Sports

Buffalo Bills players and staff pray for their teammate Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati, which was postponed 59 minutes after Hamlin collapsed.

Is It Time to Cancel Football? Is It Time to Cancel Football?

Now, as the Super Bowl looms, is it time to turn your back on football? Or would you prefer to “man up” and leave any qualms about its violence in the dust of recent history?

Feb 10, 2023 / Robert Lipsyte

Stefon Diggs, #14 of the Buffalo Bills, leaps for a pass, with Jaire Alexander, #23 of the Green Bay Packers, in pursuit, October 30, 2022. (Joshua Bessex / Getty Images)

Heartbreak Is Life: Reflections of a Football Fan Heartbreak Is Life: Reflections of a Football Fan

Like life, football is ultimately about loss, struggle, grace, danger, and finding joy wherever we can.

Feb 10, 2023 / Photo Essay / JoAnn Wypijewski

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt bangs the team's end-zone drum

The Fight to Defeat the Name of the Kansas City Chiefs The Fight to Defeat the Name of the Kansas City Chiefs

As the Kansas City Chiefs compete again in the Super Bowl, it's time to take their racist name off the national stage.

Feb 10, 2023 / Simon Moya-Smith

LeBron James stands in front of a monitor that shows the American flag.

LeBron James’s Double Burden LeBron James’s Double Burden

LeBron had to climb the heights of basketball while also navigating the pressures of a movement, which makes his ascension all the more remarkable.

Feb 7, 2023 / Dave Zirin

The back of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady's football jersey.

So Who Was Tom Brady? So Who Was Tom Brady?

After a quarter-century in the public eye, the future Hall of Famer is retiring, and we somehow know even less about him now than when he started.

Feb 3, 2023 / Dave Zirin

Too Violent?

Too Violent? Too Violent?

The antique NFL.

Jan 24, 2023 / OppArt / Rob Rogers

The Enduring Stench of Jerry Jones’s Politics

The Enduring Stench of Jerry Jones’s Politics The Enduring Stench of Jerry Jones’s Politics

The owner of Dallas Cowboys has never hired a Black head coach—and the team hasn’t won a championship in 27 years.

Jan 24, 2023 / Dave Zirin

Tony Dungy of NBC Sports

Tony Dungy Is a Right-Wing Zealot and the NFL and NBC Don’t Care Tony Dungy Is a Right-Wing Zealot and the NFL and NBC Don’t Care

The Hall of Fame coach is held up as the epitome of character—but Tony Dungy has used his devoutness as cover for anti-gay bigotry.

Jan 19, 2023 / Dave Zirin

Argentina World Cup celebration

Argentina’s World Cup Hangover Argentina’s World Cup Hangover

After its thrilling victory on the world stage, the nation of Maradona and Messi gazes into the political abyss.

Jan 11, 2023 / Jacob Sugarman

Buffalo Bills players react to an injury sustained by Damar Hamlin #3 with an ambulance on the field during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Ohio.

Damar Hamlin’s Pain Is Not a Feel-Good Story Damar Hamlin’s Pain Is Not a Feel-Good Story

The NFL is encouraging the public to feel joy instead of trauma so the show can go on. 

Jan 11, 2023 / Dave Zirin

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