Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

NCAA President finally agrees that athletes deserve a bit more money

Every now and then, some families get to experience “that intervention moment.” This is when the uncle who’s been getting high, drunk and abusive every single day finally admits that he might have a problem. Of course he still minimizes the significance of his issues, but he has at least opened...

March 31st, 2011 | Sports, Talk About Race | Read More

Profiles in desecration: Lebron James, Nike, and Muhammad Ali

First posted at thenation.com There are certain phrases so imbued with history, their mere recitation evokes a reaction. To hear the words “I have a dream” or “we shall not be moved” is to be involuntarily flooded with awe. For an advertising executive, the operative emotion...

November 15th, 2010 | Featured, Sports | Read More

NCAA reform would reduce exploitation of Black athletes

I recently wrote about a new book regarding the NCAA’s alleged exploitation of black athletes, written by University of Georgia Professor Billy Hawkins. In his recently-released book, “The New Plantation,” Hawkins goes out of his way to help us understand that the method by which the NCAA does...

June 21st, 2010 | Featured, Sports, Talk About Race | Read More

Africa and The World Cup: Soccer as evolution?

By Muriam Haleh Davis Africa, as Friedrich Hegel and Nicolas Sarkozy have lamented, never managed to enter the march of history. Regardless, in the next month, it will play a staring role in the World Cup. Not quite a free pass through the pearly gates of universal subjecthood, but close. Undoubtedly,...

June 11th, 2010 | African, Sports | Read More

Flotilla fallout: Are teams right to refuse to play Israel?

“[We are] saddened by the mixture of politics and sports.” So said a spokesperson for the Israeli Football Association in response to Monday’s news that the Turkish U-19 (under 19) soccer team canceled its match in Israel. Turkey’s team made the move following the Israeli Navy’s...

June 3rd, 2010 | Featured, Sports | Read More

Chuck D on the fight in Arizona

Chuck D. The Hard Rhymer. The man on the mic for the most politically explosive hip-hop group in history, Public Enemy. With albums like “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” “Fear of a Black Planet,” and anthems like “Fight the Power” and “Bring the Noise” along with the...

May 19th, 2010 | Featured, Sports | Read More

Los Suns also rise: Phoenix Suns win in more ways than one

Anyone who believes that sports can’t be an effective platform for social justice, needed only to watch last night’s game between Los Suns of Phoenix and the San Antonio Spurs. The unprecedented decision by the entire Suns organization – from owner Robert Sarver to star players Amar’e...

May 10th, 2010 | Sports | Read More

“A New Era”: Here come the Suns

Originally published in the Nation A battle has been joined for the very soul of Arizona. On one side, there are the Minutemen, the craven state Republican lawmakers, Governor Jan Brewer, and the utterly unprincipled John McCain, all supporting SB 1070, a law that codifies racial profiling of immigrants...

May 4th, 2010 | Sports | Read More