about contributors submissions book series advertising contests tour dates Mixed Media PopMatters Picks
|
|
Tobias PetersonPopMatters Sports EditorAbout Tobias Peterson Tobias Peterson is PopMatters’ Sport Editors and columnist (From the Cheap Seats). He holds an MA in English Literature (with a concentration in Cultural Studies) from George Mason University, where he studied representations of race in professional basketball. Features
Allen Ginsberg: The Politics of EcstasyGinsberg had an eye that took in a world full of lovers and low-lifes -- each, for him, was a song waiting to be sung. [28 September 2007] The Thin (White) Line between Ballers and BrawlersCritics of the Miami-FIU fight are condemning the same kind of antagonism, machismo, and mayhem that is regularly reinforced as integral to football as a sport. [24 October 2006] IntroductionAs the name implies, the Super Bowl is a big deal. It's annually one of the most watched television programs in the world and, this past week, over 90 million people tuned in to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers trump the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. But was that all they saw? [15 February 2006] South by Southwest Film 2005: A Field JournalDays Four and Five: How the Other Half Lives -- From the US to Bolivia to the Philippines, these films journey through the slums and alleys of the world, contemplating those who dwell on the margins and the hardships they must endure. [17 March 2005] South by Southwest Film 2005: A Field JournalDays Two and Three: Hideous, Kinky -- There are, in fact, meaningful, compelling stories on offer here -- if one could only step away long enough from the plush confines of the VIP room. [16 March 2005] Don’t Like the Drugs But the Drugs Like Me: Baseball’s Steroid-Free Field of DreamsBaseball's cultural currency is maintained in large part by the sepia toned pictures of yesteryear, when everything was so much simpler and all our lives were so much better. Any change to this construction occasions a virulent backlash against those who would seek to 'corrupt' the sport. [8 March 2005] Mythic Ideals: Max Schmeling (1905-2005)Refusing to fire his Jewish manager or join the Nazi party, Max Schmeling also refused to assume the political and racial mantles thrust upon him. [7 February 2005] The Body ElectricThe Terrell Owens case finds itself at a crossroads of cultural anxieties. [22 November 2004] Top 10 Sports Scandals, Controversies, and Oddities of 2003What's most notable about the top stories in the world of sports for 2003 is how much they have in common with the controversies of years past. Racism, homophobia, and sexism all bubbled to the surface this year, just as they have done and will lamentably continue to do in the future. [7 January 2004] Bulls on ParadeThe Super Bowl exemplified the star-spangled ethos of a nation, glossed over and wrapped up in a monumental production. [4 February 2003] The “I” in TeamSuperstar athletes are caught in a paradoxical bind: rewarded for being better than the rest of us, punished for letting us know. [8 November 2002] South by Southwest Film Festival 2002Indications are that the SXSW Film Festival may be soon outgrowing the Music Festival's shadow and stepping into a light all its own. [28 March 2002] East is Eastmarks the feature-length directorial debut by Damien O'Donnell, and tells the story of the Khan family, a group of people living in 1970s Manchester, England and coping with the social and personal difficulties of biracial and interfaith marriage. [1 January 1995] Columns
Let Him Pay: Rush Limbaugh as Corporate MascotIf the furor surrounding Limbaugh's possible entrance into the league has to do with this political disposition, it's laughable to suggest that the rest of the owners don't share his views to a large extent. [27 October 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Twitterpated: New Media, Old FrenziesThe latest craze in mini-blogging has been embraced by a variety of pro athletes to voice their opinions on everything from coaching advice to domestic violence. [9 October 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Over the Line: On Sports’ “Irritable Reaching”As the controversy surrounding Semenya Caster demonstrates, the sports world -- filled with statistics, measurements, and results -- is by its very nature fundamentally at odds with the chaos that surrounds it. [13 September 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Fallen Warriors: Steve ‘Air’ McNair & Arturo ‘Thunder’ GattiWith the rise of guns and Predator drones, the social emphasis on hand-to-hand combat has all but disappeared, leaving a cultural void that is filled, in part, by sports. [5 August 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Bird of a Feather: The Curious Case of Chris AndersenHow has Chris Andersen managed his public relations coup? The short answer is: he's white. But a longer explanation reveals that he's black, too. [8 July 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Clone