Dave Zirin

Sports Editor

Dave Zirin is the sports editor at The Nation. He is the author of 11 books on the politics of sports. He is also the coproducer and writer of the new documentary Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL.

Paul Robeson smiles at London Airport, July 11th 1958.

The Collision Between Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson The Collision Between Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson

Howard Bryant joins Edge of Sports to talk about his new book, Kings and Pawns

Feb 10, 2026 / Podcast / Dave Zirin

Bad Bunny performs during the halftime show for Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 8, 2026.

Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl

The Puerto Rican artist’s performance was a gleeful rebuke of Trump’s death cult and a celebration of life.

Feb 9, 2026 / Dave Zirin

People take part in a demonstration against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, on January 31, 2026.

Get Ready for This Year’s Undemocratic, Debt-Ridden, and Mobster-Infused Winter Olympics    Get Ready for This Year’s Undemocratic, Debt-Ridden, and Mobster-Infused Winter Olympics   

ICE thugs in the streets, Mafia meddling, and billions in waste—seems like the Games are off to a great start.

Feb 5, 2026 / Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin

Donald Trump draws out the card of the United States during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Death Row Survivor Kenny Collins & Why We Should Boycott the World Cup Death Row Survivor Kenny Collins & Why We Should Boycott the World Cup

On the latest Edge of Sports.

Jan 28, 2026 / Podcast / Dave Zirin

Oke Göttlich, the president of FC St. Pauli, looks on before the Bundesliga match between FC St. Pauli 1910 and FC Bayern München at Millerntor Stadium on November 9, 2024, in Hamburg, Germany.

A Call Is Rising for Nations to Boycott the Trump World Cup A Call Is Rising for Nations to Boycott the Trump World Cup

As marauding state agents fill US streets, a leading German soccer official says countries should consider what was once unthinkable: skipping the 2026 World Cup.

Jan 27, 2026 / Dave Zirin

Displaced Palestinian youths take part in a training session at the Aida Refugee Camp's football pitch, next to the separation wall outside Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, on December 16, 2025, a few weeks after an Israeli military decision to demolish the field.

What It Took to Save a Soccer Field in Palestine What It Took to Save a Soccer Field in Palestine

Europe’s governing soccer body saves a pitch in the West Bank—but is it only because the Swiss Parliament is threatening to pull its tax exemption over its inclusion of Israel?

Jan 22, 2026 / Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin

Gambling With the Future of Sports—Plus, a Minneapolis Teacher Speaks Out

Gambling With the Future of Sports—Plus, a Minneapolis Teacher Speaks Out Gambling With the Future of Sports—Plus, a Minneapolis Teacher Speaks Out

Dannu Fun joins Edge of Sports to talk about sports gambling, and we talk to Daniel Troccoli in Minneapolis about what’s happening there.

Jan 20, 2026 / Podcast / Dave Zirin

A woman gestures as ICE and other federal officers operate in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 13, 2026.

A Minneapolis Teacher Wants the Whole Country in the Streets A Minneapolis Teacher Wants the Whole Country in the Streets

Dan Troccoli, a public middle school teacher, says everyone should start “emulating” Minneapolis’s resistance to ICE and the Trump regime.

Jan 15, 2026 / Dave Zirin

Minnesota Frost and Seattle Torrent take part in a moment of silence for Renee Good at Grand Casino Arena on January 11, 2026, in St Paul, Minnesota.

Is the Sports World Finally Giving Up Its Right to Remain Silent? Is the Sports World Finally Giving Up Its Right to Remain Silent?

Last year, the sports industry remained quiet in the face of Trump’s violence. Now with the killing of Renee Good, it may be waking up to the dangers of this administration.

Jan 12, 2026 / Dave Zirin

President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump, left, watch the pregame show before Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 9, 2025.

In a Year of Violent Tumult, the Sports World Was Silent In a Year of Violent Tumult, the Sports World Was Silent

When the country needed them to speak out, most athletes kept mum—and a few openly embraced Trumpism.

Dec 30, 2025 / Dave Zirin

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