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What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States
“Zirin is America’s best sportswriter.”—Lee Ballinger, Rock and Rap Confidential “Zirin is one of the brightest, most audacious voices I can remember on the sportswriting scene, and my memory goes back to the 1920s.”—Lester Rodney, N.Y. Daily Worker sports editor, 1936–1958 “Zirin has an amazing talent for covering the sports and politics beat. Ranging like a great shortstop, he scoops up everything! He profiles the courageous and inspiring athletes who are standing up for peace and civil liberties in this repressive age. A must read!”—Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive “This is cutting-edge analysis delivered with wit and compassion.”—Mike Marqusee, author, Redemption Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties Here Edgeofsports.com sportswriter Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst, as well as the most creative and exciting, features of American society. Zirin explores how Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl flash-time show exposed more than a breast, why the labor movement has everything to learn from sports unions and why a new generation of athletes is no longer content to “play one game at a time” and is starting to get political. What’s My Name, Fool! draws on original interviews with former heavyweight champ George Foreman, Olympian and black power saluter John Carlos, NBA basketball player and anti-death penalty activist Etan Thomas, antiwar women’s college hoopster Toni Smith, Olympic Project for Human Rights leader Lee Evans and many others. Popular sportswriter and commentator Dave Zirin is editor of The Prince George’s Post (Maryland) and writes the weekly column “Edge of Sports” ( edgeofsports.com ). He is a senior writer at basketball.com . Zirin’s writing has also appeared in The Source , Common Dreams , College Sporting News , CounterPunch , Alternet , International Socialist Review , Black Sports Network , War Times , San Francisco Bay View and Z Magazine .
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
34 people are currently reading
745 people want to read
About the author
Dave Zirin
34 books141 followersNamed of the UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World”, Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports for the Nation Magazine. He is their first sports writer in 150 years of existence. Zirin is also the host of Sirius XM Radio’s popular weekly show, Edge of Sports Radio. He has been called “the best sportswriter in the United States,” by Robert Lipsyte. Dave Zirin is, in addition, a columnist for SLAM Magazine and the Progressive.
[from http://www.edgeofsports.com/bio.html]
[from http://www.edgeofsports.com/bio.html]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
January 21, 2009
Once i started this, I had trouble putting it down. Part of me was hoping that the book would give me a reason to like sports, enlightening me on something that i've just missed out on or didn't see, but in reality, it only gave me a reason to like certain athletes using their popularity as a pulpit, despite going completely against the grain. It actually gave more reasons to be critical of the sports industrial complex. It's hard enough to be a dissident in normal US society, try doing it in the hyper capitalist, sexist, racist, homophobic world of sports.
At times, his attempt to make jokes didn't really fit in with the analysis that started the book out. i did enjoy his prose, and his obvious love of sports combined with his love of progressive issues, and hatred of capitalism and corporate america. fun, quick read that will make you think about things that you've never thought you'd care about. but it's worth the time because it's a part of this thing that we all love to hate called amerikkka. Plus it will give you something else to talk to normals about.
At times, his attempt to make jokes didn't really fit in with the analysis that started the book out. i did enjoy his prose, and his obvious love of sports combined with his love of progressive issues, and hatred of capitalism and corporate america. fun, quick read that will make you think about things that you've never thought you'd care about. but it's worth the time because it's a part of this thing that we all love to hate called amerikkka. Plus it will give you something else to talk to normals about.
May 16, 2013
Basically this is a collection of entries from Dave Zirin's The Edge of Sports column. Which, for those of you who (like myself) had never heard of it, is apparently a sports column with a progressive political slant.
The reason I'd never heard of the column is that I'm not at all a sports fan. Which is one of the reasons I decided to read this book, actually. I think it's good to get outside your ken once in a while. Not exactly outside my comfort zone, though, since I'm all about progressive politics. But hey, you can only ask so much.