Wars: Jim Rome’s World Within a WorldMost sports radio is the intellectual equivalent of listening to static -- it's as illuminating as it is predictable. [3 June 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) April is a Cruel Month for Hockey, TooThough it's an admittedly strange, even awkward, companionship, American hockey fans know what it is to love poetry. [22 April 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Lou Gehrig: The Pride of the YankeesAmericans cheer in their athletes what they demand of their citizens: humility, simplicity, and purity of spirit. It's a myth that's perfectly suited for the make-believe workings of Hollywood. [8 April 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Another Kind of Rally: Monster Truckin’ in a New AmericaWhile it's simplistic (to the point of comedy) to suggest that monster trucks can heal our national divide, they may play a part in better understanding the chasms that divide us. [4 March 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Onward, Christian Soldiers!With references to Biblical verses emblazoned on his eye-black, Tim Tebow embodies the American ideal of the God-fearing warrior. [28 January 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Dave Zirin: A Sportswriter with Real Punch"We can pretend sports isn't political just as well as we can pretend there is no such thing as gravity if we fall out of an airplane." [7 January 2009] (more From the Cheap Seats) Future Primitive: Kimbo Slice’s Cruelest CutSlice, whose fortunes were at once torn asunder and radically refigured by a hurricane, constitutes a perfect storm of racial stereotypes himself. [20 November 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Why We HateA true fan feels true hate -- for the opposition, for the officials, and for anything else that stands between that fan's team and victory. [14 October 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) In the Gloaming: The Aging Athlete in Public MemorySurely, past-their-prime athletes must realize that their dim prospects are only darkened by the reflective glow of glories past. [11 September 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Better You Be a Team PlayerSports, as emphasized in films such as Eight Men Out and The Untouchables, are a helpful way of organizing and enforcing our daily behaviors. [5 August 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) C-O-M-P-E-T-EThe novelty of pitting eight- to 15-year-olds against one another for popular amusement can be glossed over in the name of educational achievement. [7 July 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Who Watches the Watchers?In a league where (predominantly white) authority figures are needed to intellectualize and give order to the hyper-stylized physicality of its (predominantly black) players, no brain is more lauded than Bill Belichick's. [11 June 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Baptized by Fire: The Persistent Politics of the Olympic GamesThe Olympic torch should remain a beacon to those who can appreciate the true power that sports have in forcing us to consider the political reality of the world we all, athletes included, share. [28 April 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) The Play’s the Thing: Public Shaming of Pro AthletesWhat no one in Congress will admit: morality in sports is pure theater. [6 March 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Discipline and Punish: The Official FunctionsLike characters in some morality play, referees are greeted with boos, taunts, profanity, and, on occasion, worse. [7 February 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) Seven Silver Linings for 2007For the true sports fan, amidst all the drugs, malfeasance, infidelity, greed and inhumanity -- hope is a most important thing. [10 January 2008] (more From the Cheap Seats) New American Gladiators: The Rise of Mixed Martial ArtsInitially seen as little more than back alley brawlers scrapping for beer money, MMA has found sporting legitimacy in meteoric fashion – this kind of fighting offers a truly global and democratic way to kick someone's ass. [29 November 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Vaccination Scars: NASCAR in the Popular ImaginationThe encroachment of a corporate, middle-American influence, coupled with its proximity to a more worldly motorsport, combine to put NASCAR supporters on edge when it comes to discussion of public hygiene. [22 October 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Schlock Jock: The Selling of a QuarterbackFrom the first time I saw him at Tennessee, I had a sinking feeling that this bright star, Peyton Manning, would soon be selling me stuff I had no use for. [25 September 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) The Tyranny of NumbersIntelligence quotients, consumer confidence indexes, coin-operated love meters -- the ways we attempt to make numbers out of our states of being are limited only by the