In the classic novel Animal Farm, author George Orwell mockingly paints a satirical dystopian view of Communism. In particular, the book’s law that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” mocks the Communist ruling elites’ lip service to proletarianism and equality. Americans have long despised the idea that some people […]

There was a time earlier this decade when Michelle Wie was labeled by some as the Next Big Thing in golf. Then, as she aged, she slowly progressed from phenom to curiosity to relatively unknown, if not forgotten. It can’t be easy spending one’s teenager-hood under the judgmental microscope of American sports media, but with […]

“What’s the matter with Kansas?” It’s a question that was first asked in 1896 by journalist William Allen White and, well, hasn’t really stopped being asked since. Thomas Frank used the question as the title of his landmark 2004 book regarding the state’s curious political fortunes, and it was asked all too often by Jayhawks […]

It’s hardly a controversial stand to say that we at SPORTSbyBROOKS do not in any way support prejudice or discrimination on the basis of gender, race, creed, or what-have-you, but we’ll say it anyway. While many college sports fans dislike Title IX for requiring equal scholarships and opportunities for women’s sports, we’ve generally been supportive […]

Not to pile on the nation’s supply of decrepit old, white, obsolete sports columnists, but it’s been at turns annoying and amusing to read them get all bent out of shape whenever an athlete acts anything other than perfectly demure and respectful of everyone. The NFL has responded to such suburban outrage by basically banning […]

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about Serena Williams’s match-losing, side judge-threatening outburst yesterday evening against Kim Clijsters, so there’s really no need to cover the basic incident in detail here (if you are just climbing out of your hole and wish to learn more about the outside world, click here, here, here, here, here, or […]

The NFL and social media have been on a collision course for months. In one corner, you’ve got players like Chad Ochocinco that have spent the offseason connecting with and entertaining their fans, hoping to shed some light on their lives and perhaps add a little cachet to their marketability.

In the other corner, you have […]

For years, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been trying to prove that he can compete at the highest levels of sports. He fought his ban from track and field and won the right to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, though he didn’t qualify for the games. He’s been accused of unfairly gaining an […]

A lot of football fans outside the Land of Lincoln have been slightly puzzled at the circus atmosphere that has followed Jay Cutler since he arrived in Chicago earlier this year. People that watched his somewhat ignominious divorce from the Broncos or his leading the team to an 8-8 record might have rightfully wondered what […]

Players like Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford have dominated the quarterback discussion during this college football offseason. And it’s for good reason - the QBs all have a shot at leading their teams to national championships this season (or at least did, before OU crashed and burned against BYU). Interviews with the QBs, […]