Column Archive

Amy Goodman and Canada's Olympic Paranoia

When it comes to independent, agitational journalism, the standard is Amy Goodman and her radio/television institution, Democracy Now!  Goodman and her staff often find themselves accosted by officials, foreign and domestic. This happened again on Thursday. But it didn't happen in East Timor or Burma. Goodman was detained by our neighbors to the north. And it was all about the Olympics.

The NFL’s Concussion Conundrum

On Sunday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made a startling concession to medical ethics, one resisted by all of his predecessors. What will possibly happen when independent neurologists come to the locker room?

Women Ski Jumpers and the Rule of Law

Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write: if you care about democracy and the rule of law, you need to care about women's ski jumping. This juxtaposition, straight out of a Hunter S. Thompson acid trip, relates to a court ruling in Canada that is both frightening in its scope and outrageous in its implications.

A Sterling Shame

Many columnists throughout the sports world were aghast when the volcanic bigot Rush Limbaugh wanted to be part owner of the St. Louis Rams. Many columnists also praised National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern when he attempted to crack down on players' conduct. Yet there has been barely a sound as an owner has been exposed as having a racist business practice, with conduct unbecoming of the NBA.

DMC with DZ in STUDIO!!!

Special Edge of Sports Radio for the HOMEPAGE! The King of Rock is in the building! Darryl "DMC" McDaniels visits us today for the ENTIRE show. He touches on everything from hip hop to sports to the youth of America. You can't miss this episode!

The Coming Labor War in the NFL

The collective bargaining agreement is due to expire at the end of the 2010 season and all signs are that an era of labor/management partnership is not at hand. As Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King wrote this week, “It's going to get ugly. There's better than a 50-percent chance, I believe, of some work stoppage in 2011, as incredibly golden-goose-killing as that sounds.” (In the current print edition of the Nation.)

L.A. Stadium Story: No football team, No Problem

A few miles outside of Los Angeles, in a business-tax-free haven of strip malls and strip clubs called the City of Industry -- under 800 residents and fewer than 100 voters -- ground is ready to be broken for an $800-million football stadium. The team to play there is yet to be determined. But the hope is that a wayward owner longing for luxury boxes will want to call it home.

LeBron James: The Man Who Would Dunk on Dubya

It’s rare when athletes respond to a dreary, clichéd question with a stimulating answer. Thank you LeBron James. Maxim magazine wanted to know who basketball’s King would most like to dunk on. The reigning NBA MVP didn’t name the towering Yao Ming or the “Bird Man” Chris Anderson. Instead he said,  "If it doesn't have to be a basketball player, George W. Bush. I would dunk on his ass, break the rim, and shatter the glass.” Damn.

94 ‘Til Infinity : How SLAM helped change the basketball landscape forever

94 ‘Til Infinity : How SLAM helped change the basketball landscape forever. This is my tribute to the only basketball magazine that matters on its 15th anniversary. Big ups to Ben Osborne, Lang Whitaker, Susan Price, and everyone who makes SLAM Magazine matter.

Thanks to the Utne Reader for naming Dave Zirin one of the 2009 50 Visionaries who are Changing Your World

In the days of yore, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, and other scribes wrote frequently about the heart and soul of athletic competition. Today, even the most artfully constructed sportswriting is dominated by scandal and bulging-vein bloviating. Thankfully, for those who could care less who drafted whom or who hates Brett Favre, there’s an antidote. Dave Zirin is the thinking fan’s sportswriter, using our various fields of battle as a sociological lens.