Column Archive

Sotomayor is a Sporting Judge

Reporters, pundits and conservative think tanks are picking through every last detail of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's professional life. But let the other journalists, bloggers and assorted trolls attempt to divine her views on abortion, the death penalty or campaign finance. We can learn all we need about Sotomayor's politics and perspective by examining her decisions in sports.

Life Imitates Sports: Kobe/Cheney vs. Melo/Obama

Competition becomes riveting when opponents complement each other’s strengths and flaws. Two imperfect adversaries can match up and forge something memorable. Ali vs. Frazier. Magic vs. Bird. Navratilova vs. Evert. Tom vs. Jerry. This past week we witnessed a set of battles –in politics and sports – that eerily mirrored one another. In one corner we have Kobe Bryant and Dick Cheney. In the other there is Carmelo Anthony and Barack Obama

Not So Easy: The Super Bowl Returns to New Orleans

Only in New Orleans could this be classified as "a return to normalcy." The Crescent City, torn asunder by Hurricane Katrina, stamped by federal neglect and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's neoliberal experimentaion, will once again collide with the freewheeling, hard-partying frenzy of the NFL's crown jewel: the Super Bowl. But the NFL never gives up something for nothing.

Tillman Family is McChrystal-Clear

Barack Obama’s choice to run the military operation in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal is being praised by Democrats and Republicans alike. It’s not being cheered, however, by the family of the late NFL player turned army ranger, Pat Tillman.

Home Runs and Hypocrisy: The Shaming of Manny Ramirez

You would think that Manny Ramirez was caught fighting pit bulls alongside Martha Stewart. ESPN's Bill Simmons says that he is "confronting my worst nightmare." Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports believes that it is time to talk about "lifetime bans." Boston Globe writer Tony Massarotti says, "everyone is guilty until proven innocent." The sports radio and comment boards have been cesspools of racism. It's always easy to hate, especially someone who plays a game for a living and makes millions of dollars. All I know is this: thanks to Major League Baseball's hypocritical, idiotic and altogether morally bankrupt steroid policy, the sport will be without one of its premier attractions for fifty games, someone I would pay to watch at batting practice.

The Kentucky Derby: Seabiscuit Meets Syriana

This was an underhorse story of cinematic proportions: one part Syriana and two parts Seabiscuit, as the unknown gelding Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the Run for the Roses by eight lengths, overcoming greater odds than any horse in six decades. Competing against Hall-of-Fame trainers, the Sultan of Dubai and horses that are catered to like Texas debutantes, Mine That Bird was the tough and tiny horse that could. It was cinematic, but Bird's owner has more in common with central booking than central casting.

Jeremy Tyler, Euro-Pro

Jeremy Tyler has chosen to shovel his way out of the sleazy world of youth sports. Whether this move proves to be audacious or audaciously stupid remains to be seen. Tyler, a 17- year-old high school junior who stands at 6-foot-11 and possesses an irresistible mix of grace and power, recently announced he would forgo his last year of high school to play pro basketball in Europe., Yes, high school.

A Pinstriped Patriot Act

One fine day last August, Bradley Campeau-Laurion just wanted to leave his seat and use the bathroom at the old Yankee Stadium. The 30-year-old New York resident had no idea that nature's call would lead him down a road to perdition where he would be accused of challenging God, country, and the joys of compulsory patriotism at the ballpark.

Geno and Gender: Huskies and the Perils of Perfection

The University of Connecticut Huskies just won the NCAA women's basketball title, capping a season where they went 39-0. No men's team has finished a season undefeated since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. Led by Wooden Award-winner Maya Moore, Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tina Charles and senior guard Renee Montgomery, they trounced Louisville 76-54. But the actions of their Hall of Fame coacg, Geno Auriemma, threatened to overshadow their masterpiece of a season. It begs the question: Is Geno good for women's hoops?

The Meaning of Michigan State

Monday night, in front of 72,922 people at Detroit's Ford Field, the North Carolina Tar Heels fulfilled almost every preseason prognosis and became the NCAA men's basketball hoops champs. But shed no tears for their vanquished foes from Michigan State. The Spartans from East Lansing, ninety minutes from Detroit, may have lost to a better and more experienced North Carolina team. But this isn't the story anymore than the story of Jackie Robinson's first baseball game was that he went hitless but scored the winning run. The buzz about how much the ascension of the Spartans meant to their state has added a sobering note of class politics to the usual commercial trappings.