Column Archive

2011: The Year I Learned to Hate College Football

In a decade of sports writing, I've always used a very basic framework: don't reject sports, reclaim it. You stand your ground and never forget the fun, fellowship and artistry these games have the potential to produce. That’s been my framework, until now. This weekend marks the pinnacle of the college football season. For more than 25 years, since a young Ohio State wide receiver named Cris Carter broke every Rose Bowl record, I’ve tuned in. But not this weekend, and barring a major change, I’m never watching again.

2011: When Sports Met the World

Pro athletes are told from the moment they first put on sneakers to check their politics at the locker-room door. But 2011 wasn’t an  ordinary year, on or off the playing field, from the Arab Spring to  Occupy USA, to the lockouts in the N.B.A. and the N.F.L., which had the effect of forcing athletes out of their SportsCenter comfort zone and  into talking about the real world. Below are a series of quotes from the  past year that showed a glimpse of a different kind of athlete, reflecting on and even shaping the world around them.

Devil's Deposition: Joe Paterno Delayed Reporting Sex Abuse to Avoid Ruining Anyone's Weekend

The sports media have moved on from the scandals at Penn State. There are new shiny athletes to worship (Tebow) or tingly scandals to inhale (was a drug dealer on the Chicago Bears roster?) or even other “scandals” at Penn State (locker room fight knocks out quarterback!). Meanwhile, the trial of Penn State coaching legend Jerry Sandusky continues with a sports radio yawn and a far dimmer spotlight. And yet, in a SportsWorld where the media floss with the line that separates public relations and journalism, the happenings at Penn State require our collective vigilance.

Sorry Lakers: Chris Paul and the Clippers Now OCCUPY Los Angeles

The morning buzz in sports is about the greatest point guard of our generation, Chris Paul, joining the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s a dizzying thought, but the Clippers, the much-mocked baby brother to the mighty Lakers in LA, now have the city's better basketball team. This is a day for Frank Stallone, for Billy Carter, for Roger Clinton.... the day that your little bro with the runny nose and the toilet paper stuck to his shoe, inherited the earth.

The Death of Socrates: Celebrating a Sports/Politics Soccer Legend

International soccer lost a hero last weekend when Socrates, the masterful Brazilian midfielder who captained Brazil’s famed 1982 World Cup squad, died from an intestinal infection at age 57.  The death of the lanky, bearded, 6-foot 4-inch field general with a philosopher’s name will be felt far beyond the sports world. Socrates--full name Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira--was one of those rare athletes whose outsized personality and effervescent humanity transcended the game.

Chris Paul: The Occupier and the Occupied

Will Chris Paul become a Laker? The question speaks to the unresolved heart of the NBA Lockout.

Saluting a Sick System: Sports Illustrated Honors Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski

In a year where the NCAA has been mired in crisis, crippled under the weight of its own culture of corruption. Sports Illustrated has chosen to honor Coach K, giving reassurance to a rotten system.

Bobby Valentine's Last Stint as Manager

In perhaps the most bizarre baseball managerial hiring since Ted Turner employed himself, the Boston Red Sox tapped Bobby Valentine to be their manager for the 2012 season. But Valentine's last stint as a "manager" should give everyone in Quinzee pause.

Syracuse, Penn State and the Problem with Sun Kings

Last week, Syracuse University men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim walked onto his home court at the Carrier Dome and received a rousing standing ovation. This wasn’t because he was starting his thirty-fifth season as the team’s head coach, or to commemorate the Hall of Famer’s forty-ninth year in association with the school as student, athlete and coach. It was a community-wide show of support for their embattled leader now facing pressure to resign after his longtime assistant coach was accused of being a pedophile. If that sounds like a horrible echo of the happenings at Penn State University, the similarities don’t end there. Not by a long shot.

NBA Lockout Ends and Players Get Played

I’m an NBA junkie and I’m thrilled to be watching ball sooner rather than later. But with every game of this warped, bastardized 66 game season, I’ll remember that we had a lockout where the rich got richer, the players got played and the fans didn't get a damn thing.