The book was a pretty good read. Being an American Studies student, when I'm going to read something like this I would prefer it to be in more of an in-depth, extended-essay type form—think Henry Giroux's The Mouse that Roared, which I loved—rather than a bunch of two- to three-page essays (columns). That's a question of form, and I'm sure some people prefer this approach, but of course form influences content. And this particular form means that he doesn't get very deep with his analysis and he can't draw very many significant connections among the diverse issues he's discussing. To Zirin's credit, he does try to work out those connections in the intros and the Afterword. And I'm sure compiling the book this way saved him an ungodly amount of work, which might have made the difference between doing the book and not. So fair enough.
The content was reasonably interesting—some parts more than others. I got pretty bored with the discussion of unions, for some reason. (I don't know why; I'm fully in support of players' unions and I tend to be one of the opposing voices when people bitch about players' strikes—I hate hearing all about players' exorbitant salaries, considering that they are the ones doing the work and management is making tons more on their backs.) But most of the rest of it I found pretty interesting. His exposure of the nationalism and inherent politics in pro sports today, for example, was eye-opening.
If you're a sports fan with progressive politics, I would think this would be right up your alley. Zirin's leftist slant is completely apparent, and he makes no apologies for it. If that doesn't bother you, give it a shot. Frankly, I think that politically conservative voices are all too common in sports these days; it's nice to have some counterweight.
The reason I'd never heard of the column is that I'm not at all a sports fan. Which is one of the reasons I decided to read this book, actually. I think it's good to get outside your ken once in a while. Not exactly outside my comfort zone, though, since I'm all about progressive politics. But hey, you can only ask so much.
The book was a pretty good read. Being an American Studies student, when I'm going to read something like this I would prefer it to be in more of an in-depth, extended-essay type form—think Henry Giroux's The Mouse that Roared, which I loved—rather than a bunch of two- to three-page essays (columns). That's a question of form, and I'm sure some people prefer this approach, but of course form influences content. And this particular form means that he doesn't get very deep with his analysis and he can't draw very many significant connections among the diverse issues he's discussing. To Zirin's credit, he does try to work out those connections in the intros and the Afterword. And I'm sure compiling the book this way saved him an ungodly amount of work, which might have made the difference between doing the book and not. So fair enough.
The content was reasonably interesting—some parts more than others. I got pretty bored with the discussion of unions, for some reason. (I don't know why; I'm fully in support of players' unions and I tend to be one of the opposing voices when people bitch about players' strikes—I hate hearing all about players' exorbitant salaries, considering that they are the ones doing the work and management is making tons more on their backs.) But most of the rest of it I found pretty interesting. His exposure of the nationalism and inherent politics in pro sports today, for example, was eye-opening.
If you're a sports fan with progressive politics, I would think this would be right up your alley. Zirin's leftist slant is completely apparent, and he makes no apologies for it. If that doesn't bother you, give it a shot. Frankly, I think that politically conservative voices are all too common in sports these days; it's nice to have some counterweight.
February 3, 2018
This is a book that everyone should read. I am always amazed how some believe that athletes who protest is something when they have been for over 100 years. This book is well written and provides a great discussion on the topic.
June 21, 2020
I think the George Bush jokes would have been funnier if I wasn’t five when he was president
February 7, 2022
Dave Zirin is a passionate writer. He’s also unapologetic about his views on professional sports. His writing is thoughtful and engaging and I find his books hard to put down.
In "What’s My Name, Fool," Zirin details the many injustices that people of colour have dealt with throughout the history of North American sports, as well as the brave athletes who fought against racism, sexism and homophobia.
Many of the inequities that those professionals faced are still very present today. Athletes like Colin Kaepernick are continuing the fight for equality started by John Carlos, Tommie Smith & Toni Smith.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about sports history and the crossover of professional sports and politics.
In "What’s My Name, Fool," Zirin details the many injustices that people of colour have dealt with throughout the history of North American sports, as well as the brave athletes who fought against racism, sexism and homophobia.
Many of the inequities that those professionals faced are still very present today. Athletes like Colin Kaepernick are continuing the fight for equality started by John Carlos, Tommie Smith & Toni Smith.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about sports history and the crossover of professional sports and politics.
