Stories by Dave Zirin

Dave Zirin is the author of "What's My Name Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States." Read more of his work at Edgeofsports.com.subscribe to Dave Zirin's rss feed

Should Football Fans Feel Guilty for Enjoying Bone-Crunching Tackles?

Posted on Oct 19, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

As players fall to concussions at an alarming rate, the question has to be asked: when will fans say enough?

Movement To Get All-Star Game Out Of Arizona Keeps Building

Posted on Aug 18, 2010, Source: The Nation

Banned in DC: Demonstrators arrested at publicly funded billion-dollar ballpark for exercising free speech.

"This World Cup Is Not For The Poor": The Ugly Truth Behind The Celebrations

Posted on Jun 10, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

The World Cup has been a neoliberal Trojan Horse, enacting a series of policies that South Africans would never have accepted if not wrapped in the honor of hosting it.

Christopher Hitchens' Bizarre Attack on the Olympics

Posted on Feb 15, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

Hitchens has unleashed torrents of hatred on the Olympics for 'breeding hatred' -- when the truth is that they let off steam.

New Orleans Revels in Saints' Superbowl Victory

Posted on Feb 8, 2010, Source: TheNation.com

Four years ago, it seemed Katrina had destroyed the Big Easy. The New Orleans Saints are now the Super Bowl Champs and the city is feeling fearless.

Zinn's 'People's History' Masterwork Hits the History Channel

Posted on Dec 11, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Don't miss Howard Zinn's 'Voices of a People's History' debut on the History Channel on December 13th.

Stop the Humiliating 'Sex-Testing' of Champion Runner Caster Semenya

Posted on Aug 22, 2009, Source: The Nation

South African runner Caster Semenya shouldn't be the one humiliated by "gender testing"-- it's the outdated views of athletic officials that are embarrassing.

DC Metro Crash: Who Will Die Next Because We Throw Money at Billionaries and Scrimp on the Public Good?

Posted on Jun 30, 2009, Source: The Nation

The wreckage of the DC train crash is not an accident site. It's a crime scene. When we spend more on sports stadiums than infrastructure, people die.

Plaxico Burress Shooting: Cue the Hypocrites

Posted on Dec 10, 2008, Source: The Nation

Why ponder the economic meltdown and two wars when millionaire black athletes like Plaxico Burress walk among us ... with guns?

Will the China Olympics Be a PR Debacle?

Posted on Aug 1, 2008, Source: The Nation

The U.S. is ready for the Olympic Games to be a major boon for capitalism, but political protest could end up being the real story.

Racism, Sexism and Speed: Can NASCAR Be Saved From Itself?

Posted on Jul 12, 2008, Source: The Nation

A suit against NASCAR for sexual and racial misconduct may be the best thing that's ever happened to the sport.

Tiger Woods' Partnership with Chevron Legitimizes the Worst of Corporate America

Posted on May 26, 2008, Source: The Nation

For all his cultural capital, Woods has refused to take stands on issues that should hit close to home

Brutal Chinese Crackdown on Tibet Carries Terrible Echo from the Past

Posted on Mar 22, 2008, Source: The Nation

China joins a long, proud tradition of countries carrying out brutal political crackdowns in honor of the Olympics.

Congressional Steroid Spectacle a Major League Waste of Taxpayer Money

Posted on Feb 14, 2008, Source: The Nation

Roger Clemens's face-off with Congress has moved the guardians of our democracy beyond absurdity.

Butts on Parade: When Roger Clemens Met 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace

Posted on Jan 8, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Dealing with steroids accusations, Roger Clemens got a taste of the flammable hypocrisy that burns athletes when their careers cross with drugs.

Yankee Pitcher Roger Clemens as Guilty as Bonds

Posted on Dec 14, 2007, Source: AlterNet

MLB honchos not knowing about steroid use is like Bush not "reading" the National Intelligence Estimate while saber-rattling against Iran.

Indicted! Barry Bonds Is a Perfect Distraction from Real Events

Posted on Nov 16, 2007, Source: CounterPunch

As the media hovers over the legal woes of Barry Bonds, where's the talk about Bush's new attorney general, who is potentially as dangerous as the last?

The Colorado Rockies: God's Baseball Team

Posted on Oct 25, 2007, Source: TheNation.com

Last year the Rockies publicly stated they wanted Christian players, raising the question: Does religion need to be in sports?

