Outside the Beltway

It is foolish to think that we ever escape politics.

Every offseason re-aligns the sport in fascinating ways.

The first Democratic debate drew record numbers on both nights.

Two youngish Rhodes Scholars turned mayors are getting covered differently.

Nine years after retiring as Head Coach at Florida, Urban Meyer announced earlier this week that he would retire from his current position at Ohio State after the Rose Bowl.

President Trump has fired his Attorney General, a move than many are interpreting as the precursor to a move against Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees has suspended football coach Urban Meyer for three games over his handling of allegations of domestic violence by an Assistant Coach dating back to 2015.

The Commission on College Basketball recommended an end to the one-and-done rule and other major reforms.

In President Trump’s mind, American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights are “sons of bitches” who should be fired for exercising their rights.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving New Jersey’s challenge to a Federal law outlawing sports betting.

If anything, the Trump campaign is going to provide some interesting data for future political scientists who study campaigns.

A debate schedule that seems designed to limit the ability of viewers to see candidates, and other incidents, has led Hillary Clinton’s opponents to allege that the D.N.C. is favoring Hillary Clinton.

Another set of solid ratings for the latest debate.

A Saturday night debate wasn’t likely to get much attention to begin with. A Saturday night debate in the wake of a major terrorist attack, and a major football game for Iowa’s premier college football team, likely got even less attention. That’s probably good news for Hillary Clinton, and bad news for her two remaining rivals.

The National Labor Relations Board refused to certify an effort by athletes at Northwestern University to unionize.

A victory for evil.

Can ESPN cover sports while partnering with the sports leagues?

Some preliminary thoughts on the inaugural college playoff system.

Chris Rock wants us to remember that Bill Cosby isn’t the only celebrity accused of rape.

You’ve got your playoff College Football fans, as imperfect as it was inevitably going to be.

Obama proposes four ‘net neutrality’ rules.

The B.C.S. was far from perfect, and the College Football Playoff system will be, at best, only slightly better.

Well, that punishment didn’t last for very long.

In a new survey, Americans cite politics and the news as the biggest sources of stress in their lives.

Only two 2013 college football games attracted more viewers that Tuesday’s World Cup match vs. Belgium.

Once again, Rush Limbaugh panders to the most pernicious of the right side of American politics.

Michael Sam is gay.It didn’t matter to his University of Missouri teammates. Will it matter to the NFL?

Weeks of speculation that Texas would fire Mack Brown and hire Nack Saban were put to an end yesterday evening.

The 7 seats most likely to switch parties are held by Democrats.

The Miley Cyrus of college football will be back too soon.

It’s now clear that, absent an unlikely miracle, there will be a government shutdown.

Tim Tebow has gone through three NFL teams in a little over a year. Will there be a fourth?

The NCAA has come to its senses regarding a Marine sergeant who wants to play college football.

The paramilitarization of American law enforcement has had deadly consequences.

Set backs for Pennsylvania in its effort to reverse the NCAA sanctions against Penn State, and a new lawsuit from the Paterno family. The Sandusky story returns.

The University of Alabama men’s golf team joins the football, softball, gymnastics, and women’s golf teams as national champions.

Last January 1, some of us made a series of predictions. Here’s how we did.

Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last night, becoming the first “freshman” to do so.

In “Eyes on the Prize,” Chuck Culpepper looks at Saban’s first season as a head coach, with Toledo, way back in 1989-90. It seems that Nick Saban has been Nick Saban for a very long time.

Last night’s game between Green Bay and Seattle was the latest example of the sub-par officiating of the NFL’s replacement referees.