October 17, 2021
A compilation of Zirin's columns from The Nation magazine, it feels dated now but the overarching message remains—there's more to sport than meets the eye. Zirin champions principled athletes for taking their stands and does so in an angry-yet-articulate and entertaining way. He dives deep into protests from the past and present, needles the mass media for indulging in hagiography and praises the rare athlete with a worldview.
Sometimes Zirin gets bogged down in being clever and quippy, and you can't blame a modern sportswriter, raised on ESPN SportsCenter, for going for the gag and descending occasionally into minstrelsy. But Zirin is a sports writer for the times, a voice we all need to rise above bread and circuses.
Sometimes Zirin gets bogged down in being clever and quippy, and you can't blame a modern sportswriter, raised on ESPN SportsCenter, for going for the gag and descending occasionally into minstrelsy. But Zirin is a sports writer for the times, a voice we all need to rise above bread and circuses.
December 28, 2015
This book made me care about sports. Which I didn't think was possible.
July 24, 2022
Good information, lazy presentation. Something always feels slapdash to me about Haymarket and Verso books. Like their books are so often made up of copy and pasted material from other, earlier sources, and as such feel decontextualized and repetitive, without a coherent central point other than "Look at this cool left-leaning work that happened once" or "Look at this fucked up thing capitalism and/or the U.S. caused."
But I also always feel bad criticizing them for this tendency because the politics and historical moments discussed in these books are worth highlighting. Still, as always I was hoping for a lot more than I was given here, and I felt that this book sold itself short of its own stated aims.
What's My Name, Fool? is a collection of Zirin's columns from The Nation. I was expecting more in-depth historical analysis and more nuanced political positions. His prose style is smug and angry in ways that wouldn't have bothered me if I were reading a sports column. But reading a book that ostensibly has a point to make about the intersection of U.S. sports and acts of political protest? I needed a lot more than Zirin provided here. Much context needed providing to be more comprehensive, many snide quips needed to be excised for credibility, and a lot of repeated information needed to be taken out or consolidated for flow.
But I also always feel bad criticizing them for this tendency because the politics and historical moments discussed in these books are worth highlighting. Still, as always I was hoping for a lot more than I was given here, and I felt that this book sold itself short of its own stated aims.
What's My Name, Fool? is a collection of Zirin's columns from The Nation. I was expecting more in-depth historical analysis and more nuanced political positions. His prose style is smug and angry in ways that wouldn't have bothered me if I were reading a sports column. But reading a book that ostensibly has a point to make about the intersection of U.S. sports and acts of political protest? I needed a lot more than Zirin provided here. Much context needed providing to be more comprehensive, many snide quips needed to be excised for credibility, and a lot of repeated information needed to be taken out or consolidated for flow.
February 26, 2019
The first few chapters in here are fabulous! He offered a great history of Jackie Robinson, the '68 Olympics and Muhammad Ali. The book continues with more stories of sports and resistance. I found these interesting as well, but not as strong as the beginning. There's interviews with some influential people as well.
Also, I have almost no interest in sports, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
My favorite story:
"It's this broader context that allows us to understand how Ali came to symbolize the Black revolution while his adversaries represented the people who opposed it. Floyd Patterson, a Black ex-champion, wrapped himself tightly in the American flag, and challenged Ali, saying, "This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from Black Muslims. As a Catholic I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America." On the night of the fight, Ali brutalized Patterson for nine rounds, dragging it out and yelling, "Come on, America! Come on, white America.... What's my name? Is my name Clay? What's my name, fool?"
Also, I have almost no interest in sports, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
My favorite story:
"It's this broader context that allows us to understand how Ali came to symbolize the Black revolution while his adversaries represented the people who opposed it. Floyd Patterson, a Black ex-champion, wrapped himself tightly in the American flag, and challenged Ali, saying, "This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from Black Muslims. As a Catholic I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America." On the night of the fight, Ali brutalized Patterson for nine rounds, dragging it out and yelling, "Come on, America! Come on, white America.... What's my name? Is my name Clay? What's my name, fool?"