different states of being we're capable of experiencing. [7 September 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Who’s Doggin’ Who?In the land of designer pet collars, pet cemeteries, even pet-themed restaurants and bakeries, dogfighting has reared its ugly head. [26 July 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Boo-Ya!: The Sound and the FuryA look at the reductive, self-indulgent, misguided claptrap that passes for the majority of sports broadcasting these days. [18 July 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) The Fall of FoosThough it is an endangered spectacle in today's taverns, foosball was once king among bar games, attracting hustlers and spawning tournaments that paid out hundreds of thousands in prize winnings. [4 June 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) They are the ChampionsSt. Louis Cardinals fans' enthusiasm for the 2006 World Series can be understood, even if the rest of the world refused to share it. [30 April 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Let Them Swim! The Office Pool and State MoralityEven churning out those dreaded, redundant reports by the glare of fluorescent lights becomes more bearable when tourney time rolls around. [27 March 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) It Takes One, BabyAgent Zero -- or The Hibachi, or The East Coast Assassin, or The Black President, or, least colorfully, Gilbert Arenas -- is the most dynamic, most talked about individual playing in the NBA today. [22 February 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) Coachwhips: Morality Tales of Team LeadershipRegardless of the number of veterans a squad may have, or the players' natural, athletic ability to improvise when a coach's plan fails, no matter, even, that a coach never steps foot on the field -- it's clear that fans are not prepared to accept players without the organizing presence of someone in charge. [31 January 2007] (more From the Cheap Seats) God Made Us #1The Gipper, the heartland, and the holy spirit: Notre Dame's football highlights stretch out like one long, continuous John Mellencamp video. [19 December 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) It’s Gotta Be the Shoes, MoneyStephon Marbury's new fashion line positions him as the anti-Michael Jordan of the NBA. [1 December 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Face-Painters, Cheese Heads, and Other RevolutionariesFans who show up sporting a wedge of plastic cheese on their heads, or wearing nothing but a barrel and suspenders, or dousing themselves in purple paint are really just the modern-day, class-defying equivalents of flatulent giants, cross-dressing jesters, and juggling scullery maids of the Renaissance. [26 October 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Collect ‘em, Race ‘em, Trade ‘em: Putting the “Fantasy” in Fantasy SportsFrom the Cheap Seats -- Collect 'em, Race 'em, Trade 'em: Putting the 'Fantasy' in Fantasy Sports -- For fantasy leaguers, today's athletes are but tools to be used in a make-believe struggle for dominance. [22 September 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Mass Xceptance: The Too-Discovered Country of Extreme SportsIn playing up the punk rock, DIY ethos of skaters, surf bums, and adrenaline junkies, the X Games (and extreme sports in general) have edged their way forward from the margins of sports culture and now boast a committed following - not least the predatory advertising industry. [22 August 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) World Cup Redux: Innocence AbroadWith my big and painfully obvious American mug pressed up to the glass of (a good many) European drinking establishments, I took out a pen and paper and tried to sketch some of what unfolded before me. [17 July 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) The “Other” Football: Watching America Watching the World CupFrom the Cheap Seats -- The 'Other' Football: Watching America Watching the World Cup -- As the FIFA World Cup plays out in Germany this month, the disparity between American interest in 'soccer' and the rest of the world's passion for 'football' is felt now more keenly than ever. [20 June 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) How Pretty is Too Pretty? Oscar De La Hoya’s Problematic StardomDe La Hoya's flashy smile and cosmopolitan demeanor are signs of a sellout for many boxing fans. [22 May 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) One-Potata, Two-Potata: The (Million) Dollar Logic of the NFL DraftThe draft, for all its baroque embellishment and glitz, essentially replays the same drama of bygone sandlot days. [26 April 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Am I Not a Role Model? Looking Back and Up to Kirby PuckettPuckett made his team a winner and, by extension, made me one, too. [4 April 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Spanning the Globe?: The Ever-Shrinking Wide World of SportsTwenty-five million viewers seem like so many