Recent Sports Columns

To paraphrase Nietzsche, when fighting monsters one should be careful not to become one, but that’s a major reason why many people fish: to slay the proverbial dragon.

(more The Tackle Box)

Tuesday, October 27 2009

Let Him Pay: Rush Limbaugh as Corporate Mascot

If 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.

Friday, October 9 2009

Twitterpated: New Media, Old Frenzies

The 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.

Sunday, September 13 2009

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.

Friday, September 4 2009

Ride This Time Machine Down a Road Less Traveled

By Mark Reynolds

Jump into that ’59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz with the maxed-out tailfins, contemplate what an original Barbie doll could fetch on eBay, and enjoy this roll call of Reasons Why Everything Changed in 1959.

(more Negritude 2.0)

Wednesday, August 5 2009

Fallen Warriors: Steve ‘Air’ McNair & Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti

With 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.

Friday, July 17 2009

The Audacity of Certain Black Ballers

By Mark Reynolds

The distance we’ve come from Jackie Robinson hawking Chock Full o’Nuts coffee in the ‘50s, and black A-list jocks hawking virtually anything under the sun today, is astounding.

(more Negritude 2.0)

Wednesday, July 8 2009

Bird of a Feather: The Curious Case of Chris Andersen

How 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.

Wednesday, June 24 2009

Snagged by Bishop—Hook, Line & Sinker

Like the lakes we fish in, there are great treasures lurking in those depths, and great depth lurking in those treasures.

(more The Tackle Box)

Wednesday, June 3 2009

Clone Wars: Jim Rome’s World Within a World

Most sports radio is the intellectual equivalent of listening to static -- it's as illuminating as it is predictable.

Thursday, April 30 2009

Missing the Boat while ‘Fishing with John’ (Lurie)

Imagine a 'Seinfeld' episode on a boat with rods in Jerry and Kramer’s hands … you get the picture.

(more The Tackle Box)

Wednesday, April 22 2009

April is a Cruel Month for Hockey, Too

Though it's an admittedly strange, even awkward, companionship, American hockey fans know what it is to love poetry.

Wednesday, April 8 2009

Lou Gehrig: The Pride of the Yankees

Americans 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.

Wednesday, April 1 2009

The Jester in the Fisherman

Lines tangled and broke, feet tripped and slipped, rods and tempers snapped, and sometimes, even anglers fell overboard. It wasn’t funny … unless you were sober.

(more The Tackle Box)

Sunday, March 29 2009

When Can We Be Friends?

By tjmHolden

When it comes to sports, while we may be swimming in the cool pool of popular culture, if those sports happen to pit South Korea against Japan, then we have strayed into the searing hot tub of politics.

(more ReDotPop)

Wednesday, March 4 2009

Another Kind of Rally: Monster Truckin’ in a New America

While 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.

Wednesday, January 28 2009

Onward, Christian Soldiers!

With references to Biblical verses emblazoned on his eye-black, Tim Tebow embodies the American ideal of the God-fearing warrior.

Sunday, January 11 2009

The 2008 Stickies

By Robert Collins

To celebrate the past 12 months of infuriating and entrancing sports culture, PopMatters proudly presents the Sticky Wickets Awards for the best and worst in Global Sports.

(more Sticky Wickets)

Thursday, January 8 2009

Bret Hart: A Real Life in a Cartoon World

By Monte Williams

In a surreal world dedicated to a uniquely haphazard and comically inept breed of pretense, Bret Hart’s appeal was simple: he made everything seem 'real'.

(more Lowbrow Literati)

Wednesday, January 7 2009

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."