Author Archives: Left Hook

Militarism and Sports – Part II (A Response) Tyler Shipley A couple of years ago, I wrote a short article expressing my discontent at the unveiling of a new logo for the Winnipeg Jets that was designed in collaboration with … Continue reading →

Militarism and Sports – Part I (A Call) Peter Miller and Daniel Lyder An oft-repeated opinion in the sports media is that sports and politics should absolutely never mix. If an athlete chooses to use his or her spotlight to … Continue reading →

Football v. Homophobia Gareth Edwards Just imagine for a moment, if you will, a sprawling mass of young men, their athletic, sweating bodies embracing in the throes of passion. Mouths contort in ecstasy; muscles tense with exhilaration; they collapse to … Continue reading →

The “Ultras” and the Egyptian Revolution – An Interview with Ali Mustafa Last month marked the one year anniversary of the massacre at Port Said in Egypt.  Though much was made in the North American media of the so-called “Arab … Continue reading →

Soccer and Societal Bigotry – Israeli Style Alan Wieder Two months ago when A. C. Milan star, Kevin-Prince Boateng protested racist chants from opposing fans of Pro Patria, the video of him kicking the game ball into the crowd and … Continue reading →

Why Royce White Might be the Most Important Athlete Since Muhammad Ali, and Why Chuck Klosterman Doesn’t Get It Nathan Kalman-Lamb There is a chance — not a large one, mind you — that in 2012 the most important athlete to enter public consciousness … Continue reading →

“No One Wants To Watch It” : The Year of Women in Sports Ellie Gordon-Moershel If had a nickel for every headline this past year that claimed 2012 was the “Year of Women’s Sport” I would be able to buy … Continue reading →

The Meaning of Hillsborough Simon Black On April 15th 1989, Liverpool Football Club and Nottingham Forest met at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, in the semi-final of English soccer’s oldest and most prestigious competition, the FA Cup. With only minutes played, police … Continue reading →

Rob Ford and the Civics of Sports Mark Norman On November 26, an Ontario Superior Court Justice ruled that the mayor of Toronto, Canada’s largest city at a population 2.6 million, had violated the city’s Municipal Conflict of Interest Act … Continue reading →

Labour, Alienation and the NHL Lockout – Interview with Tyler Shipley After a longer-than-intended hiatus, Left Hook is back! We have a series of exciting and thought-provoking original pieces on the way, including a review of the central ideological role … Continue reading →