Column Archive

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.

Athletic Excellence Competes with Raunch Culture at Women’s World Cup

It’s been a remarkable month for soccer but any assessment of this triumph would be incomplete without taking stock of the raunch culture that stalked the tournament’s every step.

Why I'm Boycotting the Arizona All-Star Game

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John Mackey: The Death of a Football and Union Legend

In death, legendary Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey will undoubtedly be remembered for how he played the game. But he was so much more. He was a union legend, a cautionary tale, and a towering figure who will go down in the history books

N.B.A. Lockout: Can Players Save Owners from Themselves?

National Basketball Association players, like their N.F.L. counterparts, have now been “locked out” by team owners, putting the 2011-12 season in jeopardy. But other than the presence of a lot of very angry athletes, there are few similarities between the two conflicts.

What Does the LA Dodgers Bankruptcy Say About America?

By symbolizing bankruptcy and community apathy, the LA Dodgers make an unwelcome return to the national Zeitgeist.

The Beatles! Muhammad Ali! And the "Accidental Sportswriter" Who Saw It All

It's difficult to imagine your heroes and she-roes arriving at greatness in "accidental" fashion. It’s hard to envision Magic Johnson as an "accidental basketball player", who just stumbled into a gym and started zipping no-look passes. No one thinks Adele sings like Adele because she was pushed onstage at a karaoke bar. We are taught that focused, hyper-competitive ambition is a prerequisite to achievement. The reality is often far more pedestrian. Enter arguably the finest sportswriter above ground: Robert Lipsyte.