US

Gun Lobby Sponsors NASCAR Race

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Mar 5, 2013 It's hard to believe NASCAR didn't already have a race named after the NRA. Get ready for the NRA 500. Seriously, that's what it's called. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

College Stadium to Be Named After Private Prison Company

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 21, 2013 Florida Atlantic University's new 30,000 seat football stadium will bear the name of its sponsor, GEO Group, the second-largest private prison operator in the U.S. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Sports Tax

David Sirota / Truthdig Feb 9, 2013 That term -- Sports Tax -- is not hyperbolic. In a week that saw Louisiana fork over $5 million to the NFL for the privilege of helping that league make big Super Bowl money, Sports Tax is the most accurate catch-all label for the four sets of levies the public is being made to shell out. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Brendon Ayanbadejo and ‘The Other Team’

Mark O'Connell / Truthdig Feb 7, 2013 The Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens linebacker holds rank as LGBT hero-of the-moment. His postgame interview with CNN's Don Lemon showcased his well-informed, well-spoken worldliness, as he declared equality for all, regardless of sexuality or gender expression. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Brendon Ayanbadejo

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 3, 2013 Ahead of the 47th Super Bowl on Sunday, a jock has capitalized on his moment in the spotlight to continue his campaign of support for gay rights. Ahead of the 47th Super Bowl on Sunday, a jock has capitalized on his moment in the spotlight to continue his campaign of support for gay rights. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

49ers Players Deny Being in Anti-Bullying LGBT Video They’re In

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Feb 1, 2013 As if the anti-gay remarks by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver weren't enough to send the team's management into a tizzy, two of its other players are adding to the controversy by denying that they were in a video produced to combat bullying experienced by LGBT teens. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Jailbreak Your Smartphone, Go to Jail

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2013 As though we don't have enough absurd laws in the US, a new one has passed criminalizing the unlocking of mobile devices; the U is spending $400,000 a day to keep innocent people incarcerated in Guantanamo; and this Sunday is the Super Bowl, when we watch men cause one another brain trauma These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Ravens Player to Use Super Bowl to Advocate for Gay Marriage

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 24, 2013 Brendon Ayanbadejo has been an outspoken proponent of the cause, and for LGBT rights in general, since he became one of the first athletes from a major professional sport to publicly announce his support for same-sex marriage in 2009. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Manti Te’o Gives First Interview After ‘Dead Girlfriend’ Hoax Revealed

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 19, 2013 Manti Te'o had no involvement in the bizarre hoax involving his "dead girlfriend," the Notre Dame star linebacker insisted to ESPN's Jeremy Schaap in his first interview since the story broke Wednesday. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Barry Bonds, Baseball and the Redemption of America

By Alan Minsky Jan 18, 2013 The slugger's saga speaks directly to matters of justice, ethics, historical memory, the role of media and spectacle at the beginning of the 21st century, and, of course, the priorities of business. As such, this contemporary tragedy reflects a country that seems adrift, morally challenged, in decline and with a profound loss of faith in established institutions.The slugger's saga reflects a country that seems adrift, morally challenged, in decline and with a profound loss of faith in established institutions. Dig deeper ( 18 Min. Read )

Notre Dame Football Star Says He Was Victim of ‘Girlfriend’ Hoax

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 17, 2013 The emotional and heartbreaking story about the beginning of college football star Manti Te'o's season is well known by now. On Sept. 12, Te'o's grandmother and girlfriend died within six hours of each other. Te'o said that the deaths helped inspire him to play better. The problem with the story: The girlfriend did not die. In fact, she wasn't even real. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Oprah Confirms Lance Armstrong Admitted Doping

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 15, 2013 You'll have to wait to see for sure when the interview airs later this week. Because the whole point of this pseudo-event is, in the end, really just about drumming up television ratings. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )