Recreation and Sports
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Essays, Articles, and Documents

• Junkyard Golf and Potluck by Bernie DeKoven
  A community-building and community-playing event where participants build a miniature golf course using a collection of recycled materials and found objects and then play the entire course.
• The Champ Meets the Chump, by David Zirin
  The presidency of George W. Bush is collapsing under the weight of its own incompetence.... This was seen quite clearly on November 9, when Bush hung a medal around the slack, immobile neck of former heavyweight boxing champion--and the most famous war resister in US history--Muhammad Ali....
• The Hypocritical NBA Dress Code, by Sean Gonsalves
  The NBA used to be the acronym for the National Basketball Association. Last week, NBA came to stand for No Bling Allowed, as one national news anchor reported. The league's new dress code is aimed at making the African American-dominated professional basketball industry more palpable to the button-up corporate crowd....
• The Slave Side of Sunday, by Dave Zirin
  For most sports fans, heaven would be to play in the National Football League. We see money, fame and no expectations of social responsibility beyond showing up on Sunday ready to play. In the mind of the fantasy sports fan, it means a big house, a garage full of cars and the promise of sexual gratification. The last thing any fan would believe--or want to believe--is that racism is endemic to the culture of the NFL.
• The Healing Effects of Humor, Interview with Dr. William Fry
  Dr. William Fry is a psychiatrist and humor researcher who studies the healing effects of humor. He joined Thrive Online as part of our humor workshop on learning to laugh at yourself.
• The Well-Played Game, by Bill Russell
  The following passage is from former Celtics great Bill Russell, in his book: Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man, Random House, 1979, pp 155-158. In it, he describes the transcendant experience that we call "The Well-Played Game."
• Which Side Are You On? My Response to Dr. Christian Christensen, by Dave Zirin
  I want to thank Dr. Christian Christensen for his principled disagreement with my recent columns about Diego Maradona and Terrell Owens. (http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1117-33.htm.) However, let's not confuse being principled with being correct. His arguments reflect common views about sports, which I believe must be discarded if we are to develop a fuller understanding of how these innocuous games influence our everyday lives....

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