Sports shatters the barrier between politics and ordinary life
Athletes can no longer be apolitical in their arena — the state of play depends on how the state addresses human rights
Courtside: The Trojans need to help Reggie help them right back
If USC football wants to return to the elite status many Trojan fans are accustomed to, it should allow Bush to become one of the most impactful recruiters the school, conference and country have ever seen.
The State of Play: For better and for worse, Goodell’s apology reveals a lot about America
I want to make something abundantly clear: Black lives matter, unapologetically and unequivocally. The fact that this statement remains remotely controversial after the events of the past several weeks, years and centuries is confounding, but nevertheless, it does. For swaths of Americans — particularly the more resentful, privileged and light of skin among us — […]
Courtside: We can learn from Curt Flood in more ways than one
Flood’s resistance to a 1969 trade is rooted in two realities that still pervade today: exploitation in baseball and racism in the United States.
The State of Play: American society should not strive to be just like Mike
If America embraced the Michael Jordan that is presented in "The Last Dance," our society would be in shambles.
Courtside: Newest proposal is the wrong answer to NFL’s diversity problem
A system in which people of color are treated as tokens is absolutely the wrong way to go about increasing diversity.
The Chosen One: Colts come out as NFL Draft winners while Packers take a step back
The 2020 NFL Draft was a refreshing event for many sports fans, but as always, there were clear winners and losers.
The State of Play: Recapping the semester in sports, politics and American society
What I’m saying is that in sports, unlike in politics, you can’t pull a fast one over your fans. Whether it’s on the field or on the court, failure and incompetence are on display for all to see, and no amount of bullshit will ever cover it up.
Out of the Park: ESPN’s draft coverage should be less reliant on tragedy
Stories of players overcoming obstacles have always been a component of draft coverage, but this year, it seemed that the infographic for nearly every draftee referenced some sort of personal tragedy.
Berg is the Word: The biggest takeaways from the 2020 NFL Draft
For three nights, it felt like football was back again, and clearly, the NFL landscape will look a little different next season, whenever that may come.