Column Archive

What if Michael Vick Was Clumsy?

When did Michael Vick become a Horatio Alger story? The player who was vilified after spending nearly two years in federal prison for being part of a dog-fighting ring, is now our latest feel-good comeback story: a symbol of this country's remarkable capacity for empathy and forgiveness. Vick signed a head-spinning six-year, 100 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday and the narrative has centered on the way he’s been embraced by franchise and fans after falling so low. Mentioned often in an offhand manner, is that three years ago Vick was making 11 cents an hour as a janitor in Leavenworth. No doubt the Vick journey is perhaps unrivaled in the history of sports. But take a moment to consider that 11 cents an hour wage. Michael Vick’s janitorial job was just a sub atomic particle of a prison labor industrial complex intimately interwoven with the highest levels of corporate America. 

Jerry Richardson, Cam Newton and the Color of Change

There's something particularly ugly about the public way Jerry Richardson is bragging about his control over number 1 draft pick, Cam Newton.

Look Who's Standing for LGBT Rights: Tim Hardaway

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has a new ally and his name is Tim Hardaway. Yes, Tim Hardaway.

DON’T Give the Miami Hurricanes the Death Penalty: Give it to the NCAA

Thursday morning’s cover of USA Today blared the two words on everyone's lips: “the death penalty.” No, this isn’t because Texas Governor Rick Perry – who just loves executin’ innocent and guilty alike - is now running for President.  It’s the fate that most people believe awaits the storied football team at the University of Miami.

GQ’s '25 Coolest Athletes of All Time' has a Slight Omission: An Entire Gender

I know it’s GQ. I know it’s a magazine written for barbershops, cigar bars, and massage parlors. I know it assumes that men are men and women are scenery. But the magazine’s list of “25 coolest athletes of all time” truly sets a new standard for phallocentric panic. Gentleman’s Quarterly has given us 25 athletes they see as the coolest of cool, and not one woman makes the cut.

The London Olympics and the London Riots

Opening Ceremonies for the London Olympics are in less than a year and this week’s explosion of bottled fury has the International Olympic Committee on edge.  Even worse for Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, the riots took place as representatives from 200 Olympic Committees across the globe visited the city, just in time for the days of rage. Can you imagine the scene? It would be like Michele Bachman and her 197 children visiting New York City and walking straight into the Gay Pride Parade.

Bud, Bruno and Baseball's Bigotry

In the confederate confines of sports radio, casual bigotry is about as common as traffic updates. Far less common, even unprecedented, is for a manager or coach to look this in the eye and call out a member of the media's comments as  “racist.” That's what SF Giants skipper Bruce Bochy did. But the problem in MLB runs deeper than one sports jock.

The Autumn of David Stern

NBA Commissioner David Stern emits an aura that inspires an energy-sapping, dull fear in those around him. It's time to stand up.

Against All Odds: NFL Players Association Emerges From Lockout as Bruised, Battered Victors

A sports media consensus on the end of the NFL lockout has already emerged. Like six year old kids getting trophies after soccer practice, everyone’s a winner. As Don Banks at Sports Illustrated, assessed, thrilled that the golden goose will lay eggs another day, “Neither side got everything they wanted, but good negotiations are like that. Now that this CBA fight is almost over, and labor peace seems finally at hand, both the players and the owners have the right to claim success.” These parroted assessments, by focusing on the final score, miss the true, overarching story of the longest work stoppage in NFL history: at the opening kickoff, the sides weren’t close to evenly matched.

The Arrogance of Ownership: The NFL Lockout Goes Into Overtime

NFL players get blindsided when owners vote to accept their own deal. It was a power play aimed at using the deadline for a settlement to get their wish-list on the player’s backs. Eric Cantor would have been proud.