Taking on Parkinson’s Disease—With Boxing Gloves and Punching Bags
In a California gym, people living with Parkinson’s practice noncontact boxing to redefine their experience of the disease and maintain a sense of self. ✽ The smell of…
In a California gym, people living with Parkinson’s practice noncontact boxing to redefine their experience of the disease and maintain a sense of self. ✽ The smell of…
An archaeologist traces how rubble from World War II bombings helped turn London marshlands into a footballing utopia. This article was originally published at The Conversation and has…
East African runners wearing “super shoes” have outpaced global marathon records. But the shoe fervor—alongside older stereotypes about African runners’ “natural” abilities—means athletes’ hard work o…
Oracle Park, last game of the season, 2023. In the last post of this installment of the summer anthropologies series, I ended with the point that major league…
Many people around the world fear spiders. But in the Philippines, the tradition of spider wrestling often brings people and arachnids in close proximity. ✽ A fear of…
Mid to late 1990s beach scene. North San Diego County, CA. Photo: Ryan Anderson All the grades are in, summer is here, and we can all start ‘relaxing’…
Welcome back to the Familiar Strange. We’re kicking off 2023 with an interview with Dr Jasmijn Rana from Leiden University. Dr Jasmijn’s research interests include, gender, race-ethnicity, relig…
A while ago, a Swedish reporter asked me to answer a few questions about Qatar and the World Cup. The segment eventually got cut, but since I had…
Our recent book, Racism, Not Race, tackles a big lie: The idea that human beings have biological races. Biological races do not exist in humans. Why, then, do…
“Surfing in Color” is part of the collection Lead Me to Life: Voices of the African Diaspora. Read the introduction to the collection here. Floating, my gaze and…
Clemson Tigers teammates celebrate a successful play against the Boston College Eagles in 2020. David Grooms/TigerNet.com/Flickr This article was originally published at Black Perspective…
The coming Olympics will showcase some of the most extraordinary human feats of strength, speed, and agility. As an archaeologist who focuses on the development of the human…
United States Olympic athlete Kara Winger competes in the women’s javelin throw in 2019. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images With the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, Kara Winger is trainin…
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is, this year, the first openly trans athlete to be picked for an Olympic team. Alex Pantling/Getty Images I loved the Olympics growing…
Many sporting events, like the Paris Marathon, have separate categories for men and women. Michel Stoupak/NurPhoto/Getty Images As the Summer Olympics gear up to kick off in Tokyo,…
Football fans respond to their team during a match. Motortion Films/Shutterstock This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished under Creative Commons. …
Despite the health risks, many college football teams, such as the Stanford Cardinal (pictured here), have continued playing throughout the fall season. Bob Drebin/Getty Images A few mont…
Many people have a strong desire for physical rest despite the fact that health experts advise them to exercise more. Heart rules/Pexels At the start of the COVID-19…
Dominican-born Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals’ starting pitcher, holds up a Dominican flag following the team’s World Series victory in 2015. (Ventura died tragically in 2017.) Shane Key…
The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, sat empty in March following the cancellation of the Southeastern Conference’s basketball tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy Lyons/Gett…
For women, powerlifting gyms can be hostile territories. Westend61/Getty Images As I walk into the gym, my nostrils flare at the smell of sweat and old iron. My…
Martha La Alteña (right) and Susana La Bonita (left) wrestle in El Alto, Bolivia. Aizar Raldes/Getty Images This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republis…
[no-caption] Nigel Renny/Flickr “It’s not your fault you watch football all day—man has always been captivated by watching stuff,” states a Coke Zero commercial that aired during the…
[no-caption] David Williams/SAPIENS Some athletes seem larger than life. They are revered and imitated—and they seemingly hold a lot of power. But whether they feel empowered in their…