBA to Embrace Tanking. That's a Terrible Idea. The former Mavericks owner thinks fans don't care about competition or the collective good of the league. The NFL's century of dominance would seem to prove otherwise.

Latest newsletter, in which Mark Cuban attempts to re-frame tanking as a populist idea, and also doesn’t seem to understand the purpose of watching sports. throwbacks.substack.com/p/mark-cuban...

Congrats to BART rider and Oakland legend Alysa Liu on winning a gold medal at the Olympics and making the Bay Area proud!

Trading John Fisher for Alysa Liu is the best thing to happen to Oakland in a generation

So the NFL just completed its most competitive season in modern history by angling for decades toward increased parity, but the NBA is "in the business of creating experiences for fans" by embracing the opposite?

The Beautiful Face of Socialism (1988) Katarina Witt had to perform loyalty for East Germany or lose her freedom. Is America still the counterbalance?

Latest newsletter: On Katarina Witt performing patriotism for the state...and whether America is still the counterbalance. throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-beauti...

Special Edition: Throwbacks Goes To the Super Bowl I watched the least interesting Super Bowl in years from inside a fishbowl. Then Bad Bunny happened.

I watched the least interesting Super Bowl in years from inside of a fishbowl. Then Bad Bunny happened. The view from Santa Clara: open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...

Michael Weinreb (@michaelweinreb) Latest newsletter: The rest of the world is importing American football and leaving behind the one part that might destroy it. Are they misunderstanding the sport, or are we?

Latest newsletter: The rest of the world is importing American football and leaving behind the one part that might destroy it. Are they misunderstanding the sport, or are we? substack.com/@michaelwein...

"Let's stop doing the thing we're known for doing well in order to do the thing we're already known for doing well, but without the actual people who do it well." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...

Worst. Super Bowl Uniforms. Ever? How NFL uniforms got objectively worse, and why no one will admit it.

Latest newsletter: The Patriots and Seahawks are playing the Super Bowl in objectively terrible uniforms. So what went wrong with NFL uniform design, and why is no one willing to admit it? throwbacks.substack.com/p/worst-supe...

The Orangeburg Massacre and the Fight Against Forgetting (1968) Fifty-eight years before Minneapolis, a group of Black students, led by the football team, were gunned down in cold blood while protesting segregation. History nearly forgot them.

In 1968, South Carolina State football players led protests against a segregated bowling alley. Police opened fire. Years later, amid the tragedy in Minneapolis, it’s worth remembering that the Orangeburg Massacre was largely forgotten. throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-orange...

screenshot of a reddit post in r/nursing Photo of a hospital hallway where staff in scrubs stand with their hands clasped and heads bowed

As seen on r/nursing

Alex Pretti's coworkers taking a moment of silence to honor him

That was less of a catch than every other catch that wasn’t called a catch

The Loneliness of the Backup Quarterback On Earl Morrall, Jarrett Stidham, and the lost art of patience.

Latest newsletter: Earl Morrall won an MVP, led the only undefeated season in NFL history, and played until he was 42. Why doesn't anyone remember the greatest backup quarterback of all-time? throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-loneli...

The Artist and The Scoreboard Caleb Williams made the throw of the year. His team lost. How much does it matter?

Latest newsletter: Caleb Williams made the throw of the year, if not the throw of the decade. His team lost. How much does it matter that they did? throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-artist...

A Throwbacks Conversation: Chuck Klosterman on the Cotton Bowl...and Many Other Football Things... ...including defunct rock festivals, Roger Staubach, his oddly conservative video-game strategy, and football's future (or lack thereof).

Latest newsletter, in which I do what I’ve done pretty much every day for half my life: Talk to Chuck Klosterman about football. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...

This dude is intense and correct

This deserves a repost for the headline alone.

The Rams Are a Remake of a Remake of a Remake Warren Beatty, Vince Ferragamo, and the strange history of the NFL’s most illusory franchise.

Latest newsletter: I used to think Warren Beatty played quarterback for the Rams. Turns out, the history of the franchise is just as weird. open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...

But apparently all they do is make circus catches

This is undeniably true, and yet I can think of a team that was the opposite of perfect that came one ridiculous circus catch away from beating them

BREAKING: New Footage in Minneapolis Killing Tim Miller breaks down newly released footage appearing to be from the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good.

NEW: @timmiller.bsky.social breaks down newly released footage appearing to be from the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good: lnk.thebulwark.com/45FNsp1

Have The Jaguars Finally Emerged From The Void? At a moment when everything feels hopeless, the NFL's most invisible franchise has become an unlikely reason to believe in something.

Latest newsletter, on the Jacksonville Jaguars (maybe) finally emerging from the blankness of their own history.
open.substack.com/pub/throwbac...

This angle. My god.

The Chris Weinke Prophecy: How Indiana Proved Age Beats Stars A quarter-century ago, a 28-year-old quarterback proved maturity could win the Heisman. Now Indiana's old-man roster is changing college football.

Latest newsletter: How Indiana destroyed the 'Stars Matter' era of college football, and is playing Moneyball with an old-man roster instead. throwbacks.substack.com/p/the-chris-...