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The late-night backroom deal-making which resulted in a 9-4 emergency vote in favor of the Major League Baseball stadium lease is an affront to the taxpaying residents of the District of Columbia.

Not only did the DC Council subordinate the life necessities of District residents to Major League Baseball, they also approved the stadium at all cost. Despite initial reports of a “cap” on city spending of $610.8 million, a major loophole renders this so-called cap meaningless.

Major League Baseball is experimenting for the first time this year with “Faith Days at the Park.” These religious promotions leverage a market of evangelical Christians who are accustomed to mass worship in stadiums. The Atlanta Braves have scheduled three “Faith Days” this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks one, and the Florida Marlins have scheduled one “Faith Night.”

Council of the District of Columbia

Dear Council members:

The residents and taxpayers of the District of Columbia have been told by members of the DC Council that the baseball stadium has a $611 million cap on spending from city resources for the new stadium project. But the Council is now being asked to violate its mandate to hold costs at $611 million.

It’s a tough environment in the macho sports world for anyone who happens to be gay. Back in September, 2003, Boston Herald sportswriter Ed Gray wrote a column appearing on the front page of the sports section declaring that he is gay, explaining:

Dave Zirin and Derek Tyner reveal in a column for The Nation that Major League Baseball is finally starting to hear the cries of worker’s rights activists.

Back in 2004, in response to reports of poor labor practices in factories that produce “official” Major League Baseball licensed goods, Ralph Nader and League of Fans sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Players Association Executive Director Donald Fehr asking that they adopt internationally recognized worker rights standards as a condition governing all of their product sourcing and licensing agreements. The response was lukewarm.

Jay Weiner of the Minneapolis Star Tribune interviews the wonderful Donna Lopiano, whose work on behalf of girl’s and women’s sports and fitness — and in defense of Title IX — is exemplary:

From Neil deMause of Field of Schemes:

“In a move that significantly ups the ante over the team’s arena demands, the Seattle Sonics and Storm were sold today for $350 million to Oklahoma businessman Clayton Bennett, the leader of an investment group put together to acquire an NBA franchise for Oklahoma City.

A report (pdf) called the “2006 Racial and Gender Report Card of the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE)” was recently released by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. The report, commissioned by APSE, covers the racial and gender breakdown of sport staffs of more than 300 Associated Press newspapers.

In his July 11 column, “Let the Guys Win One,” John Tierney suggests that women do not deserve equal opportunity in athletics because, academically, women are outperforming men on college campuses.

After the first “Faith Day,” the Atlanta Braves have asked promoters Third Coast Sports to not include Focus on the Family in the Braves’ two other Faith Day events.