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Chicago Bears Receiver a Would-Be Kingpin?
By most accounts, Sam Hurd was just a nice guy. Teammates said he was well-liked and low-key and often sang gospel songs to himself. One former teammate said Hurd struck him as “a family guy.” All of that could be well and true. But federal agents said there’s more to Hurd, a side that could…
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Girl Football Player Sits for Team's Sake
Females who play tackle football against males are rare and usually found at a particular position: kicker. That keeps them from virtually all contact, but it doesn’t ensure their acceptance or safety, as evidenced by the ordeal of Katia Hnida, who in 2003 became the first female to score in an NCAA football game. Eighth-grader…
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Howard vs. Morehouse: A Victory for DC
Erik Moses escaped into his RFK Stadium office for a brief respite Saturday afternoon, but not before someone asked him about the cheerleaders, who wanted to know if they should perform on the grass or the dirt surrounding the field. “Sometimes I wonder why I got a law degree, when all I do is put…
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Black Quarterbacks' Intelligence Still Scrutinized?
Nearly 60 years after Willie Thrower became the NFL’s first black quarterback in the modern T formation, players from Donovan McNabb and Vince Young to Doug Williams and Warren Moon have faced aspects of the same debate: “Do they have what it takes upstairs?” The question lurks and lingers even today, notwithstanding their success in…
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Caste Football Takes Up the Cause of White Athletes
By Deron Snyder Have you noticed that NFL linemen tend to be very large, while NBA centers are invariably very tall? And marathon runners are usually slender, while jockeys stand short? The only shock about those observations would be if someone failed to notice. You can’t watch football or basketball without picking up on the…
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Right-Wingers Aren't the Only Patriots
I love fireworks, cookouts and trips to the park as much as anyone, and will gladly partake in those events on the Fourth of July holiday. But surely there are others like me, who find it strange (ironic? hypocritical? comical?) to celebrate July 4, 1776, as U.S. “Independence Day,” when African Americans’ forefathers and foremothers…
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Since When Did Character Count in Sports?
Folks are judged by the “content of their character” less frequently than the norm in certain professions. Take big-time sports, for instance. The most-valued traits for athletes are usually based on prowess, such as their time in the 40-yard dash, or their jump shot, or their ability to hit a curveball, or their serve, or…
