They Say / I Blog

The Washington Racial Slurs: Leonard Pitts on the NFL team name controversy

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 here: Pitts, "Let’s hear it for the Washington Slurs"

 

More than just a game: Daily Nebraskan on the role of the IOC

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 it here: Edwards, "Olympics should use diplomatic power to reward progress, not discrimination”

 

Paying Their Way: David Wharton on financing Olympic athletes

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 in January 2014.

Read it here: Wharton, “U.S. Olympic hopefuls turn to crowd-funding to pay way to Sochi”

Do the Math: Elizabeth Kolbert on High School Sports and Academics

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?"

 

A Sport About Going Home: Bruinius on Baseball and Instant Replay

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 2013 article.

Read it here: Bruinius, “As Baseball Lumbers Toward Instant Replay, Will Something Be Lost?”

 

Time, Out: Jason Collins on Being a Gay NBA Player

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"

 

Bringing His A Game: Ian Crouch on A-Rod, the Astros, and Austerity

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” 

 

Everybody’s Headache: James Carroll on Football Concussions and the Roots of the Problem

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 Heart of the Sport”

 

Looking for a Lift: Commercial Endorsements of Women Weightlifters

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.

Read it here: Rosenberg, “Is Sarah Robles Too Big to Get the Big-Time Endorsements?”

 

The No-Hit Game: Malcolm Ritter on Athletes and Anger

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.

Read it here: Ritter, "Athletes and Anger: When the Passion Boils Over"