A study of the brains of 111 NFL players after their deaths showed that 110 had degenerative brain disease. Here are some expert analyses of what can be done to stop brain injury from sports.
St. Louis Rams draft pick Michael Sam speaks during a news conference at the team’s practice facility in May 2014.
Jeff Roberson/AP
Since Michael Sam came out in 2014, no one in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL has done the same. Are the barriers to coming out still holding firm? Or are there signs that the tide could soon turn?
Fireworks go off before Super Bowl XLVIII between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Americans enjoy a right to free speech, and some public figures really exercise that right. The Constitution might not protect them the way they think it does, though.
Boxer Jack Johnson was relentlessly reprimanded for his arrogance and opulent lifestyle. But what was the criticism really about?
Václav Soukup/flickr
The controversy over Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem isn’t a watershed moment. It’s only the latest chapter in a long history of people trying to control how black people behave.
The roll-out has been a bit clunky, but there’s potential.
'Bird' via www.shutterstock.com
Virtual reality technology is a radical departure from traditional video presentation, with myriad applications in both consumer media and in athletic practice.
Eye in the sky: the ‘spidercam’ is just one of the technological innovations bringing ever more information to football fans.
J. Glover/Wikimedia Commons
Once the stuff of tweeting birds and rolling cartoon eyes, bumps on the head are now linked to dementia. Will Smith’s latest movie tells how sports authorities tried to cover it up.
O.J. Simpson, flanked by his lawyers, pumps his fists after the verdict is read in October 1995.
Reuters
Just as football coaches reconsidered when to opt for a two-point conversion after the NFL made a change, the Fed adjusts its decisions in line with an evolving economy.
DraftKings will sponsor professional poker players like Ken Weimer – indicative, perhaps, of the demographic they’re courting.
World Poker Tour/flickr
While season-long fantasy football has been around for years, the rise of daily formats has radically changed how fans watch and root for teams.
According to Judge Richard Berman, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell can no longer ‘dispense his own brand of industrial justice.’
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
In going after Tom Brady, the NFL went all-in – and now must face a new reality.
No 38 Jarryd Hayne tries to avoid a tackle as he plays for the San Francisco 49ers against the Dallas Cowboys during his third preseason NFL game in the US.
EPA/John G Mabanglo
Three down, just one preseason game to go before Australian Jarryd Hayne will know if he’s made it play for the San Francisco 49ers in the competitive US NFL season.
Australian Jarryd Hayne (right) is attracting much attention as he plays for the San Francisco 49ers against Dallas Cowboys in pre-season NFL game.
EPA/John G Mabanglo
Jarryd Hayne is wowing crowds and commentators with his play on the American football field in the US. His years in Australian rugby league may have a lot to do with his star performance.