Sports have been tied to power as long as they’ve been played. For modern-day athletes, how does their power extend beyond the field?
Wrestling With the Culture of Drug Testing in SportsThe clash of Senegalese wrestling with international anti-doping regulations highlights the cultural biases built into modern athletics.
Spirit-Monsters and the Curse of the Chicago CubsWhat do a figurine from Greenland, a burning desire to win, and one man’s plot to overcome a goat’s curse have to do with the World Series?
The Untold Story Behind Fiji’s Astonishing Gold MedalFiji’s national identity is deeply entangled with rugby, but not everyone is encouraged to play.
Do the Olympics Make Economic Sense?The Olympic Games aren’t financially rational, but their value can be explained in other ways.
Zika at the Rio Games: Pandemic or Panic?Concerns about the Zika virus are fueled more by fear than by medical science.
For Rio’s Poorest Citizens, Police and Gang Violence ReignIn Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished neighborhoods, residents are caught between police oppression and drug-gang control. Activists are searching for a way through the morass.
Your Olympic Team May Be an IllusionIn today’s globalized society, many athletes playing for national teams are citizens of the world more than of a single country.
The New Old National PastimeA onetime minor league baseball player turned anthropologist conducts interviews at his former spring-training camp—and discovers how playing ball has changed.
Confessions of a Blackhawks FanCan an anthropologist who loves hockey embrace his team’s race-based mascot?
