Weekly Recap — #Sportsbiz, Superfights, and super fast citizens
Sorry I’m a day late on this. Started to write this post Sunday morning but got off on a tangent about SAE bros, n-bombs and whether hip-hop makes white people say racist things. Anyway, folks keep telling me they’re working to keep track of everything I publish. It doesn’t always come up in their Facebook … Continue reading
SAE frat bros are racist — blame hip hop and Ronda Rousey
By now we’ve all seen the video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat brothers riding a bus and gleefully singing that they’d hang an n-word from a tree before they let him join SAE. Disgusting stuff, even if it’s not surprising for folks who never bought into the Myth of Post Racial America. And by now … Continue reading
Uncle Roger Training Pacquiao for a Mayweather Fight?
I mean, what other conclusion should I draw from this new Foot Locker ad? It features Manny Pacquiao training hard, highlights Foot Locker’s Week of Greatness promotion, and has fun with the idea that everybody in the world except Floyd Mayweather wants to see him fight Floyd Mayweather. Did you guys catch Pac’s T-Shirt? Clearly says … Continue reading
Oh, Canada: Slippery Slope to the Sports Moral High Ground
I spent part of Tuesday afternoon chatting with Toronto Star colleague Cathal Kelly about a column he was writing examining commercialized NCAA athletics, and the way those sports prod fans, administrators and regular folks into irrational decisions. Like kicking paying customers off a Delta Airlines flight so the University of Florida men’s basketball team could … Continue reading
Long Live Dontae; Long Live The Woodlands Rams
So if you’ve noticed the last couple of days I’ve been gushing on social media like an obnoxiously proud parent, it’s because I feel like one. Or at least like a big brother. Sunday morning Canada’s men’s 4×100 metre relay team crossed the line fourth in the final at the IAAF World Championships, but were … Continue reading
Venezuelan Baseball: A Signing Bonus Postscript
When I met Angel Guillen last September at a dusty baseball diamond in Maracay, Venezuela was a spindly 15-year-old pitcher with a whip for a right arm and big dreams drawn to scale. I visited him while reporting a feature on Venezuela’s role in the global baseball-industrial complex, getting to know kids who hoped to … Continue reading
Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Ward vs.The Real Son of God
Six weeks ahead of his return to the ring against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, boxing’s top biggest name and cash king, Floyd Mayweather, used an interview with fighthype.com to fire a series of verbal jabs… at 168-pound champ Andre Ward. Apparently Ward, the best boxer on the planet not named Mayweather, is a long-time friend … Continue reading
Venezuelan Baseball’s Two Strikes
Original published Nov. 25 2012 in the Toronto Star. Morgan Campbell Business Reporter MARACAY, VENEZUELA—Angel Guillen turns 16 in January, but his fresh face and braces make him look younger. He’s 6-foot-2 and long-limbed, thin as a praying mantis. On the pitcher’s mound, however, he wields his right arm like a whip, unspooling fastballs that … Continue reading
Oh Canada… Malcolm Subban repels opponents and racist troll fans
What we didn’t see coming: Canada losing a lopsided semi final to the U.S. Thursday morning at the World Junior Hockey Championship. This tournament is Canada’s equivalent of March Madness — the entire country uniting to follow the future stars of an insanely popular sport through a series of progressively tougher challenges. This event has … Continue reading
Friday Night Fighters and Writers
Another quick update for the folks who were waiting for my preview of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown — you’ll have it Saturday morning, and that’s a promise. We’ll meet here to discuss the Pacquiao-Marquez and the fairness of steroid innuendo. Would have had it today, but fate called. In this case fate was … Continue reading
Morgan Campbell: A Writer on Sports and More 