December 1, 2017
When I saw this new release about the history of sports and resistance, it immediately piqued my curiosity. With all the media hype surrounding Colin Kaepernick and NFL boycotts in 2017, I was interested in learning more about the lineage of these types of movements. What’s My Name, Fool? isn’t a perfect book, but it was a fascinating entry point into learning about athletes like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King who’ve used their platforms to make powerful statements about what they believe in. I was also fascinated to learn about athletes who’ve played barefoot, worn beads, or raised their fists to protest various social conditions. This book provides a jumping off point to explore this compelling intersection of sports and history.
December 19, 2025
Really great book, I learned a lot. It was cool to learn about the NFLPA speaking out against the Vietnam War back in 1972. Learning about the Daily Worker newspaper’s effort to integrate baseball was also really interesting. The interview with John Carlos was great, I didn’t realize he and Tommie Smith wore no shoes to protest black poverty and beads to protest lynchings. Etan Thomas of the Wizards was inspiring with his anti-war poetry (and an athlete writing poetry in general awesome). Overall my takeaway is to unionize and keep that strength in numbers that our government aims to shut down.
May 21, 2017
I've followed Zirin since his appearances on W. Kamau Bell's Totally Biased in 2012, and continue to be impressed at his singularness within the world of both sports journalism and progressive political writing speaking more generally. This is a great survey towards the intersection of sports and US political resistance - especially for folks who are not sports-minded. The first half of the book is a primer on forgotten/whitewashed histories of the most-cited sport-US politics intersections (Ali, '68 Olympics, Robinson, etc), while the second half moves into shorter essays and interviews under a handful of more discrete topics - most enthralling of which are his forays into class through a chapter on sports and unions, and one on "games that bosses play". Much to digest and consider in the age of Kaepernick, NBA/WNBA and Black Lives Matter, N.E. Patriots' coziness with 45, etc. Lots of charming goofy journalistic similes too.
February 11, 2018
I discovered Zirin via his Edge of Sports podcast a few years back and believe he is the tops at combining sports and politics. It is about the only palatable way to view sports for me at this point, after logging a ton of hours as a mere watcher and lover of the numbers. This book is a great introduction to his writing, as it collects short articles about a variety of sports. Didn't matter at all that I was way late to the original printing, since these issues are still relevant. And thanks to Zirin's doggedness all these years, they are getting increased exposure.
September 9, 2018
[3.5 stars] A decent overview of history and “current” (around its 2005) publication at the intersections of sports, social justice, and politics. The first few sections are written as whole chapters while the latter were collections of essays from Zirin’s Edge of Sports column. New readers will benefit from the learning in this content; frequent consumers of Zirin’s writing and/or podcast (like me) will be left wanting more. The book’s gender analysis isn’t strong, with cis het women and all LGBTQ folks relegated to a single chapter.
September 17, 2018
3.5 stars. This is not the kind of book I would usually read but I did enjoy it. The chapters on the history of sports and resistance in the US were pretty interesting, even for a non-sportser like myself. The later chapters (reprints of Zirin's essays) were sometimes a little too detailed for my interest.
July 16, 2017
a worthwhile read, even though i expected it to be more 'tied together'. i love analogies, and while some of zirin's are kinda weak, others are apt and hilarious. i'm also "into" "sports" and "resistance" so this was pretty up my alley in that sense. and i even learned some stuff!
July 10, 2020
Powerful context with the author’s political beliefs inserted a bit too often, hence the 4 out of 5. Great stories of activism from the 68 Olympics to D3 women’s hoops. The NFL flies war planes over stadiums, which means any political act from either side is allowed in sports.
March 28, 2024
Sports fans probably know a lot of this stuff, and as a non-sports fan I knew only they very high level stuff presented here, so it's an educational read. I could have done without the author's side comments, sarcasm and general podcast-y tone toward the more recent stories.
