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Iran: It Aint a Soccer Riot

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has compared the protests following his country's recent sham election to the common scuffles that take place after a soccer game. The Iranian President said, “Some people are sentimental and become excited. As I said, I compared it to a soccer match. Their team has not won in the match....In the end, I don't think we'll have any serious challenges. Sentiments are high and sometimes they do some stuff on the streets, but in the end we had 40 million people participating and what is happening on the streets is like a football match.” Someone needs to let Ahmadinejad in on the differences between a soccer riot and the explosive expressions of dissent taking place across a country of over 70 million people, 70 percent of whom are under the age of 30.

Vick, Clarett, and the Right of Return

"The right of return." It's a powerful phrase that has been applied to both New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina and Palestinian refugees. It means that forced displacement must be resolved with some sense of justice. Currently the National Football League is engulfed in its own "right of return" drama. The question is whether it should be applied to two very different players: Michael Vick and Maurice Clarett.

Let’s Go Lakers: Wanting a Loss for DeVos

If you choose to root for a team based on its owners, there is absolutely no contest: break out the lavender and gold and pray for a Lakers victory. It's not that Buss is any great shakes; it's the fact that DeVos operates the Magic like the sporting arm of a radical right- wing empire whose reach extends from makeup to militias.

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.