I think this kind of discussion has a lot of value in our sports-obsessed/celebrity-obsessed sports culture, and as far as this debate is concerned, it seems that Gupta and Zirin were really digging at different points--far away from the question of "boringness."

Anyway, I enjoyed it.

As the father of a son playing college football, I see both sides of this. The debate was necessary and got to key issues. Very good points were made on both sides. Dave Zirin is a kick to listen to and Arun is a worthy opponent.
Thank you Indypendent!

The problem with this debate is that the question is framed incorrectly. However that is generally the problem with debates.

I think Gupta and Zirin are both a bit of the mark.

Zirin was citing all the wrong instances of sports as a transformative and radical action. For instance, a more people's history of sports would include something like the Poor People's World Cup http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/06/21/poor.peoples.world.cup/index....

The purpose of this was to challenge the entire concept of the FIFA World Cup which is elitist just like all of commodified sport. The Poor People's World Cup sought to show how the poor are excluded from both this event as well as the development process at large.

Neither Gupta or Zirin addressed this issue which is that its not sports which we should be debating about but the way in which sports is used by elites.

The Los Suns debate is stupid. Yes, its a nice gesture by the Suns players and the owner. But they all make millions of dollars and this has nothing to do with what actual immigrants are saying and thinking. It has nothing to do with 'the people' (ie poor people). It is just another instance of wealthy people trying to speak on poor people's behalf. If the Suns were really radical, they would go to the streets when the immigrants protest.

While I did enjoy the debate and thought that many of the points made were very insightful, I think this was a badly framed debate. The debate needs to be reframed as 'what can we do to make sport radical and transformative.

This is also a better example of a more 'peoples history of sport'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporting_boycott_of_South_Africa

No one is boycotting sport in general, they boycotting the undemocratic and commodified nature of sport

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