May 26, 2024
I love Zirin and read this out of my completist tendencies. The essays are all from the early 2000's and they are a bit hit or miss in terms of how well they hold up. Some gems, but many of them feel stuck in that particular time as well.
February 25, 2020
"A wise man can play the part of a clown, but a clown can't play the part of a wise man."
Malcolm X
Malcolm X
July 19, 2020
Really good book on just how correlated politics is with sports and how politics and especially racism still affects the modern sports atmosphere and institution.
August 13, 2020
I like this book. I felt like athletes should have a voice, and this book reinforced it.
November 24, 2021
Didn't realize it was over 15 years old, the topics are just as relevant today!
February 11, 2025
My favorite of Zirin's. It should be used as a textbook as the foundation for teaching Sports Activism.
March 23, 2017
disappointingly journalism
March 23, 2025
My library system is considered the second busiest/second most voluminous system in the country, and yet they didn’t have a copy of this freaking terrific book from 2006. I ultimately got it through an inter-library loan, virgin spine, read: not read. Freaking shame, that is!
Because a book like this, its humor, circumspection, and utterly confident politics, the joy he takes in all manner of sports and the intersectional analysis that is studded with jokes you need to hear, it’s just the shit. One reason I romanticize 20th century newspaper films is that I have so much affection for the idea of blue-collar writers. The sheer number of papers and the paucity of competition from really pretty authoritarian national news sources meant a lot of wise-acres were able to learn on the job and work their way up. The sly invocation of socialist ideas, the chemistry they work up between their by-line and the reader, how I just LOVE that! Newspaper journalism now feels elitist, impersonal - as if by being impersonal it is therefore objective? Nuh uh! It’s just vacuous. And these poor replaceable bylines, surely saddled with enormous graduate school debt to produce both-sides bullshit so that we can selectively read what reaffirms the opinions we already had as a result mainly of algorithms, I mean what a dead beat.
But Dave Zirin has that crackle. It’s like he’s got all the necessary social awareness I’d demand of a 21st century person and all the spitfire I miss from the early 20th century. Clearly he loves life. Always good to be reminded of how to actually love your life from the inside out. Cuz if you don’t do that, nobody else will!
Because a book like this, its humor, circumspection, and utterly confident politics, the joy he takes in all manner of sports and the intersectional analysis that is studded with jokes you need to hear, it’s just the shit. One reason I romanticize 20th century newspaper films is that I have so much affection for the idea of blue-collar writers. The sheer number of papers and the paucity of competition from really pretty authoritarian national news sources meant a lot of wise-acres were able to learn on the job and work their way up. The sly invocation of socialist ideas, the chemistry they work up between their by-line and the reader, how I just LOVE that! Newspaper journalism now feels elitist, impersonal - as if by being impersonal it is therefore objective? Nuh uh! It’s just vacuous. And these poor replaceable bylines, surely saddled with enormous graduate school debt to produce both-sides bullshit so that we can selectively read what reaffirms the opinions we already had as a result mainly of algorithms, I mean what a dead beat.
But Dave Zirin has that crackle. It’s like he’s got all the necessary social awareness I’d demand of a 21st century person and all the spitfire I miss from the early 20th century. Clearly he loves life. Always good to be reminded of how to actually love your life from the inside out. Cuz if you don’t do that, nobody else will!
