Political sportswriter DAVE ZIRIN, in a climate of frequent athlete activism, has become "more than just a columnist" for The Nation, carving out a niche as a particular "kind of insider: the Adam Schefter of lefty dissent," according to a profile by Bryan Curtis of THE RINGER. Zirin is the "Kaepernick whisperer," as last May he landed an interview with COLIN KAEPERNICK that "every TV booker and magazine writer in America was chasing." In October, when Spurs coach GREGG POPOVICH wanted to put PRESIDENT TRUMP "on blast, he called Zirin." This spring, Zirin will "publish a book he cowrote" with Seahawks DE MICHAEL BENNETT called "THINGS THAT MAKE WHITE PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE." Zirin said, "I would definitely describe myself as a socialist -- a socialist sportswriter." He added, "It’s this idea of seeing the world framed by a long-term fight for social justice. And seeing how sports and culture fit in that picture, as much as street demonstrations or strikes or left-wing political candidates. Trying to see all these things as connected. That’s how the socialism informs the sportswriting." In '18, when Zirin brings out Bennett's book and a new biography of Pro Football HOFer JIM BROWN, he "will have published 10 books in 14 years." He said his income "consists of a medium-sized salary from The Nation, book advances, college speaking fees, and a podcast from which he says he makes 'hundreds of dollars'" (THERINGER.com, 1/5).
