Column Archive

Joe Paterno and the Sick Logic of College Football

After 46 seasons coaching at Penn State University, Coach Joe Paterno now faces a crisis that could burn the storied football program to the ground. And if recent charges are true, his legacy deserves to burn to along with it. But this transcends Penn State. It's about the very culture of billion-dollar amateur football.

Tebow Exposed

The Christian Right hasn’t had such a bad day since their leaders discovered rentboy.com. Tim Tebow, Focus on the Family spokesperson, missionary, and anti-abortion crusader, found out yesterday that all the charisma, good looks, and athleticism in the world won’t help you play quarterback in the NFL if you can’t throw a football.

Plantation Politics: Economics, Race, and the N.B.A. Lockout

Last Tuesday evening, at the end of HBO’s “Real Sports,” Bryant Gumbel referred to David Stern, the commissioner of the N.B.A., as a “plantation overseer.” Coming at a point when the players have been locked out for four months, negotiations are at a standstill, and a substantial part of the season has already been canceled, the remarks added to a simmering debate.

Out of Exile: On Visiting "Occupy USA" with Dr. John Carlos

When fist-raising 1968 Olympian Dr. John Carlos and I wrote his memoir, The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World, we didn't exactly expect the publishing date to coincide with a mass national protest movement for economic and social justice. I've now heard about 100 variations of the following joke: "It was really smart of your publisher to plan this whole 'occupy' movement with your book release." It's an obvious comment, given that Dr. Carlos and I have made sure to visit every occupy encampment we can on our national book tour. It's also been an incredible gift: not necessarily to book sales, but to John Carlos and in turn, I would argue, to the movement as well.

On the Racing Death of Indy 500 Champion Dan Wheldon

After Sunday’s racing death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon, there has been an instant call for some kind of reform. But it’s hard to imagine what could be done to make open-wheel racing safer. But without a union for drivers, it's hard to see how that can be a reality.

Dr. John Carlos Raises His Fist With Occupy Wall Street

Last night I had the privilege of introducing 1968 Olympian Dr. John Carlos to the General Assembly at Occupy Wall Street. This morning I had the duty of introducing John Carlos to Sen. Chuck Schumer in the MSNBC green room. Both were unforgettable experiences.

The Legacy of Al Davis: Oakland Raider, Urban Raider

Al Davis's legacy is complicated, brilliant, and worth examining beyond "Just Win Baby!"

If the South Would Have Won: The NFL and Hank Williams, Jr.

In our segmented, culturally segregated, 5,000 channel era, the NFL might be the last entertainment product that tries to be all things to all people. The problem lies when they hire "all people" and "all people" open their mouths. Witness, Hank Williams, Jr.

Occupy the NBA

After decades of corporate greed run amok, a viral clarion call has sounded to strike back and “occupy everywhere”. What started as several dozen people saying they would "occupy Wall Street" has become a national movement. Now we have thousands of people who are part of Occupy Boston, Occupy DC, Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Las Vegas, even Occupy Nebraska.  Now it’s high time to take this movement and bring it to the locked out National Basketball Association. We need to “Occupy the NBA.”

Oh, These Poor, Billionaire NBA Owners

By the time you read this, the lockout could be over. Also, by the time you read this, I could be dunking right after finishing my four-minute mile. The owners have locked the doors and will not reopen them until the Players Association can, to quote David Stern’s own words, “guarantee profitability” for every team. Stern’s favorite subject these days is how the billionaires he represents are just losing money hand over fist. These are the wronged parties: the hard-working, exploited, victimized chief executives sacrificing their hard-earned fortunes just to overpay their ungrateful players and provide us simple fans with entertainment. Now I shall puke.