Column Archive

A Super Bowl of Struggle? The NFLPA’s Demaurice Smith on opposing Indiana’s “Right to Work” agenda

The Super Bowl is supposed to bring attention and even glory to its host city. But thanks to an anti-worker, anti-union assault by Indiana’s Governor Mitch Daniels and the Republican controlled legislature, the big game, to be held this year in Indianapolis, is bringing a different kind of attention altogether. The NFL Players Association joined the ranks of unions across the state last week in opposing efforts to make Indiana join the ranks of so-called “Right to Work” states. “Right to Work” laws have also been called “Right to Beg” or “Right to Starve” since they undercut wages, benefits and the most basic workplace protections. Coming off their own labor battle, the NFLPA released a statement where they promised that they would not be silent on these laws during the buildup to the Super Bowl. I interviewed NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith about why they felt it was important to take a stand against this legislation.

Muhammad Ali at 70: What he meant, what he means.

The power to knock down prison walls. This is the power of Ali's legacy and history.

How the Most Lopsided Trade in NBA History Explains the World

The 1998 deal that swapped rookies Robert "Tractor" Traylor and Dirk Nowitzki was more than the most lopsided trade in hoops history. It was a "canary in the coal mine" for the way the game and the world has changed over the last 15 years.

Tim Tebow: Praising the Player. Hating the Game.

Last Friday, I wrote a column stating that Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow deserved our pity. Statistically, over his previous three games, all losses, he had been beyond terrible. I pointed out that on Sunday, he would be facing the league’s number-one defense, a Pittsburgh Steelers squad so mean, to use an old saying, that they’d cry over Tebow’s mangled body just to get salt in his wounds. I thought Tebow and his awkward hand grenade throwing motion was headed for a long, sad offseason. I was dead wrong.

Pity Tim Tebow. Seriously

The same Tim Tebow who led Denver to seven victories in eights games, revived a franchise, made the cover of Sports Illustrated, was mentioned as an MVP candidate, and inspired a nationally televised, hathos-drenched love-poem from NBC’s Bob Costas, is hanging onto his job by his fingernails. And for good reason.

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.