Thursday, January 14 2010
The Burden of Being Pop Psychic
Based on the shock and awe the media is exhibiting over recent entertainment events, my predictions must involve supernatural psychic powers since I saw it all coming.
Wednesday, January 6 2010
Fables for our Reconstruction: Sports Scandals for the Soul
Whatever their wrongdoing, sports figures should by now realize just how predisposed to public judgement they really are. Here, a decade of wrongdoings, lest they forget.
Tuesday, December 8 2009
Seeing Stars (Suffer Brain Injuries)
Imagine old Daffy Duck cartoons, with pastel songbirds circling as a cuckoo clock sounds in the background. The reality is a bit more serious.
Thursday, October 29 2009
In from the Fog: Monstrous Fishermen in Popular Culture
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 29 2009
When Can We Be Friends?
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.
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.