July 14, 2008
I'm someone that at one period in my life had espn.com as my homepage solely so I'd have some inkling of what was happening in the sports world. So, I have an interest in sports and sport culture, but not enough to really know much about it. I was totally engrossed by the first half of this book, which covers the civil rights movement and athletes who spoke out against racism, segregation, and the Vietnam war, during the 60s. The title of the book came from a boxing match with Muhammad Ali, soon after he changed his name from Cassius Clay:
"It's this broader context that allows us to understand how Ali came to symbolize the Black revolution while his adversaries represented the people who opposed it. Floyd Patterson, a Black ex-champion, wrapped himself tightly in the American flag, and challenged Ali, saying, 'This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from the Black Muslims. As a Catholic I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America.' On the night of the fight, Ali brutalized Patterson for nine rounds, dragging it out and yelling, 'Come on, America! Come on, white America ... what's my name? Is my name Clay? What's my name, fool?' "
The second half of the book, I gathered, is Zirin's weekly columns, and while interesting, I wasn't racing through them like the first half. For me, I think the foreward best describes why I picked up the book, and what it successfully conveyed:
"The new ground Dave Zirin covers also includes the increasing impact of Sportsworld as mass entertainment delivering messages of mass consumerism and celebrity. How mass spectator sport emerged as a carrier of the 'dominant values' that underpin our capitalist consumer culture is a story in itself. Values such as competition, respect for rules and authority, fairness, winner take all, aggression, teamwork, hard work, playing by the rules, winning, and merit are central to the sport myth and are also central to the myth of material success in our society. Whether or not these values offer a positive and humane vision pointing to a better life for all of us in our future is an open question.
The reality is that these values, gathered together as the 'success myth,' tend to pertain more to players and workers than franchise owners and other elites. In this elite world of business and politics, class, race, connections, cronyism, favoritism, ruthlessness, propaganda, and amassing wealth are critical elements in the success equation. Zirin weighs heavily and well into this underbelly of mass sport and, by extension, corporate and political elites."
"It's this broader context that allows us to understand how Ali came to symbolize the Black revolution while his adversaries represented the people who opposed it. Floyd Patterson, a Black ex-champion, wrapped himself tightly in the American flag, and challenged Ali, saying, 'This fight is a crusade to reclaim the title from the Black Muslims. As a Catholic I am fighting Clay as a patriotic duty. I am going to return the crown to America.' On the night of the fight, Ali brutalized Patterson for nine rounds, dragging it out and yelling, 'Come on, America! Come on, white America ... what's my name? Is my name Clay? What's my name, fool?' "
The second half of the book, I gathered, is Zirin's weekly columns, and while interesting, I wasn't racing through them like the first half. For me, I think the foreward best describes why I picked up the book, and what it successfully conveyed:
"The new ground Dave Zirin covers also includes the increasing impact of Sportsworld as mass entertainment delivering messages of mass consumerism and celebrity. How mass spectator sport emerged as a carrier of the 'dominant values' that underpin our capitalist consumer culture is a story in itself. Values such as competition, respect for rules and authority, fairness, winner take all, aggression, teamwork, hard work, playing by the rules, winning, and merit are central to the sport myth and are also central to the myth of material success in our society. Whether or not these values offer a positive and humane vision pointing to a better life for all of us in our future is an open question.
The reality is that these values, gathered together as the 'success myth,' tend to pertain more to players and workers than franchise owners and other elites. In this elite world of business and politics, class, race, connections, cronyism, favoritism, ruthlessness, propaganda, and amassing wealth are critical elements in the success equation. Zirin weighs heavily and well into this underbelly of mass sport and, by extension, corporate and political elites."
July 12, 2009
I would like to start this review by stating that I am among the minority that question exactly why we play the national anthem before a sporting event. Also, I am among those people who feel a slight pinch of joy inside when an athlete refuses to stand and salute the flag before a game. And, like Zirin, I am of the mindset that it is not only acceptable, but also admirable when an athlete uses his or her celebrity to speak out on injustices. And, while I found myself agreeing with Zirin in many cases, I could not help but be angered by his approach to this book.
The book starts out well enough, as a strongly written history of the struggles and stances of figures like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos, and Tommy Smith. The first two and a half chapters of this book were quite promising. However, shortly after the interview with George Foreman, the book becomes less a history of athletes and resistance, and more of a platform for Zirin's political agenda. The book slowly degrades from a coherent narrative to a series of short op-ed articles that end with the opinion of Dave Zirin. The ends of these articles take the focus off the athletes and their works and place it squarely on Zirin and his dogmatizing.
