International Sports

The most distressing case was that of Reese (Goose) Tatum, possibly the most adept handler of a basketball the world has ever seen. He was known to nearly all of black America and most whites because he played for the Harlem Globetrotters. But when he died alone and broke, the only eulogy he received was […]

As the International Olympic Committee and other worldwide sports organizations are stepping up efforts to increase isolation of South Africa, Sydney Maree suggested that allowing South Africans to compete internationally would do more to chip away at the apartheid policies of his native country. Maree, a 31-year-old black middle-distance runner, was born in Pretoria, came […]

Angle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. Aly Raisman (L) and Simone Biles (R) pose with their Olympic medals in 2016. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images Interest and investment in women’s sports have been on the rise. Stars like Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark are inspiring younger generations of […]

It’s never hard to understand how Trae Young feels about something, whether it’s a person, place, or political issue. If it means losing followers on social media or losing money due to criticizing NBA officials. The Atlanta Hawks point guard is one of the most outspoken athletes in the world. I’ve written several times about […]

Many athletes play to win, to make money, to bask in the limelight, to become a champion and for love of the game. Others, however, like Colin Kaepernick, also use the spotlight they live under to illuminate the wrongs that they believe need righting. Long before the controversial quarterback took a knee during the National […]

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (58%) say they’re “especially looking forward” to the Winter Olympics next month, including roughly equal shares of each age group. But when it comes to this year’s other quadrennial international sports event – the World Cup – it’s largely young people who are anticipating it. It’s not that . . .

Last July, The Johannesburg Weekly Mail revealed that in the province of Natal, 330,000 Africans who live in the township of Umlazi and Lamontville share six soccer fields, seven tennis courts and two swimming pools. By contrast, the 212,000 whites living in the neighboring municipality of Durban have 146 soccer venues and 15 public swimming […]

In this feature, we interview organizers, journalists, scholars, and athletes working at the intersection of sports and Black struggle. We ask three general questions to all contributors and two questions related specifically to the contributor’s area of expertise. This week, we interview Courtney Cox. Dr. Courtney M. Cox is an assistant professor in the Department […]

The security guard at Tuskegee University stopped our car and told us the road was closed: We’d have to turn around. And then he kindly asked us what we were doing on campus. David Williams pointed toward me in the back seat. “Just giving our son a college tour.” With that, we turned around, and […]

Monthly Issue Athletes & Activism Activism by women athletes around the globe dominates sport headlines. From women’s professional surfers advocating for equal prize money to track runner Allyson Felix battling for maternity protections from Nike, and from Australian Football League women . . .