Michael Weinreb
Throwback Thursday: Before Ali, There Was Jack Johnson's Unforgivable Blackness
Jack Johnson owned a nightclub, had his own jazz band and was the first African-American heavyweight champ. He was sentenced to prison for his affairs with white women.
Satellite Camps Are The Latest Chapter in the Big Ten-SEC Forever War
This week, Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban bickered over college football satellite camps. The fighting seems to be about more than just the camps.
Throwback Thursday: The Enduring Appeal of "Casey at the Bat"
Otherwise forgotten author Ernest Lawrence Thayer published "Casey at the Bat" 130 years ago. Experts tell us why the classic baseball poem still resonates today.
Baylor, Sexual Assault, and When College Football Becomes Too Big to Fail
Baylor's horrifying sexual assault scandal raises a bigger question, one as old as college football itself: Can schools chase success without losing their souls?
Throwback Thursday: Jose Canseco Gives Up a Home Run, Off His Head
In 1993, a deep fly ball from Cleveland's Carlos Martinez bounced off Texas Rangers outfielder Jose Canseco's head for a home run. The infamous slugger and steroid posterboy's life was about to get a whole lot weirder.
Do Former College Football Players Really Want to Sue Their Schools Over Concussions?
A new series of concussion lawsuits against the NCAA, major conferences, and individual schools was filed this week, but athletes' loyalty to their alma maters makes things murky.
Throwback Thursday: Ty Cobb Goes After A Heckler, And His Teammates Go On Strike
In 1912, the Detroit Tigers conducted the first (unofficial) strike in baseball history, protesting Ty Cobb's suspension for attacking a heckling New York fan.
College Football Needs Chaos, Not A Commissioner
In the wake of college football's truly silly satellite camp fracas, Alabama coach Nick Saban suggested the sport needed a commissioner to cut through its messy regional factiousness. Problem is, that's what makes the sport fun.
Throwback Thursday: Scottie Pippen Sits Out the Chicago Bulls' Last Shot
During a tightly contested 1994 NBA Playoffs game between Chicago and New York, Bulls superstar Scottie Pippen refused to take the floor for the Bulls' final shot against the Knicks. Wait, what?
With Idaho Dropping Big-Time College Football, Will Other Mid-Majors Follow?
Idaho's decision to drop out of NCAA Division I FBS is an object lesson in the false promise of chasing after big-time football success. What does it augur for other mid-majors?
Throwback Thursday: Herb Washington, Baseball's First And Last "Designated Stealer"
In the mid-1970s, the Oakland A's signed a Michigan State sprinting star to be their "designated stealer." There was just one catch: Herb Washington hadn't played baseball since high school.
Throwback Thursday: Rocky Marciano Hangs Up His Gloves
In 1956, undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano stunned boxing—and America—by retiring from the sport. Perhaps more surprisingly, he never came back.