“This is the greatest fall from grace in the history of American sports,” said Nation contributor Dave Zirin, in an incendiary discussion of the recent Penn State rape scandal with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!“Nothing compares to this.” Considered a de facto saint and”benevolent czar” in his corner of Pennsylvania, Joe Paterno didn’t just turn a blind eye to the pedophiliac activity of former coach Jerry Sandusky. As Dave astutely points out, his silence allowed Sandusky to continue holding overnight camps for young children on Penn State campuses for years to come. You can read more of Dave’s analysis of the Penn State debacle here and here.

—Teresa Cotsirilos