Full Archive

“This is Beyond Sports” Chuck D on the fight in Arizona

Chuck D. The Hard Rhymer. The man on the mic for the most politically explosive hip-hop group in history, Public Enemy. With albums like “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” “Fear of a Black Planet,” and anthems like “Fight the Power” and “Bring the Noise” along with the breathtaking production of the Bomb Squad, PE created a standard of politics and art. Perhaps their most controversial track was “By the Time I Get to Arizona” (1991) about seeking revenge against Arizona political officials for refusing to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday [Lyrics include 'Cause my money's spent on The goddamn rent/Neither party is mine not the Jackass or the elephant.] Today, in the wake of Arizona’s draconian anti-immigration Senate Bill 1070, “By the Time I Get to Arizona” has been remixed and revived by DJ Spooky. Chuck D also recorded his own track several months before the bill was passed called “Tear Down That Wall.”  I spoke to Chuck about the music and the nexus between immigration politics and sports.

The Ugly Truth: How Diamondbacks Owner Ken Kendrick Continues to Support SB 1070

On May 20th Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick is holding a private fundraiser inside his owners box at Chase Field for SB 1070 supporter State Senator Jonathan Paton. While Kendrick publicly distances himself from the bill, he is using the team's stadium as a fund raising center for SB 1070 supporting politicians. Until this practice ends, the team should be boycotted and protested at every turn.

Los Suns Also Rise: Phoenix Suns Win in More Ways Than One

Anyone who believes that sports can’t be an effective platform for social justice needed only to watch last night’s game between Los Suns of Phoenix and the San Antonio Spurs. The unprecedented decision by the entire Suns organization - from owner Robert Sarver to star players Amare Stoudamire and Steve Nash - to come out against Arizona’s anti-immigrant Senate Bill 1070, created a sports broadcast like no other in my lifetime.

Bud Selig: The Choice is Yours

In the wake of the passage of Arizona's anti-immigrant Senate Bill 1070, Major League Baseball has been under an increasingly hot spotlight.  Why baseball? And what will Selig do about it?

A New Era: Here Come The Suns

The Phoenix Suns as a team have come out against Arizona's SB 1070 law. This kind of political intervention by a sports team is without precedent and now every athlete and every team has an opening to stand up and be heard.

Under Pressure: Arizona D-backs Owner Comes Out Softly Against Anti-immigrant Bill

A month ago, very few baseball fans could have identified the name Ken Kendrick……

“This is Racist Stuff”: Baseball Players/Union Speak Out Against Arizona Law

In the days following the passage of the racist Arizona anti-immigrant bill, SB 1070, Major League Baseball's Latino players were conspicuous in their silence. That is starting to change.

To Catch a Fire: Diamondback Protests Take Off

The Arizona Diamondbacks have become the  the SB 1070 Traveling Roadshow and the idea of protesting them wherever they play is catching fire. America's past time, as one protestor said in Chicago, is getting a wake-up call.

Chicago Cubs Smack Down Immigrant Rights Message

When immigrant rights activists tried to spread the message to the Cubs scoreboard, they were told that their money was no good in Wrigleyville.

No One is Illegal: Boycott the Arizona Diamondbacks

This will be the last column I write about the Arizona Diamondbacks in the foreseeable future. For me, they do not exist. They will continue to not exist in my mind as long as the horribly named “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” remains law in Arizona. It's a law that has brought echoes of apartheid to the state.