Table of Contents
Praise for Dave Zirin andWelcome to the Terrordome
Dave Zirin is the best young sportswriter in America because hes the one who understands the xs and os, can arrange them vividly and show us what they mean in a world spinning out of control.
Robert Lipsyte, author,SportsWorld: An American Dreamland
Dave Zirins writing is the opening shot in the battle to reclaim sports.
Jim Bouton, former NY Yankee; author,Ball Four
Dave Zirin is an incredibly talented and courageous writer, the sort of scribe sorely needed in America in these early days of the twenty-first century. With Zirin no topic is sacred, no argument is ever evaded, no search for truth, real truth, is ever suppressed. That marks, to me, Dave Zirin as a uniquely American writer who understands that freedom of speech, the desire to be free, means nothing if we dont exercise that freedom muscle every single day of our lives.
Kevin Powell, author,Someday Well All Be Free
If there was an award for Most Valuable Spor tswriter, I would vote for Dave Zirin. His writing combines vivid narrative, good humor, impressive knowledge of the game, and a keen awareness of the connection between sports and the world outside. In our sports saturated society, his is an important voice that demands to be heard. A talented sportswriter with a social consciencewhat more can you ask?
Howard Zinn, author,A Peoples History of the United States
In sportswriting, attitude is easy. But Dave Zirins also got razor smarts, rapier wit, and, most of all, a rebels large heart. After you read him, youll never see sports the same way again.
Jeff Chang, author,Cant Stop Wont Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
Dave Zirin is one of the few writers in sport who refuses to bend to the increasing power of sport and media. His focus is honest and hard-hitting. This book is invaluable given that we live in a time when professional sports seem to be crossing the line from a neurotic national fantasy to psychotic nightmare.
Peter Gent, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver; author,North Dallas 40
Energetic, engaging, passionate, optimisticand angry at all the right things, Dave Zirin has established himself as perhaps the best young sportswriter in the United States today. Theres just no one doing what he does so well: reporting on those many junctures where sports, politics, and the popular culture intersect. He writes with his heart on his sleeve, and his voice is authentic. If youre a sports fan, youll love this book. If youre politically active, youll love this book. If youre a politically active sports fan, youve found your bible.
P.S. Zirin is the only person my 15-year-old, basketball-loving daughter reads on thenation.com.
Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, theNation
Dave Zirin says things most of the sports media are afraid to. More to the point, hes saying things that most in this business dont have the wisdom or vision to even consider. If your pas- sion for sports reaches beyond the box scoreand it shouldZirin is essential.
Ryan Jones, editor,SLAMmagazine
In my opinion, the people who need to read Dave Zirin most are people who dont think sports is important at all. Zirin knows it is and he continually shows how it fits into the rest of our world. For sports fans with brains, Zirin simply offers confirmation of every quaking thought weve ever had. And still loves the games and the players. Hes indispensable.
Dave Marsh, XM Radio
Dave Zirin is an icon in the world of progressive sports.
Dave Berkman, Wisconsin Public Radio
Welcome to the Terrordome is both bold and brilliant, funny and fearless, and Dave Zirin may be the most important writersports or otherwiseto explode on the scene in many a season.
Mary Ratliff, editor,SF Bayview
Allen Iverson may be the Answer, but Dave Zirin is the TRUTH. Alarming, compelling, provocativeopinions that will slap the taste out of your mouth, but insights that will make you hark back to Arsenio and say HMMM! Zirins critical yet out-of-the-box thinking, when mixed together, goes down smooth like Grandmas Kool-Aid. From MLB eating their young, to the intertwining of the souls of the NBA and hip-hop, to grinding with Avery Brundage, to Barry Bonds in pursuit of your Mama! EXPLOSIVE!
Bobby Ramos, cohost,Sportstalk in Black n White
Nobody writes sports like Dave Zirin. He is the sole (and soulful) Bambino of the Peoples Games. His line-drive analysis cuts left to the basket and tells us what we need to know about the real business and politics of the games we play and watch. Thank you, Dave Zirin, for telling the gut stories buried behind the endless media mega-hype.
Harvey Wasserman, author,Harvey Wassermans History of the United States
Dave Zirin is hip, funny, and sharp as a tack. He uses sportssometimes metaphorically, more often literally, to look at where weve been and where were headed. His latest book makes you devour every page, savor every word, and crave more, redefining sportswriting and taking it to its quintessential peak.
Pat Thurston, host,The Pat Thurston Show
Separating sports from the world in which it is a part is like trying to separate Limburger cheese from the smell. Aint gonna happen. Not that far too many so-called serious sports- writers dont try on a depressingly regular basis. But Dave Zirin aint going out like that. His essays never shy away from the often troublesome, provocative social context at the heart of this society (or any endeavor, for that matter), but they are also clearly the work of a man who loves his subjects. Forget all those reactionary, noncommittal, beat-down beat writers. Let these sublime, perceptive essays in your life.
Reuben Jackson, poet laureate of the JazzJournalist Association; associate curator,Smithsonian Institution
Dave Zirin is the most provocative observer of the politics of sport in the United States today. Welcome to the Terrordome is his best work to date and should be required reading for sports fans and those committed to a more just and humane world.
Robert W. McChesney, author,The Problem of the Media
As a sports fan I am a big fan of Dave Zirin. He gets into the arenas, dugouts, and bullpens of the mythologies enveloping our modern-day gladiators, the owners who control them, and the media that deify and crucify them. Zirin breaks it all down with insight, humor, and the passion of someone who knows all aspects of the game. He is simply the best sportswriter around.
David Barsamian, director, Alternative Radio
Dave Zirin, author of the sizzling Whats My Name, Fool? has written another book you dont want to miss (Welcome to the Terrordome), probing into the hot topics at the intersection of sports and society as no one else could.
Lester Rodney, sports editor,The Daily Worker1936-1958
If Chuck D were a sportswriter, hed be Dave Zirin, intelligent, well researched, and more than willing to give the mainstream sports establishment and our assumptions about race the middle finger. Dave tells the stories that America has purposefully forgotten. His focus is the game within the game. Dave is a real MC.