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Career

Dave Zirin commentates on varied sports-related matters from a left-wing point-of-view. Zirin champions athletes and issues which might be overlooked by corporate sports media and addresses the tendency of the media to objectify and employ athletes as pawns in money-making efforts. He was once a guest contributor at The Nation. He also writes a weekly column (which is also distributed through his website) and also frequently for the Nation magazine. His first book, What’s My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States (Haymarket Books) has entered its second printing.

Zirin has taken his blend of sports and politics to the television program CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutch where he discussed steroid use in baseball with John Rocker and José Canseco; C-SPAN’s Book TV, and the WNBC Morning News in New York City. He is also a monthly commentator for Canadian sports channel The Score.

He has also been on numerous radio programs including Air America Radio's On the Real with Chuck D and Gia’na Garel, The Laura Flanders Show, Radio Nation, ESPN Radio, Stars and Stripes Radio, WOL’s The Joe Madison Show, Pacifica Radio’s Hard Knock Radio and Democracy Now, among others. He is also the Thursday morning sports host on WBAI’s “Wake Up Call with Deepa Fernandes”.

Zirin's new book is Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports, published by Haymarket Books in June 2007. He is working on “A People’s History of Sports,” a sports-related volume in the manner of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States series for The New Press. In addition to “What’s My Name, Fool?” for Haymarket Books, he has also published “The Muhammad Ali Handbook” for MQ Publications. Zirin is also the published children’s book author of “My Name is Erica Montoya de la Cruz” (RC Owen). In addition, he is working on a sports documentary with Barbara Kopple’s Cabin Creek films on sports and social movements in the United States.

Zirin’s writing has been printed by The Los Angeles Times, CBSNEWS.com, Pittsburgh Courier, The Source, Latinosports.com, Common Dreams, The College Sporting News, basketball.com, Alternet, The Black Sports Network, Counterpunch, Dodgers Dugout, San Francisco Bay View, Z net, International Socialist Review, War-Times, and The Afro-American.

Barry Bonds Steroids Controversy

Zirin maintains the opinion that the aggressive hatred toward the use of steroids by Barry Bonds is in large degree due to racism. Zirin also will not give a straight answer to a simple question:

Mr. Zirin, do you think Barry Bonds has done steroids? Here is a list of responses Dave has given to that question (none give a yes or no answer)

I am definitely not calling everyone who hates Barry a racist. But we are kidding ourselves if we don't think there is a nasty edge to SOME of the criticism that never was levelled at people like McGwire or Giambi. Did he take steroids? Did he not? I believe that the burden of proof should not be on him. All the best Dave Z

Also, worth mentioning that unlike oh so many others, the man never actually failed a steroids test. Is there a ton of circumstantial evidence that the man juiced? Absolutely. But he is still the best player I've ever seen. The best player of what will go down as the anabolic era.

Reports about Bonds' body: how wide his back, how big his jaw, how thick his legs - basically dissecting the man like an animal - pepper the papers. Never mind that Bonds has maintained that he has never taken any banned substance. Never mind that other than the 73 home run year, Bonds - like Aaron - has never even hit 50. Never mind that Bonds' trainer, indicted for steroid distribution, has maintained Bonds' innocence even though such a juicy snitch would keep him out of the clink. Never mind that unlike Giambi, who showed up at training camp this year looking like Aly McBeal, Bonds has maintained his current physical shape for a decade, and even gained 6 pounds this off season. Never mind how common it is for all athletes, like Michael Jordan to Shaquille O'Neal, to thicken with age.

Whether the anti-steroid furies are motivated to "protect the game", crush the players union, or target Bonds - the fact remains: muscle enhancers cannot slam a 95 mph slider into McCovey Cove.

AN EDUCATED RESPONSE

> your recent column forgot to mention the fact that > barry himself admitted that he took the flaxseed > oil, the cream, the clear, whatever but he said he > didn't know it was. Thats a great legal excuse, he > covered his rear, it'll be almost impossible to > prosecute because someone would have to prove that > he did know...and the guy giving him the roids was > his childhood buddy who won't rat him out. How many > people do you think can put on 35 lbs of muscle > after the age of 35? Talk to a personal trainer, > they'll tell you it just doesn't happen. Barry has > only hit over 50 home runs in one season, the year > he hit 73. If you were a betting man, would you put > money that barry never took the juice?

 Dave, barry is roided up, face it.  You're in

> just as much denial as Barry and OJ. Not everybody > who roots against barry is racist. I'm sure you > like to portray it that way, but dont forget barry > pleaded no contest to beating his white wife. why > didn't you include that in your column? You're > missing the big picture, all these records are for > nothing. People already know this era will be > referred to as the steroids era, thanks to your boy > barry.

External links

• The Edge of Sports
• Article where Zirin defends Bonds against accusations of steroids*
• Barry Bonds, today's Jack Johnson?
• Interview with Dave Zirin

• Living people