Furthermore, Zirin is quick to attack right-wing radicals like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, but he seems almost ignorant to the fact that he is engaging in the same political theater as his Republican counterparts. Zirin's writing and tone are as radical, polarizing, and uncompromising as the "right wing hacks" he is so eager to denounce. He, rightly, praises the courage of John Carlos, Etan Thomas, and Carlos Delgado for speaking their minds and standing up for their beliefs, yet ridicules ESPN for filming Sportscenter in Kuwait. It seems, to me at least, that if Etan Thomas has the right to denounce the war, then the higher-ups at ESPN have an equal right to voice support for the effort, even if Zirrin (and I) disagree with the stance. On a side note, I found it odd that he is quick to denounce George Foreman as a poor role model, yet voices full support for Barry Bonds.
I felt this book had a real potential, and was really looking for a book that would interweave sports with a larger cause. Zirin's book delivered in the beginning. However, this book quickly sounds more like the partisan jibber-jabber of a televised political roundtable "debate" and less like a coherent narrative connecting various athletes with their social and political impact.
The book starts out well enough, as a strongly written history of the struggles and stances of figures like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos, and Tommy Smith. The first two and a half chapters of this book were quite promising. However, shortly after the interview with George Foreman, the book becomes less a history of athletes and resistance, and more of a platform for Zirin's political agenda. The book slowly degrades from a coherent narrative to a series of short op-ed articles that end with the opinion of Dave Zirin. The ends of these articles take the focus off the athletes and their works and place it squarely on Zirin and his dogmatizing.
Furthermore, Zirin is quick to attack right-wing radicals like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, but he seems almost ignorant to the fact that he is engaging in the same political theater as his Republican counterparts. Zirin's writing and tone are as radical, polarizing, and uncompromising as the "right wing hacks" he is so eager to denounce. He, rightly, praises the courage of John Carlos, Etan Thomas, and Carlos Delgado for speaking their minds and standing up for their beliefs, yet ridicules ESPN for filming Sportscenter in Kuwait. It seems, to me at least, that if Etan Thomas has the right to denounce the war, then the higher-ups at ESPN have an equal right to voice support for the effort, even if Zirrin (and I) disagree with the stance. On a side note, I found it odd that he is quick to denounce George Foreman as a poor role model, yet voices full support for Barry Bonds.
I felt this book had a real potential, and was really looking for a book that would interweave sports with a larger cause. Zirin's book delivered in the beginning. However, this book quickly sounds more like the partisan jibber-jabber of a televised political roundtable "debate" and less like a coherent narrative connecting various athletes with their social and political impact.
November 20, 2007
"What's My Name, Fool?" shatters the image that many on the left think of athletes. Citing both historical and present day acts of resistance by athletes in national spot-light sports, DC area socialist Dave Zirin challenges this sometimes elitist with clear and crisp writing. The title comes from Muhammad Ali challenging white reporters, who made it a point to call him Cassius Clay, his former name, after a dominating victory. From football to baseball to soccer to tennis to boxing to the Olympics, Zirin digs into the history and shines a light into the dark corners that the major leagues would prefer remain unexplored. Zirin discusses racism, classism, sexism and homophobia, and also profiles uplifting examples of athletes fighting the power and speaking the truth.
Such glaring examples include the domination of a nazi boxer by Joe Lewis, the smashing of the color barrier in baseball with years of organizing by members of the Negro leagues and communist sports writers, the Black Power salute given after winning the gold and bronze medals by the American Olympic Track Team to protest apartheid and segregation, and current day examples of antiwar women's college hoopster Toni Smith or all-star slugger Barry Bonds criticizing racism and the war in Iraq and then being targeted by the Bush adminstration as anti-american or pro-bowl Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams refusing to be used anymore to sell tickets.
