Tag Archives: football

Sports are a platform for politics

Long ago, I helped organize a demonstration that drew about 10,000 people. Although all of the key organizers, who spent months in meetings and outreach efforts, viewed the turnout as success, I couldn’t help but think about the 33,000 people … Continue reading

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Chains of change

In an expression of commitment and principle, served with a chaser of trolling for the president, Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed the plaza in front of the White House, and commissioned artists to paint BLACK LIVES MATTER in broad capital (or … Continue reading

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What hath Colin Kaepernick wrought

Donald Trump has ensured that the silent protests during the national anthem Colin Kaepernick started last year would not vanish into the ether like a career in professional sports. Protest politics is all about generating reactions, and this president always … Continue reading

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Persistence, part II: Kaepernick’s anthem protest and police violence

Most attempted campaigns stall out quickly, but sometimes… Almost no one noticed when San Francisco 49 back-up quarterback Colin Kaepernick started his protest of police violence. Conservative media and the professional football commentariat pilloried Kaepernick, suggesting that his protest was … Continue reading

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The risks of standing out–by sitting down

San Francisco 49er quarterback and national anthem dissenter Colin Kaepernick stands to earn more than $10 million this year, and most of it is guaranteed–unlike the contracts for most professional football players. This very substantial sum belies the very serious … Continue reading

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Disrupting the national anthem ritual by opting out

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick reminded us about how difficult the national anthem is.  My problems start with how hard it is to sing. I like to think that I sometimes start singing low enough that I can reach … Continue reading

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Does the student campaign spread?

Activists copy things that seem to work, but the recipe for success in one place doesn’t always translate elsewhere. Of course, students around the United States found inspiration and encouragement from the Missouri students’ successful blitz of their university president.  … Continue reading

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How movements work: Activists sack a president at Mizzou

University of Missouri president Timothy Wolfe, a one-time championship high school quarterback, took a knee to avoid being sacked.  Once the football team lined up against him, it was clear Wolfe’s time was running out, and he resigned today to … Continue reading

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Supreme Court spectacles, football, and same sex marriage

No one should think that the oral arguments conducted today and tomorrow in the Supreme Court–or the decisions the Court will issue this spring–will resolve the evolving politics of gay marriage, and gay rights more generally.  The spectacle of the … Continue reading

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Occupy in Steubenville, Ohio

Activists in Ohio–and elsewhere–have grabbed the Occupy label to demonstrate their concern that Steubenville authorities (including the police and the high school football coaching staff) are covering up a sexual assault.  Using Occupy, Anonymous, the Guy Fawkes mask, hacktivist tools, … Continue reading

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