crickets, chirping disinterestedly, as the Olympic pageantry carries on at the periphery of our national consciousness. [20 February 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Where Have You Gone, J.D.?: Pro Sports Fans in a Pomo FluxThe marquee names of a franchise are no longer written in lights, as in the time of Joe (J.D.) DiMaggio, but rather in sand, as in the time of Johnny (J.D.) Damon. [23 January 2006] (more From the Cheap Seats) Tailbacks of the World, Unite! Debunking the Myth of the Student-AthleteThe real travesty of college football is not that it fails to regularly account for a champion, but that it fails to account at any point for its players. [20 December 2005] (more From the Cheap Seats) He’s All Mine: Laying Claim to Terrell Owens in the Culture WarsIn many ways, Owens' image, as it were, serves as a kind of proving ground in the culture wars that pit racist fans and media members against bleeding heart, amoral commentators. [21 November 2005] (more From the Cheap Seats) A Bad Man: Reading Mike Tyson’s Body of WorkThe only sure thing about Tyson is that he stands opposed. [21 October 2005] (more From the Cheap Seats) Reviews
Paul BowlesThe mystery that surrounded Paul Bowles, then and now, seems to be the driving force of his artistic legacy. [8 November 2007] 
Rising Son - The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi (2006)Christian Hosoi was the coolest of the cool, a brash and rowdy pin-up idol whose talent took him to the apex of the skateboarding world during the '80s, only to leave him flailing when the world moved on without him. [9 May 2007] 
Private (2004)This film, at its heart, asks the question of how a fundamentally intolerable situation is to be tolerated. [2 January 2007] 
Krays - Geordie Connection (2004)Rather than delving into the multitude of cultural ramifications posed by twin, bisexual crime lords, the film instead is satisfied merely to offer up a hodgepodge of disconnected video clips. [6 October 2006] 
Growin’ a Beard (2003)Growin' a Beard, then, invites us to laugh, but not necessarily to think. [17 November 2003] 
The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition (2001)Shackleton does manage some spectacular feats against dire odds, which is why the story of his expedition is so tailor-made as dramatic spectacle. [15 September 2003] 
Joe and Max (2002)Meditates on the space these celebrity athletes occupied for their respective societies, serving as reluctant folk heroes and symbols for their nations. [18 March 2003] Monday Night FootballJohn Madden is a master narrator of a football game. Amid the grunting and groaning of the linemen, the staccato rhymes of the cheerleaders, and the screaming of thousands of fans, his commentary comes through with a clarity that gives shape and meaning to the sound and fury that plays out on our television sets. [16 September 2002] 
The Three Stooges: Cops and Robbers (2002)Upping the antes set by previous physical comedians... the Stooges tripled the pratfalls and eliminated the plot. [6 September 2002] 
DonahueDonahue was visibly overwhelmed by the venom and ferocity of the guests' attacks against one another. [22 July 2002] 
We Are Going to America (1992/2002)We Are Going to America offers a fragmented and personal interpretation of the immigrants' experiences. [25 April 2002] 
Journeys With George (2002)Bush is many things to many people: a tyrant, a savior, a great guy, a shyster, a man of the people, and a moneyed elitist. [28 March 2002] The XFLCameramen with chest-mounted cameras, wearing their own protective helmets, run pell-mell around the players shoving cameras into the huddles, pile-ups, and sidelines to create an up-close and personal 'feel' for viewers. [1 January 1995] 
Survivor 3No longer merely a television show conceit, the idea of survival has now taken on a new and frightening immediacy to viewers. 
JackassThe eye-popping, gag-inducing, jaw-dropping comedic assaults of 'Jackass' are funny because they take such exaggerated steps over the boundaries of acceptable behavior. 
The Execution of Wanda JeanThe specter of the mechanized legal system is the lasting impression of 'The Execution of Wanda Jean'. Despite questions about her mental state, despite the expressed wishes of her victim's brother and mother, despite Wanda Jean's prayerful optimism, the process of her execution is relentless. 
The Bernie Mac ShowAs in his stand-up act, the comedy in 'The Bernie Mac Show' is driven by Mac's outrageous verbal and physical expressions. 
Quills (2000)If we believe all that Philip Kaufman's 'Quills' has to tell us about the man, Sade is much more than a randy aristocrat -- he is a champion of free speech and artistic integrity. 
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)When he places an ad in the local paper to sell a used lethal injection machine, Fred Leuchter seems genuinely surprised to learn the ad has been pulled and banned from publication. To say the least, Leuchter appears out of touch with reality. 
