Dave Zirin

Sports Editor

@EdgeofSports

Dave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.

Cam Newton: The Bridge to Somewhere

Cam Newton: The Bridge to Somewhere Cam Newton: The Bridge to Somewhere

The Carolina Panthers quarterback, once derided as a phony, is using this Super Bowl to announce to the world that he does not have to be anyone but his authentic self.

Jan 29, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Health workers Brazil

Brazil in Peril: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Zika Virus Brazil in Peril: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Zika Virus

The legacy of the 2016 Brazil Olympics could be the spreading of the Zika virus across the hemisphere’s most vulnerable populations.

Jan 27, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Rick Sortun

Rest in Power, Rick Sortun: NFL Player, International Socialist Rest in Power, Rick Sortun: NFL Player, International Socialist

It is not difficult to understand why Rick Sortun’s memory is not being celebrated by the National Football League.

Jan 25, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Dear Cam Newton: Please Don’t Read This

Dear Cam Newton: Please Don’t Read This Dear Cam Newton: Please Don’t Read This

The Carolina Panthers quarterback has become a bizarre source of consternation for some NFL fans.

Jan 19, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Lawrence Phillips

Who Killed Lawrence Phillips? Who Killed Lawrence Phillips?

The former first-round draft pick took his own life in a prison cell. But there is far more to this story.

Jan 14, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Beautiful Mind

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Beautiful Mind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Beautiful Mind

Sitting down with a basketball legend with a genius-level IQ demands eclectic questions and invites delicious answers.

Jan 11, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Peyton Manning

Why They Pardon Peyton Why They Pardon Peyton

The All-American superstar operates by a different, deeply corrosive set of media rules than any other player. We shouldn’t let him.

Jan 6, 2016 / Dave Zirin

LeBron James

The Tactical Intelligence of #NoJusticeNoLeBron The Tactical Intelligence of #NoJusticeNoLeBron

A hashtag aimed at getting LeBron James to sit out a game in protest of Tamir Rice’s murder was overwhelmingly derided. It also was extremely successful.

Jan 4, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Serena Williams at Wimbledon

Women Roar: The Story of the Year at the Intersection of Sports and Politics Women Roar: The Story of the Year at the Intersection of Sports and Politics

2015 had no shortage of stories on the political edge of sports, but it was the play of female athletes that will mark the past year in history.

Dec 27, 2015 / Dave Zirin

Why the Movie ‘Concussion’ Spells Trouble for the NFL—and Moral Angst for the Rest of Us

Why the Movie ‘Concussion’ Spells Trouble for the NFL—and Moral Angst for the Rest of Us Why the Movie ‘Concussion’ Spells Trouble for the NFL—and Moral Angst for the Rest of Us

We deserve to know, and we are obligated to know, the cost of America’s love for football.

Dec 24, 2015 / Dave Zirin

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