There's more to sports than what occurs during games. Check your social media, listen to sports talk radio, or watch ESPN--there are daily stories of social issues in sports regarding concussions, playing hurt, gambling, Olympics and politics, athletes as social activists, paying college athletes, recruiting violations, academics, youth sports, diversity and gender issues, hazing, athletes' mental health, disabled athletes' rights, sportsmanship, and media coverage. How do these issues affect athletes, fans, and society? This book analyzes social and ethical issues in sports in a journalistic, non-academic, and entertaining manner. It has information, research, anecdotes, and quotes from journalists, columnists, sports talk hosts, athletes, coaches, athletic directors, and university professors. It includes the author's opinions and observations on social issues in sports. The book will appeal to hardcore and casual sports fans. It shows pros and cons of how sports affect our daily lives and society. While sports inspire and excite us and lead to social change like the civil rights movement, Title IX, and rights of disabled people, controversies surrounding sports like violence, steroids, concussions, tanking, running up the score, and rule breaking can't be ignored. While sports can be divisive, they are also a uniting factor in society.

"Larry the Liberal Lawyer Lashes Out" is a "best of" collection of Op-Eds and essays from Larry Atkins, one of the top freelance Op-Ed writers in America. The issues covered include politics, law, journalism, current events, social issues in sports, humor, and Philadelphia-related topics. Atkins teaches Editorial Writing at Temple University and Journalism at Arcadia University. He has written over 250 Op-Eds, articles, and essays for many publications, including the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dallas Morning News, Detroit News, Hartford Courant, Indianapolis Star, Jewish Exponent, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Daily News," National Public Radio (Commentaries for Morning Edition and Only a Game), "Newark Star-Ledger, Newsday, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Metro, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer," and "The Writer Magazine." He wrote a chapter on Op-Eds and essays for the "ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing" (St. Martin's Press).

In a media landscape dominated by advocacy news networks pushing competing points of view, how can the average person uncover the truth about any particular issue? This book will show you how to separate the facts from the agenda-driven spin and selective presentation often used by such news sources as Fox and MSNBC. The author describes the goals of advocacy journalism-i.e., journalism that transparently advocates a biased worldview-and shows that it has been a part of our history since the 1700s. He assesses the role of talk radio, cable news networks, and the more recent phenomena of special-interest blogs, websites, and citizen journalists in creating the current media climate. While conceding that advocacy journalism is undoubtedly popular and has some positive aspects, the author also points out its many negative features. Perhaps the most important of these is its polarizing effect on society. Skewed will give readers the tools to critique the media, to see both sides of any issue, and to become better informed citizens and voters.