Author / Benjamin Szanton
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Lessons from Emory
Years of debate surrounding the merits of safe spaces versus freedom of expression came to a head a few weeks ago at Emory University. After someone wrote “Vote for Trump,” “Accept the Inevitable: Trump 2016,” and a number of related messages in chalk on the sidewalk of the Atlanta campus, a few dozen students protested…
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Paid Patriotism
Simple expressions of patriotism—the national anthem, “God Bless America,” or the occasional ceremony celebrating a veteran’s return, to name a few—have a strong foothold in sports. But, as we learned in a November 4 report from Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, patriotism is often funded by the Department of Defense. The government agency paid…
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Billionaires Don’t Buy Elections
On September 21st, Scott Walker abruptly quit the presidential race. After two nearly invisible debate performances, he was polling abysmally. Nevertheless, his exit came as a surprise. In fact, just four days before Walker left the race, Nate Silver, the political prognosticator who correctly predicted the outcomes of all 50 states in 2012, was optimistic…
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Two Candidates Sell Themselves
After the second GOP debate, a familiar, hairpiece-topped face led the newest CNN poll. Behind blustery billionaire Donald Trump, however, Carly Fiorina (the former CEO of Hewlett Packard) managed to climb into second place. Fourteen months from the election, no poll offers more than a quick glance at the feelings of voters. However, those voters…
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Two Candidates Sell Themselves
After the second GOP debate, a familiar, hairpiece-topped face led the newest CNN poll. Behind blustery billionaire Donald Trump, however, Carly Fiorina (the former CEO of Hewlett Packard) managed to climb into second place. Fourteen months from the election, no poll offers more than a quick glance at the feelings of voters. However, those voters…
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Beast Mode Cashes In
“I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” Marshawn Lynch told the horde of reporters gathered around him on Super Bowl Media Day. True to his word, Lynch refused to answer a single question thrown at him, repeating that same phrase 28 more times in the mandatory five-minute press conference. The reporters could not have…
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An Old Pastime Perseveres
BY BENJAMIN SZANTON As with global temperatures or the cost of college, a graph of TV viewership of the World Series presents a consistently ominous trend over the past 20 years. This year’s Series, in which the San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals to win their third championship in five years, was no…
