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A Decent Second Week Saved The U.S. From Olympic Catastrophe

Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics are officially over, it’s time for one last update from our simple model that compares each country’s medal count with what we’d expect it to earn based on its history in each sport. Here’s how it works, in a nutshell: To get a given country’s baseline, we calculated how […]

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A Decent Second Week Saved The U.S. From Olympic Catastrophe

Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics are officially over, it’s time for one last update from our simple model that compares each country’s medal count with what we’d expect it to earn based on its history in each sport. Here’s how it works, in a nutshell: To get a given country’s baseline, we calculated how […]

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The U.S. Is On Pace For A Lousy Olympics

Graphics by Gus Wezerek The 2018 Winter Olympics are basically halfway over, and the usual suspects are off to a great start. The Norwegians, the kings of cross-country skiing, currently lead the medal table with 22 pieces of hardware, including seven golds. The Germans, who traditionally rule luge and biathlon, are not far behind with […]

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The U.S. Is On Pace For A Lousy Olympics

Graphics by Gus Wezerek The 2018 Winter Olympics are basically halfway over, and the usual suspects are off to a great start. The Norwegians, the kings of cross-country skiing, currently lead the medal table with 22 pieces of hardware, including seven golds. The Germans, who traditionally rule luge and biathlon, are not far behind with […]

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The U.S. Stunk At The Winter Olympics Until Extreme Sports Came Along

Every two years, the Olympics give Americans a chance to feel good about themselves. In the summer, U.S. swimmers and track stars consistently reign superior — and its gymnasts are usually right there, too. The American basketball team, now borrowed from the NBA, often seems like it could sleep through the first half and still […]

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