Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven

(He/him)
If a baseball team devoting one of its 81 home games to a Pride Night causes this much backlash, sports leagues clearly still have work to do to build acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in their spaces. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Pride Nights built LGBTQ+ inclusion in pro sports over three decades. That progress is now under pressure

Pride Nights have always drawn both celebration and backlash. The latest flashpoint featuring the San Francisco Giants shows how unsettled that balance has become.
Canadian players celebrate after their FIFA World Cup win against South Africa in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, on June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)

Canada’s 2026 World Cup team reflects the country’s multicultural identity — in a way hockey never has

As Canada co-hosts the 2026 World Cup, its men’s soccer team offers a more diverse and inclusive vision of national identity than the country’s traditional sports have provided.
The FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 5, 2025. (Dan Mullan/Pool Photo via AP)

Calls for a boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are growing, but how realistic is one?

Concern over ICE’s role in the 2026 Men’s World Cup loom over the tournament given the events unfolding in Minneapolis and across the U.S., heightening calls to boycott the tournament.
La estatua de la Virgen María en lo alto de la catedral gótica del Duomo se ve a través de los icónicos anillos de neón olímpicos antes de los próximos Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Milán-Cortina en Milán, Italia. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

La geopolítica que se oculta tras los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Milán‑Cortina 2026

Las rivalidades deportivas, las ambiciones nacionales y la política mundial se entrecruzan de una forma poco habitual en los próximos Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno.
Toronto Blue Jays’ George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrate after the final out of Game 7 of baseball’s American League Championship Series on Oct. 20, 2025, in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

Toronto Blue Jays: Amid Canada‑U.S. tensions, ‘Canada’s team’ is excelling at America’s pastime

The Blue Jays’ post-season run as Donald Trump continues to threaten Canada gives the team perhaps its best opportunity ever to fulfil its role as Canada’s team.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turns to leave a news conference after announcing his resignation as Liberal leader outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Jan. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Justin Trudeau’s resignation creates a progressive void in Canada, part of a long‑established cycle

Justin Trudeau’s resignation has opened up a vacuum in progressive leadership in Canada. It will likely be filled by left-leaning provincial premiers in the months and years ahead.
A passenger jet flies over the Olympic rings on display outside the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo in August 2021. India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among the countries considering bids to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

How repressive regimes are using international sporting events for nation‑building

Hosting international sporting events brings prestige and profit to both global sports organizations and repressive regimes, but the gains sacrifice human rights and justice for power and profit.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2024. Bosa publicly wore a MAGA hat after the game. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Nick Bosa’s MAGA hat vs. Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling: Will the NFL reveal a double standard?

NFL defensive lineman Nick Bosa proudly donned a MAGA hat after a recent game. Will the NFL respond to his violation of league rules the same way it did to Colin Kaepernick?

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