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Chris Borland and the Revenge of History

At age 24, promising San Francisco 49er linebacker Chris Borland walked away from millions of dollars, unconditional adulation, and a shot at NFL stardom because he chose to value his future over the present. This might be because he knows something about the past. Borland earned a history degree at the University of Wisconsin and, to the shock of the football world, as well as the discomfort of the NFL brass, he chose to apply this knowledge and walk away from the game. If history is the greatest predictor of the future, then the path in front of Borland must have seemed horrifying.

Ashley Judd's noble fight to confront social media sexism: After trolls batter the Kentucky superfan on Twitter, she fights back

One of the best, not to mention courageous, sportswriters I know is ESPN’s Kate Fagan. After the Dallas Cowboys signed convicted abuser of women Greg Hardy to a contract — showing again that no act of gender violence is problematic for NFL teams if you can still play — Fagan tweeted the following:“*composes Tweet re: Greg Hardy* *imagines responses* *feels fatigued* *sighs heavily* *backspaces Tweet* *stays silent* -How System Works”

‘You’re Not a Commodity, You’re a Person.’ How Chris Borland Has Reframed the Football Debate

The news that budding football star Chris Borland left the NFL on basic health and safety grounds is still reverberating, and not just in the sports world. On Sunday, Borland appearedon CBS’s Face the Nation and said that he will be returning most of his original signing bonus to the 49ers. He also responded to the league office’s reaction to his decision, which was that “the game has never been safer.” Borland said, “I think football is inherently dangerous and that’ll never change so long as we have football. Talking about the culture of safety is really irrelevant.”

An Economist Explains Why College Athletes Should Be Paid

On Thursday I spoke to Andy Schwarz, a leading anti-trust economist, about the NCAA for some straight common sense about college sports and paying athletes. His words should be Cliff Notes for everyone watching March Madness.

‘Are We Still Thugs When You Pay to Watch Us Play Sports?’

It is difficult to imagine two more different university towns than Madison, Wisconsin, and Norman, Oklahoma. Madison has a reputation stretching back decades as liberal—even radical—territory. That ain’t Norman. This week however, both of these communities were connected by the resistance of black students—along with allies and supporters—against racism.

Why Not Even the Mighty John Oliver Can Shame the NCAA

If you haven’t witnessed John Oliver’s scabrous, side-splitting shreddage of the NCAA, stop reading for twenty minutes and watch. You will cackle, reach for the nearest stone, and while still joyously bent over, throw it in the general direction of the NCAA’s $85 million headquarters in Indianapolis.

Royce White on Larry Sanders, Mental Wellness and the NBA

When budding Milwaukee Bucks star Larry Sanders announced that he was voluntarily leaving the National Basketball Association to deal with his depression, anxiety and mental wellness, largely supportive comments emerged across the league. Yet there was one basketball opinion guaranteed to be more valuable and more honest than any others: that of former Iowa State All-American Royce White. The sixteenth pick in the 2012 NBA draft, White is currently not playing in the NBA. Just 23 years old, he has risked his career by confronting the NBA over its lack of a comprehensive mental health policy. I was able to interview Royce White for my radio show/podcast Edge of Sports. Here is an edited version of his comments:

Chip Kelly, John Carlos and the ‘R-Word’

In the fall of 2011, I was touring around the country with 1968 Olympian, anti-racist campaigner and protest icon Dr. John Carlos. For the uninitiated, he was the guy on the medal stand along with Tommie Smith, with his jacket open and arm bent, ready to take on the hatred of the world for the greater principle of human rights. Whenever we visited a big-time sports university, we made sure the athletics department was aware of it, just in case they wanted Dr. Carlos to speak to the student-athletes. Some of the smaller programs graciously said yes. The overwhelming majority either did not return our calls or replied with a curt no. After all these years, Dr. Carlos is still radioactive in the eyes of the risk-averse caretakers of college football and basketball.

Can Players Win a Strike Against Major League Soccer?

In just over one week, the Major League Soccer season is supposed to get underway and soccer to continue its ascent up the hierarchy of US sports. But a possible players’ strike in response to illogical, pigheaded and profoundly shortsighted greed on the part of MLS management could take these plans and send them to the showers.

The Passing of Three Interconnected Icons: Earl Lloyd, Minnie Minoso and Anthony Mason

The awful cliché that tragedy occurs in threes became prophecy over the last week in the world of sports. A trio of towering athletes died, two from age and one decades before his time. These three shared something powerful in common, beyond their field of work. None were ever formally recognized as Hall of Famers for their play, yet all were truly iconic.