As an rabid sports fan, I loved this book and saw it as the connect between my two major interests, political action and sports. Zirin criticizes the sports industry by taking solid aim at the ownership who make it their goal to exploit athletes who are mainly working class people of color, sacrificing their bodies in order to bring their families out of poverty. He does a good job at pointing out that athletes are not the dumb idiots that society encourages them to be, but instead many use their fame for good causes. For every Michael Jordan being silent on the issues like sweatshops, there is a Kareem Abu Jabar who the right wishes would just shut up and go away. I also believe it is a huge mistkae to dismiss all sports fans, possibly because of classism, and some of the best organizing can be done amongst sporting events.
Read the transcripts or Listen to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviewing the author David Zirin about this book.
Such glaring examples include the domination of a nazi boxer by Joe Lewis, the smashing of the color barrier in baseball with years of organizing by members of the Negro leagues and communist sports writers, the Black Power salute given after winning the gold and bronze medals by the American Olympic Track Team to protest apartheid and segregation, and current day examples of antiwar women's college hoopster Toni Smith or all-star slugger Barry Bonds criticizing racism and the war in Iraq and then being targeted by the Bush adminstration as anti-american or pro-bowl Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams refusing to be used anymore to sell tickets.
As an rabid sports fan, I loved this book and saw it as the connect between my two major interests, political action and sports. Zirin criticizes the sports industry by taking solid aim at the ownership who make it their goal to exploit athletes who are mainly working class people of color, sacrificing their bodies in order to bring their families out of poverty. He does a good job at pointing out that athletes are not the dumb idiots that society encourages them to be, but instead many use their fame for good causes. For every Michael Jordan being silent on the issues like sweatshops, there is a Kareem Abu Jabar who the right wishes would just shut up and go away. I also believe it is a huge mistkae to dismiss all sports fans, possibly because of classism, and some of the best organizing can be done amongst sporting events.
Read the transcripts or Listen to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviewing the author David Zirin about this book.
April 13, 2013
My feelings about this book fluctuated quite a bit as I was reading it. It begins with longer sections about Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali, and does a very nice job of describing the obstacles they faced and what they overcame. Later on in the book, he has a longer interview with Toni Smith, a basketball player who protested the second Iraq War. He does a nice job of letting her tell her story, placing it in context and allowing her to make her own argument. The conclusion is also very strong, or at least I responded to it strongly, as Zirin lays out many of the contradictions and frustrations I also see in sports but also suggests ways to both face the problems and enjoys the games.
Where the book is weaker is when it is just Zirin's columns from the Nation. Part of the problem is that he has a limited amount of space to deal with some very complex issues, and is only able to approach some of them in the most cursory manner. Maybe it's because these articles were written almost ten years ago, but I've read other authors who have approached many of the same issues with a much more indepth and nuanced take. For example, Zirin sees the attacks on Barry Bonds as both racially motivated and because he was not a likable person. Because of this, he fully sides with Bonds and considers the allegations about his PED completely unfounded. Personally, I believe that one can dislike the attacks on Bonds without ignoring the likelihood of his PED usage. Finally, because many of these columns were written during the Bush presidency, Zirin takes every opportunity to take pot shots at Bush. While I don't disagree with any of his criticisms of Bush, I feel like often he goes out of his way to blame Bush and this sometimes distracts or weakens his arguments (at least for me).
Where the book is weaker is when it is just Zirin's columns from the Nation. Part of the problem is that he has a limited amount of space to deal with some very complex issues, and is only able to approach some of them in the most cursory manner. Maybe it's because these articles were written almost ten years ago, but I've read other authors who have approached many of the same issues with a much more indepth and nuanced take. For example, Zirin sees the attacks on Barry Bonds as both racially motivated and because he was not a likable person. Because of this, he fully sides with Bonds and considers the allegations about his PED completely unfounded. Personally, I believe that one can dislike the attacks on Bonds without ignoring the likelihood of his PED usage. Finally, because many of these columns were written during the Bush presidency, Zirin takes every opportunity to take pot shots at Bush. While I don't disagree with any of his criticisms of Bush, I feel like often he goes out of his way to blame Bush and this sometimes distracts or weakens his arguments (at least for me).
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