The calls to change the name of the Washington NFL team are growing more raucous every day. U.S. senators and congress members, Native American tribal leaders, athletes, journalists, and even President Obama have added their voices to the debate. Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts makes his position clear in this April 2014 essay. Read it …
Continue reading The Washington Racial Slurs: Leonard Pitts on the NFL team name controversy
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is not an arm of any government or nation, yet it wields tremendous power and global influence. Philosophy student Walker Edwards argues about the role the IOC should play in matters of diplomacy in this February 2014 column from the Daily Nebraskan, student newspaper of the University of Nebraska. Read …
Continue reading More than just a game: Daily Nebraskan on the role of the IOC
On the eve of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, U.S. athletes are preparing for an aspect of the competition even more often overlooked than the hours of sweat that no one sees: how to pay their training and travel expenses. Los Angeles Times sportswriter and 1988 Olympic medalist David Wharton published this report …
Continue reading Paying Their Way: David Wharton on financing Olympic athletes
Forget math and reading; athletics are what really matter. Would any educator actually say that? Would any parent? Apparently, yes, some would. Staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert discusses the situation in the New Yorker in September 2013. Read it here: Kolbert, "Have Sports Teams Brought Down America's Schools?" In talking about U.S. high schools, Kolbert makes …
Continue reading Do the Math: Elizabeth Kolbert on High School Sports and Academics
Major League Baseball is on the verge of giving instant replays a greater role in the game. Will the proposed new rules bring satisfying precision or will they undermine the passionate arguments and “human element” that contribute to baseball’s greatness? Christian Science Monitor staff writer Harry Bruinius weighs in on the question in this August …
Continue reading A Sport About Going Home: Bruinius on Baseball and Instant Replay
Spring is here, and the pundits are correct: a major league professional athlete has come out as gay. NBA free agent Jason Collins has broken a formidable barrier in this Sports Illustrated article that appears in May 2013. Read it here: Collins, "Why NBA Center Jason Collins Is Coming Out Now" According to this first …
Continue reading Time, Out: Jason Collins on Being a Gay NBA Player
As sure as cold breezes and April blossoms on Opening Day, someone will remind us that Major League Baseball is in trouble. Ian Crouch steps up to the plate this year with this April 2013 essay from the New Yorker. Read it here: Crouch, “A-Rod, the Astros, and Austerity” Mentioning A-Rod, the Astros, and austerity in …
Continue reading Bringing His A Game: Ian Crouch on A-Rod, the Astros, and Austerity
Just how deep does the problem of football concussions go? Can we fix it with better helmets or rule changes? James Carroll delves much deeper and puts the whole nation on the line of scrimmage in this January 2013 column from the Boston Globe. Read it here: Carroll, "Football Concussions: The Problem Lies at the …
With the Summer Olympics going on in London right now, there are hundreds of interesting athletes and events to explore and analyze. While women’s weightlifting is less flashy than gymnastics or beach volleyball, the struggles and triumphs of its athletes are no less deserving of attention. Alyssa Rosenberg posted this entry on XXfactor, a Slate …
Continue reading Looking for a Lift: Commercial Endorsements of Women Weightlifters
What happens when athletes lose their tempers? What happens when you lose yours? Do athletes punch walls and doors more than ordinary folks? Are such responses to be expected or are they indicative of something more serious? Malcolm Ritter, a sportswriter for the Associated Press, examines these questions in a report that was published in …
Continue reading The No-Hit Game: Malcolm Ritter on Athletes and Anger
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