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.
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.
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.
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 blog, in July 2012.
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 May 2012. It appears here on U.S. News and World Report.
The recent suicide of former NFL player Junior Seau, the “bounty” scandal with the New Orleans Saints, numerous lawsuits filed by current and former NFL players against the league, and a growing awareness of the long-term effects of concussions have all contributed to increased public attention on health and safety in football at all levels of play. This lively debate is conducted in print and broadcast media, in bars and lunchrooms, and on blogs and street corners. Ashley Fox is an NFL commentator for ESPN.com, where this column appeared in April 2012.
Muhammad Ali? Oh yeah, he was a great boxer, right? Said a lot of outrageous stuff. Boasted a lot. Dave Zirin remembers more and adds to the story. Zirin is sports editor for The Nation and author of several books about the political history of sports. This article was published in the Los Angeles Times in January 2012.
With the dreary economy so prominent in the news and in our thoughts, we often turn to sports to get away from it all. Thinking seriously about superstar athletes’ paychecks, however, could bring us right back down to Earth. Mihir Bhagat, a journalist and student at the University of Missouri, tackles the NFL and other topics at the sports blog Bleacher Report, where this article appeared in March 2010.
Civil rights and baseball? Think Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947. But what about civil rights and baseball today? Dave Zirin thinks there’s plenty going on and plenty to talk about. Zirin writes for Sports Illustrated, has a weekly sports-related satellite radio program, and is sports editor for The Nation, where this column first appeared in May 2011.
New readings posted monthly, on the same issues that are covered in “They Say / I Say” with Readings—and with a space where readers can comment, and join the conversation.
