League of Fans

Jeffrey Lurie
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Philadelphia Eagles

Paul Tagliabue
Commissioner
National Football League

Dear Messrs. Lurie and Tagliabue,

I am writing to urge you to rescind the misguided suspension and planned inactive designation of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. If the Eagles management declines to remedy its mistake, Commissioner Tagliabue, you should intervene to overturn the team’s decision, which dishonors this country’s traditional respect for free speech and cheats fans of an opportunity to see arguably the best receiver in football. Let him play.

As the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Jr. continue, League of Fans would like to note Roberts’ record on Title IX (a law League of Fans supports and has fought to protect) and consider the possible implications if he were confirmed to a lifetime seat.

(Ralph Nader and the sports reform project League of Fans sent a letter to federal health and safety officials arguing that their agencies “have been collectively deficient in research, preservation of data, recommendations and overall recognition of the public health magnitude of sports injuries.”

Enclosed with the letter are recommendations urging the establishment of a task force to formulate sports injury policy and implement “a pro-active national program regarding health and safety in sports, at all levels and age groups, with the goal of minimizing the risk of injury to participants in informal and organized sports, recreation and exercise.” The letter and recommendations follow.)

The Honorable Anthony A. Williams
Mayor, District of Columbia

Dear Mayor Williams:

On Sunday, June 26, the Washington Post featured the Eastern Senior High School baseball team in a moving story that, once again, demonstrated your penchant for peculiar priorities. While assembling the Eastern players for a political photo op at RFK Stadium in March, you promised to attend their first game. A nice gesture, indeed, and one that would have meant so much to these youngsters. But as the Post’s David Nakamura reported, not only did you fail to show for Eastern’s first game, but you never even bothered to attend any of their games. How quickly they were forgotten. You do attend often, however, the Nationals games, in part, to show your commitment to the half-billion-dollar stadium giveaway to Major League Baseball.

By Dave Zirin (on why he wrote “What’s My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States”)

In High School, I was a 5′ 10″ inch center for the fearsome Friends Seminary Quakers in New York City. It wasn’t pretty, but I lived for it and didn’t care if the opposing center could spit on my head. I just loved sports. My walls were shrines to Magic Johnson, Lawrence Taylor, and Keith Hernandez. Every stat, every record, and every rule existed only to be memorized. Weekends were for playing ball until sunset.

League of Fans

Bad Sports
– Robin Hood in Reverse: Supreme Court Decides Private Use is “Public Use” in Eminent Domain Case

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v City of New London mocks common sense, tarnishes constitutional law and is an affront to fundamental fairness.

The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution permits government to seize private property for a “public use,” such as a highway, railroad, or military facility, provided it gives the owner “just compensation.” Many state constitutions have similar provisions. But in modern times it has become common for the government, usually at the state or local level, to seize property and transfer it to another private party rather than maintaining it for public use.

League of Fans

Bad Sports
– Adidas, Reebok Overstepping Commercial Bounds by Interfering with Sports

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In the Public Interest
By Ralph Nader

Moving into bookstores across the country is a fresh historical account of American progressive resistance and political struggle. Focusing on the United States over the last century, the book connects past struggles with contemporary injustices, and calls on readers to challenge the militarism, homophobia, racism and sexism, the greed, myths, freeloading, cover-ups, censorships, and consumer and taxpayer gouging that continue to tarnish our country. And believe it or not, this is a book about sports.

Today, Ralph Nader and the sports reform project League of Fans sent a letter to NBA star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers asking him to advocate for more responsible marketing practices to help minimize the risk of obesity in children in his anticipated endorsement contracts with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. The letter follows.
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