Dave Zirin
Dave Zirin | |
---|---|
Occupation | Sports journalism |
Notable credit(s) |
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World A People's History of Sports in the United States Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports |
Website | |
http://edgeofsports.com/ |
Dave Zirin is an American political sportswriter who is the sports editor for The Nation, a weekly published progressive magazine dedicated to politics and culture.
Career
Zirin was briefly the host of XM satellite’s weekly show, Edge of Sports Radio. Zirin was once a contributor to The Nation, a columnist for SLAM Magazine, and The Progressive, as well as once being a guest on ESPN's Outside The Lines and Democracy Now!.
His first book, What’s My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States (Haymarket Books) has entered its third printing.[1][2]
Zirin has also published Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports, and A People’s History of Sports in the United States, a sports-related volume in the manner of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States series for The New Press. In addition to “What’s My Name, Fool?” for Haymarket Books, he has also published “The Muhammad Ali Handbook” for MQ Publications.
Controversies
Zirin has repeatedly called for sports boycotts of certain teams, states, or nations for political reasons.
- On April 27, 2010, writing for The Guardian, Zirin called for a boycott against sports teams from Arizona, in particular the Diamondbacks, to protest the Arizona SB 1070, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.[3][4] He did however express tremendous enthusiasm and support during the 2010 NBA Playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, who went by "Los Suns" as a statement against the Arizona immigration law.
- On June 2, 2010, writing for The Nation, Zirin justified the decision of the Turkish U-19 soccer team to boycott a match against Israel. He described the Gaza flotilla raid as an act of state terror committed by the Israeli government and proposed a boycott of Israel.[5] Others countered that the Turkish state, aware that a confrontation would occur, played a prominent role in supporting the flotilla, and thus could be held responsible.[6]
- On October 6, 2011, during a live interview conducted on the sports cable television network, ESPN, Zirin referred to Hank Williams, Jr. as a racist and proslavery after Williams, the writer and singer of ESPN's then-Monday Night Football theme song, made a political statement in which he seemingly compared multiracial US President Barack Obama to former German national socialist leader, Adolf Hitler.[7] Ultimately, ESPN canceled Williams' long-running theme song, a reworking of his 1984 hit, All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight, but Williams stated that he had actually "quit" the network before ESPN's decision had been made.
In Defense of Barry Bonds
Zirin maintains the opinion that the aggressive hatred toward the use of steroids by Barry Bonds is in large degree due to racism. In 2004 Zirin wrote “The greatest case for reasonable doubt lies in Bonds' very late career success. His unparalleled middle-aged majesty screams his innocence.”[8] However, in an undated interview, Zirin claims “I never wrote that I "believe Bonds has never done steroids."” He continues: “unlike oh so many others, the man never actually failed a steroids test. Is there a ton of circumstantial evidence that the man juiced? Absolutely. But he is still the best player I've ever seen. The best player of what will go down as the anabolic era.”[9] Zirin claims that, rather than steroid use, “much of the reaction to Bonds is simply bad old-fashioned racism”.[10]
Articles and Interviews Defending Bonds:
- Reasonable Doubt: Why Barry Bonds in Not on Steroids (March 27/28, 2004)
- The Juice and the Noose (November/December 2006)
- The Unforgiven: Jack Johnson and Barry Bonds (June 19, 2007)
- Barry Bonds: Steroids, Scapegoats and Sweet Satisfaction (August 9, 2007)
- Indicted!: Barry Bonds Busted by a Broken System (November 15, 2007)
- Bosses’ Boycott: The Bonds Vanishes (May 12, 2008)
- No Softballs: Dave Zirin (undated interview)
Bibliography
- What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2005. | ISBN 978-1-931859-20-2
- Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2007. | ISBN 978-1-931859-41-7
- Muhammad Ali Handbook, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2007. | ISBN 978-1-84601-155-9
- A People's History of Sports: From Bull-Baiting to Barry Bonds, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2008. | ISBN 978-1-59558-100-6
- Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love, New York: Scribner Books, 2010. | ISBN 978-1-4165-5475-2
- The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2011. | ISBN 978-1-60846-127-1
- Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down, The New Press. 2013. | ISBN 978-1-59558-815-9
Movies in DVD format
- Not Just a Game – Power, Politics & American Sports, Media Education Foundation, 62-minutes, 2011 | ISBN 1-932969-50-6
- Race, Power & American Sports, Featuring Dave Zirin, Media Education Foundation, 45-minutes, 2013 | ISBN 1-932969-76-X
References
- ↑ "The Nation > Author Bios > Dave Zirin". Retrieved June 26, 2008.
- ↑ "Edge of Sports -> Bio". Retrieved June 26, 2008.
- ↑ Arizona: Boycott the Diamondbacks
- ↑ "Here Comes Los Suns: Dave Zirin on Sports and Resistance". Making Contact. National Radio Project. July 27, 2010.
- ↑ Are Teams Right to Refuse to Play Israel
- ↑
- ↑ ESPN, Hank Williams Jr. part ways
- ↑ Dave Zirin (2004-03-27). "Reasonable Doubt: Why Barry Bonds is Not on Steroids". Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ↑ Dan Lewis. "No Softballs: Dave Zirin". Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ↑ Dave Zirin. "THE UNFORGIVEN: Jack Johnson and Barry Bonds". Retrieved 2008-06-26.
External links
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