Column Archive

September 11, 1973, Was a Warning: Democracy Can Die in a Day

Fifty years ago, the US exported a cult of revanchist violence to Chile. Now it has made its return.

Bill Walton Was Once a Trailblazing Radical

The basketball great is now better known for his tie-dyed shirts and enthusiastic sports commentary, but in the 1970s, he was a polarizing anti-government activist.

How Nebraska Became a Volleyball Paradise

Covid-19 is back on the rise. We must take precautions, or we could again lose the type of joy that 92,003 fans experienced at Memorial Stadium this week.

Will Northwestern Get Its Stadium, or Will Evanston Get a Fair Deal?

The roar of community disapproval cannot be silenced for much longer.

A Soccer Triumph—Despite the Toxic Men

The leaders of Spain’s soccer world possess “sexism matched only by their greed.”

The Blind Side Was Always Trash

The book and movie about former NFL lineman Michael Oher lean into the white-savior trope. They were terrible long before the allegations that they were based on lies.

Why the Right Wanted the USWNT to Lose

Conservatives want everything Megan Rapinoe represents—feminism, queerness, anti-racism, reproductive choice, women’s strength—to wither away.

Decolonization and the Women’s World Cup

Carli Lloyd’s Attacks on the USWNT Are Personal—and Political

The US Women’s National Team has always carried a double burden: They need to be the best, and they need to be global soccer icons.

Time to Stop Running

NFL running backs are in the same fight as all laborers: the struggle to be treated as humans, not “cattle.”