The NCAA is in the news again, and it’s not even March or bowl season. What’s going on? A new law in California gives student athletes the right to be paid for the use of their names and images, and the NCAA is strongly opposed to it. Veteran journalist and LA Times editorial writer Scott …
Continue reading Field not level: Scott Martelle on NCAA and California
Men’s major league sports coaches are proven leaders, role models, iconic authority figures, sometimes even larger than life. And, up to now in the US, they’ve always been men, but that may be about to change. San Antonio Spurs (NBA) player Pau Gasol talks about that possibility in this May 2018 essay in the Players’ …
Continue reading Coach wears high heels: Pau Gasol on gender and the NBA
If you follow professional tennis closely, you may get an impression that the men on the circuit are covered very differently from the women. It’s more than just an impression, though; there is empirical evidence to show just how large the disparity is. Harvard University economics professor Sendhil Mullainathan wrote this examination of the topic …
Continue reading Give us a twirl: Sendhil Mullainathan on sexism in sports journalism
Major sports figures such as NBA star LeBron James and Major League pitcher Trevor Bauer have recently spoken publicly about their respective political stances. That’s not a new phenomenon, but it has become prominent in the news lately, accompanied by debate on the appropriateness of such public expressions. NBA reporter for Cleveland.com joins the debate …
Continue reading Athletes speaking up: Joe Vardon on “sticking to sports”
It’s that time of year again—falling temperatures and Major League Baseball’s grand finale event, the World Series. With the Cleveland team participating, increased media attention is predictably drawn to the team’s caricature mascot. NBC Sports staff writer Craig Calcaterra wants the national organization of MLB to take a public stand on the mascot, and he …
Continue reading Do something: Craig Calcaterra on Major League Baseball mascot images
What do you think of when you hear the Star-Spangled Banner? Fireworks? Parades? Football? Ramparts? Recently, the silent acts of some professional athletes have led to scrutiny of the custom of playing the national anthem before major league sporting events. Journalist Zack Beauchamp explores the history of the practice in this September 2016 essay on …
Continue reading Oh, say, can we see: Zack Beauchamp on the national anthem at sporting events
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has stood unbroken for more than 25 years. He has been an actor, an author of young adult books, and a U.S. cultural ambassador. Despite his long and distinguished career, he hasn’t forgotten his experiences as a UCLA basketball player. In this November 2014 article published …
Continue reading Athletes, unite: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on NCAA rules
Despite the recent media attention given to Little League pitcher Mo’ne Davis, women athletes and women’s sports are usually receive second class treatment. Sports journalist Sally Jenkins explores the phenomenon in this August 2014 article in the Washington Post. Read it here: Jenkins, “Mo’ne Davis is out of Little League World Series and women’s sports are shoved …
Continue reading Falling into the muscle gap: Sally Jenkins on women’s sports
When philosophy professor Daniel Campos decided to attend the World Cup in Brazil, he knew there were complications, but he didn’t expect to care so deeply. In this June 2014 essay in the New Republic, he proposes a plan for ethical fandom. Read it here: Campos, "Towards an ethic of World Cup fandom” Campos describes …
Continue reading The ethical spectator: Daniel Campos on World Cup fandom
Sports fans can be very passionate. Many strongly identify with their favorite team; they rejoice in its victories, suffer its defeats. What fans seldom get to do, though, is make actual decisions about the team or share directly in its earnings. With ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team likely to change hands soon, …
Continue reading The people’s Clippers: Bob Katz proposes a sterling solution
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