Goya in Bordeaux (2000)While 'Goya in Bordeaux' should be applauded for breaking from the stale conventions of narrative and image in cinematic biography, it does so in a manner that garbles meaning and smacks of 'art for art's sake.'" 
East Is East (1999)As East is East has it, family is the cause of, and solution to, the various problems facing the Khan children. 
Everybody’s Famous! (2001)...offers a cautionary tale for those for whom the distinction between life and live television has lost focus. 
End of Days (1999)Hollywood's most recent millennial offering is End of Days, the latest in a long line of apocalyptic visions that have seen the planet threatened by the likes of aliens, asteroids, tidal waves, even bats. 
Evolution (2001)For a film that concerns itself with the increasing complexity of hyper-evolutionary organisms, 'Evolution' is decidedly simplistic and one-dimensional. 
Diamonds (2000)Most of the action in Diamonds involves a road trip undertaken by Harry Agensky (Kirk Douglas), his son Lance (Dan Aykroyd), and grandson Michael (Corbin Allred). Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)With Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, however, Schneider finally manages to thrust his unattractive mug into the spotlight. The result is a comic spoof that casts him as the anti-Richard Gere, an ill-suited suitor whose on-the-job training provides for a variety of awkwar 
Daniel Takes a Train (Szerencsés Dániel) (1983/2001)The Hungarian film, 'Daniel Takes a Train', explores at length the tensions and sorrows that befall the lives of political refugees and details how those lives persist, even in the grim face of war. 
Butterfly (Lengua de las mariposas, La) (1999)Jose Luis Cuerda's film, Butterfly, mourns the Spain destroyed by civil conflict by remembering it through the enchanted eyes of a small boy. 
Blood Simple, The Directors’ Cut (1984/2000)Though shot on a shoestring budget by first-time feature filmmakers, the movie encapsulates all that has come to typify the Coen brothers' style: engaging narrative, inventive direction, and the juxtaposition of grim violence with moments of sublime, sometimes surreal, human behavior. 
Bicentennial Man (1999)Robots: we either love 'em or hate 'em. Movies have given us friendly Star Wars droids like R2-D2 and C-3PO and sadistic mechanical henchmen like Maximilian in The Black Hole. Science fiction television has shown both Buck Rogers' loyal sidekick Twiggy and the destructive Cylons of Battlestar Galactica. 
Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)'Apocalypse Now Redux', ultimately, allows us to celebrate a film that has become indelibly ingrained into American popular consciousness while, at the same time, forcing us to question the violence and inhumanity that characterize the troubling past of this same culture. 
Any Given Sunday (1999)Whatever you think about Oliver Stone as a director, you can't deny his firm grasp on this country's interests. From Vietnam to JFK to serial killers, Stone's pictures have always depicted major subjects of national fascination. With his latest release, Any Given Sunday, Stone looks to go his previous films one better by focusing on the most popular sport in America. |
Now on PopMatters
Features
:. Director Spotlight: Pedro Almodóvar :. The Iconographies: Masters of Horror Manga: Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino
Columns
The Rockist: We All Know the Way to Sesame Street Worlds in Panels: What We Talk About When We Talk About Supergirl’s Shorts
Blogs
Short Ends and Leader: Poitier Portraying Another Magic Negro: She’s Blind, So Race Don’t Matter
Music
:. AC/DC: Backtracks :. Sufjan Stevens: Run Rabbit Run + The BQE (CD/DVD) :. Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound :. Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream of Trains in New York [DVD] :. Lowlights: Further/Free :. Sondre Lerche: Heartbeat Radio :. Jupiter One: Sunshower
Books
:. The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov :. The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York by Matteo Pericoli
News
:. ‘Modern Warfare 2’ video game scores record sales in launch :. INTERVIEW:Tom Arnold is a lovable loser , and open about it :. Jazz pianist reflects on his influences in his first piano concerto :. INTERVIEW:Wes Anderson meets Roald Dahl in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ :. INTERVIEW:It’s ‘Tuesday Night’ again for Sheryl Crow :. Libraries turning a page with cafes, chat rooms and flat screens
|
