Yardbarker

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

EXPERTISE:

NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLS, US Soccer, UFC

20 people around the NBA facing make-or-break seasons

Money isn't everything. Remember that before speculating on which NBA players may be facing make-or-break seasons ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. A veteran

Five contenders for each NBA award

 For the first time since the 2011 NBA Finals, LeBron James won't feature for the Eastern Conference champions. A new could face could emerge as league MVP.

The top 20 centers in the NBA

NBA center is an endangered species among professional athletes. One can't go a full year anymore without hearing or seeing this take offered by analysts, observers and fans.

The top 25 forwards in the NBA

Positions are becoming more difficult to pinpoint seemingly with each NBA season. Guards play forward. Forwards feature at center. LeBron James can literally play anywhere from the one to the five, depending on the lineup the Los Angeles Lakers want to run on any given night.

The top 25 guards in the NBA

If the 1980s and 1990s were the golden age of the NBA, then we are living in a golden age of guard play in the Association. Guards earned regular-season

NBA players who may retire after this season

Father Time is undefeated in battles vs. all athletes, and that will forever be the case. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won't dominate world football through 2030.

Players with most to prove heading into NBA season

Fans and observers often joke that NBA offseasons are as entertaining and fun as some regular seasons because of free agency and other transactions that occur during the summer months.

Memorable NASCAR feuds throughout the years

Unlike in competitions in leagues such as the NFL and NHL, NASCAR feuds, more often than not, come down to mano-a-mano showdowns. Truth be told, we've seen drivers who are teammates begin rivalries with each other after trading paint on tracks.

The 50 greatest defensive NFL players of all time

Defense wins championships. Football fans hear the famous adage literally every year. Examples such as the 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens, 2007-08 New York Giants and 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks seemingly prove the saying true.

The 50 greatest WRs of all time

Some sports debates are destined to continue forever, or at least as long as that particular game and/or league exists. That's not the case regarding the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.

The 50 greatest QBs of all time

In April 2018, Adam Steele of TheGridFe.com offered a formula for determining the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. If only the process was so easy.

The top 25 left-handed hitters of all time

The greatest left-handed hitters in Major League Baseball history generated nightmares for both righty and southpaw pitchers. Who among the 25 men spotlighted in this piece you believe to be the best of the bunch likely depends on preferred traits among batters.

Biggest winners and losers from the 2018 Men's World Cup

The greatest World Cup of our lifetimes (allegedly) didn't disappoint from the opening match all the way through an entertaining Final won by a France side propelled by a non-stop attack and a phenomenal back line playing in front of the tournament's top goalkeeper who, humorously, had one howler in him that he saved for July 15.

Position-by-position breakdown of Men's World Cup Final teams

Bet against Croatia at your own risk.  That is the significant talking point among those backing the underdogs heading into the 2018 World Cup Final. France are the better team that bossed a harsher bracket en route to the Final.

Biggest disappointments of the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals

For the second straight World Cup, a Brazil side picked by many to advance to the Final and potentially win the competition was sent home after it was played off the park by a superior opponent.

Biggest disappointments of the 2018 World Cup Round of 16

The 2018 World Cup Round of 16 did its part in catapulting this tournament up any list of the greatest in the history of international football competitions.

Biggest disappointments of the 2018 World Cup group stage

The group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was, arguably, the greatest in the history of the tournament. Upsets became the norm. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two top footballers of their generation, both advanced to the knockout rounds, albeit in different ways.

Female athletes who returned to action after giving birth

For the richest athletes in the world, having and raising children is just another part of life. Cristiano Ronaldo probably wouldn't risk missing a Champions League Final over his partner giving birth.

The weirdest sports mascots, past and present

A variety of professional and collegiate sports mascots are iconic figures, some of which are famous on their own. The San Diego Chicken, or The Famous Chicken, may be the world's most well-known mascot even though he has no single team affiliation.

Athletes celebrate National Handshake Day

There really is a holiday for just about anything. Traditionally, the final Thursday of June is National Handshake Day. How you go about commemorating

Best and worst dressed prospects from NBA Drafts past and present

Opinions on the best and worst dressed NBA prospects from the past vary per person and the time in which one is reviewing those outfits. Perhaps, five years from now, players listed among the worst dressed draftees will be lauded for taking chances and being unique. One thing that's certain is that future NBA Draft classes are guaranteed to produce fashion shows and give Twitter plenty to talk about. 

Three Up, Three Down: The MLB hot/cold report

Welcome to Three Up, Three Down: The MLB hot/cold report. Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, melting cold snaps around the league. Some players, however, may already be looking forward to those All-Star break vacations and the unofficial halfway point of the campaign.

How Real Madrid, Liverpool match up for the Champions League Final

Saturday's Champions League Final between Real Madrid, the reigning and two-time defending cup holders, and Liverpool in Kiev is a fascinating strategic battle that could go one of several ways.

Why you shouldn't watch the 2018 Men's World Cup

Prepare yourselves for the most scorching of World Cup takes, an opinion so molten hot it could melt your phones and computers like a wave of lava swallowing a helpless vehicle on a sunny afternoon.

Men's World Cup moments that still make us cringe

The Men's World Cup is the biggest stage in international football, the platform where legends are born and where all-time greats can cement their legacies.