Column Archive

The Ring and the Rings: Vladimir Putin's Mafia Olympics

The sports press is agog this weekend with the revelation by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft that in 2005, Russian leader Vladimir Putin stole his Super Bowl ring. One small theft is the sports story of the moment in the United States, while a heist of epic proportions, is emitting nary a peep.

Mass World Cup Protests Rock Brazil

I traveled to Brazil last September to investigate preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. It was painfully evident that the social disruption of hosting two mega-events in rapid succession would be profound. The pot has officially boiled over as hundreds of thousands of people marched in at least ten cities this week.

Ultra-Magnetic FCs: The Soccer Clubs at the Heart of Turkey's Uprising

Turkey and Egypt are of course two very different countries with different leaders, different political systems and different histories. But the revolt of the highly intense, usually apolitical “ultra” soccer-fan clubs must be noted. 

In Defense of Bill Simmons. Seriously.

I’ve criticized ESPN’s Bill Simmons 1,000 times in 1,000 columns. That’s what happens when you are perhaps the most read sports columnist in the country. But just as I think the scrutiny Bill Simmons receives is necessary, it’s also important to defend him from criticism that is not only unfair but actually politically backward.

The Christie Implosion: Why Rutgers is Trapped in Scandal and Crisis

The root of the constantly mutating crisis at Rutgers was Governor Chris Christie's decision to entrust the school last September to Dr. Robert Barchi.

Soccer Star Robbie Rogers: Out, Proud and Now Un-Retired!

On Saturday one of the most depressing sports stories of the last year became one of the most inspiring when Robbie Rogers announced that he would be signing with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy.

Hardball: Giants Concession Workers Fight for the Soul of San Francisco

Picture AT&T Park, home of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Picture about as breathtaking a baseball stadium as exists in the United States with the San Francisco Bay, otherwise known as McCovey Cove, framing the outfield like a Norman Rockwell postcard as conceived by Leroy Neiman. Picture seats packed with people clad in their iconic orange and black reveling in the once hard-luck team that now defines the city and stands atop the game. What we don’t picture when we conjure images of this or any ballpark are the people actually doing the work to keep it all running. As idyllic as the aesthetics of the park remain, those prepping the food and cleaning the toilets make $11,000 a year in a city where, due to yet another round of tech-bubble gentrification, they cannot afford to live

Rep. Steve King: "Why Won't Obama Call Tim Tebow?"

Why can't Tim Tebow find a job as an NFL quarterback? It's not as simple as not being able to throw.

The Cesspool: Why Youth Sports Tend to Suck

It's true that some teams are fun, some children have terrific experiences and access to youth sports should be universal. But overall, youth sports, to quote my neighbor’s 11-year-old kid, “straight sucks.” Why do 70 percent of kids quit youth sports by age 13? Why do parents get so unbelievably nasty? Why, and this is the most serious point, can it turn suddenly violent?

What Did RGIII Learn at the Muhammad Ali Center?

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III spent Saturday at the museum that in my view is the Mecca of the intersection of sports and politics: the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The Muhammad Ali Center is a remarkable testament to the courage of an athlete willing to take unpopular stands because of political principle. The fact that Ali took these stands at the height of his athletic powers, when he was between the ages of 22 and 26, clearly had an impact on Mr. Griffin.