Bonds' Accomplishment Leaves Baseball a Polarized Place

Posted on Aug 14, 2007, Source: TheNation.com

Instead of sparking a serious discussion on sports, steroids, celebrity and race, the media's anti-Bonds avalanche has done baseball a grave disservice.

Playing for Country... Shilling for Bush?

Posted on Aug 19, 2006, Source: TheNation.com

USA Basketball's motivational tactics for the 2006 world championship includes encouraging players to spend time with wounded Iraq veterans, but the motives behind it may have more to do with GOP propaganda than teamwork.

A Racist Slur at the World Cup?

Posted on Jul 11, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Behind the stunning ejection of France's star player during overtime in the World Cup finals are allegations of racism on the part of an Italian player.

Christians-Only Baseball?

Posted on Jun 7, 2006, Source: TheNation.com

The Colorado Rockies recruit Christian players and claim God is at work on their game. Something's gone rotten on the diamond.

Tillman's Parents Deserve the Truth

Posted on Mar 7, 2006, Source: AlterNet

The first four Pentagon investigations into former NFL star Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan didn't tell his grieving parents much. Maybe the fifth one will.

The Olympics We Missed

Posted on Feb 24, 2006, Source: TheNation.com

Too bad NBC has botched the Winter Olympics, because there's been enough drama to satisfy even a nation of reality TV junkies.

Super Bowl City on the Brink

Posted on Feb 3, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Seahawks vs. Steelers in Detroit will display football's best teams and America's worst social malaise: the glaring disparity in wealth.

Racism and Coaching in the NFL

Posted on Jan 6, 2006, Source: AlterNet

It's time for the National Football League to take the 'whites-only' sign off the clubhouse door and hire more African-American coaches.

The Bray of Pigs

Posted on Dec 21, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Instead of honoring the diversity that has changed baseball forever, Bush played vendetta politics with Cuba's national baseball team.

Why Arnold Killed Tookie

Posted on Dec 13, 2005, Source: AlterNet

This is Schwarzenegger's 'mission accomplished' moment for his right wing, pro-death base; but his 'mission' will fail.

The Silencing of Carlos Delgado

Posted on Dec 12, 2005, Source: TheNation.com

The New York Mets' squelching of their first baseman's outspoken war dissent shows just how the rules of the game have changed on political dissent.

The Champ Meets the Chump

Posted on Nov 24, 2005, Source: TheNation.com

When George W. Bush recently welcomed Muhammad Ali to the White House, the ailing Champ had one last rope-a-dope up his sleeve.

P.O'd About T.O.

Posted on Nov 15, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens might be a brat loudmouth with zero team spirit, but his year-long suspension keeps him hostage from his fans.

Excerpt: A Left-Hook to Racism

Posted on Oct 7, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Boxers like Jack Johnson and Joe Louis used the only unsegregated sport at the turn of the century to smash pseudo-scientific beliefs about race and athleticism.

An Athlete's Outrage

Posted on Sep 28, 2005, Source: The Nation

NBA star Etan Thomas is using his exalted athletic platform to call out the murderous negligence of the Bush Administration and the country's painful racial divide.

Monument to a Rotten System

Posted on Sep 3, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Governmental hypocrisy is personified painfully in the monument to corporate greed that has rapidly become the earth's most damnable homeless shelter: the Louisiana Superdome.

Raphael Palmeiro and the Politics of Distraction

Posted on Aug 3, 2005, Source: AlterNet

How has Raphael Palmeiro's positive steroids test opened the door to yet another possible Bush scandal?

Live Strong or Live Wrong?

Posted on Jul 27, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Why cancer-surviving cyclist superstar Lance Armstrong must break with his 'old friend' -- President Bush -- if he expects his anti-war stance to be taken seriously.

War Games and War Names

Posted on Apr 13, 2005, Source: AlterNet

The National Guard's proposed $6 million purchase of naming rights for a pro baseball stadium in DC isn't surprising -- just shameful.

A Eulogy for Marlon Brando

Posted on Jul 2, 2004, Source: AlterNet

The man who brought Stanley Kowalski, Don Corleone, and other legendary characters to the screen should also be remembered as a relentless defender of civil rights for all Americans.

Barry Bonds vs. Boston

Posted on Jun 28, 2004, Source: AlterNet

A long tradition of racism in Boston sports is shaken up by an outspoken baseball player.
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