Category: sports culture

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Review: “Last Days of Knight” is flawed but essential

BD

Cross-posting at mostlymodernmedia.com  ESPN is gambling these days. The new “30 for 30” documentary, Last Days of Knight, gambles on three levels: It’s being shown exclusively on ESPN+, the company’s new pay service, a good way to draw attention to it but not the best way to get this film the wide audience that many previous 30 for 30 entries have found. It tells the story of a journalist, CNN’s Robert Abbott, who pursued the story for months. As an Awful Announcing review says, the film attempts to tell Abbott’s story and Knight’s, and it sometimes falls between the two stools. A lot … Continue reading Review: “Last Days of Knight” is flawed but essential

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Ultimate boycott for gender equity

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Want to go a step farther than Title IX? How about this: Title 9 3/4. And a boycott by players — mostly male — until each team in your league either plays mixed-gender games or fields an equivalent women’s team? That’s the story I wrote for The Guardian today. And here it is: 'It doesn't seem fair to me': Ultimate players strike for gender equality https://t.co/dFxBX6ZR2b — Beau Dure 🗯️⚽👨‍👦 (@duresport) April 5, 2018   Continue reading Ultimate boycott for gender equity

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On Twitter, advocacy, hostility and objectivity

BD

My Dad was an intellectually rigorous man. He majored in philosophy, racing through college so he could lead a platoon in Korea, then returned from the war to get his doctorate in the emerging field of biochemistry. He remained in the Marine Reserves, rising to the rank of colonel, and was a stern but beloved faculty member at the University of Georgia for more than 40 years. At one family holiday gathering, he demanded to know everyone’s views on abortion. The answers ranged from the biological (we had one doctor in the room) to the theological (one Episcopal priest) to … Continue reading On Twitter, advocacy, hostility and objectivity

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To kneel or not to kneel (revised)

BD

When Colin Kaepernick started kneeling for the national anthem last year and Megan Rapinoe followed suit, I was skeptical. In the circles in which I run, skepticism is a bad idea. Outside the women’s soccer community, of course, opinion was more polarized. I was stunned to see people I’ve considered sympathetic to the Kaepernick/Rapinoe cause object to their protest, quite angrily. I even saw people profess to become greater Washington Spirit fans when Bill Lynch pulled the anthem switcheroo to keep Rapinoe from kneeling on the field at the Maryland SoccerPlex. (One year later, I can’t recall seeing those people … Continue reading To kneel or not to kneel (revised)

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Can you have American football without the USA?

BD

In May, the international governing body of football kicked out the United States’ federation. No, we’re not talking about FIFA and U.S. Soccer. That’s right — USA Football was kicked out of the American football federation. Well, one of them. The international federation of American football is called IFAF (International Federation of American Football). But we now have two of them. Here’s how it breaks down: IFAF.org (The news site American Football International calls it “IFAF New York,” though it stills claims to be headquartered in France): Insists USA Football is still recognized. Claims recognition by the USOC (U.S. Olympic Committee). Has … Continue reading Can you have American football without the USA?

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The NFL vs. Colin Kaepernick: Whose bubble will burst first?

BD

About 12 years ago, I was in a newsroom watching the NFL with an editor who had little use for progressive talk and considered many of his fellow journalists politically correct weasels. But he was more Libertarian than “conservative,” and he could see a bit of nuance. As we watched the typical NFL anthem presentation, with a massive flag covering the field and military jets screaming across the sky, he said, “You know, if we saw something like that in Iraq, we’d be horrified.” But the NFL is anything but horrified, even after being forced to return a fraction of … Continue reading The NFL vs. Colin Kaepernick: Whose bubble will burst first?

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SportsMyriad’s new direction

BD

I’ve been putting off this announcement for a while, but I figure today is the perfect day for it. I started SportsMyriad six years ago. I had just left USA TODAY to spend more time with my family and to pursue my passion of covering undercovered sports. Mission accomplished. Now we all pay greater attention to Olympic sports in non-Olympic years. Everyone’s an expert on all levels of U.S. soccer. So it’s time for me to push onward, moving the SportsMyriad spotlight to a sport that truly deserves more coverage. I’m talking, of course, about professional wrestling. It’s really the … Continue reading SportsMyriad’s new direction