Why We Love the Great G.O.A.T. Debate

Behind Every Achilles, Ali, and King James Lies a Fallible Human, Whose Foibles Are Often as Memorable as Their Achievements

There is something about the spirit of our time that fuels seemingly constant discussions around the title “The Greatest of All Time” (aka The G.O.A.T.). Who started it, and why do we love this debate so?

One answer takes us back to the boxing and wrestling rings of the mid-20th century.

Muhammad Ali famously declared, “I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.” But he was not the first to make this proclamation. Gorgeous George, the flamboyant 1940s and ’50s professional wrestler, commanded a king’s ransom from …

by Oliver Mayer | June 22, 2023

Not Your Average L.A. Mayor Voter Guide

From South L.A. to the Valley, Angelenos Will Have to Vote Their Values

by Talib Jabbar | May 27, 2022

As the primary election for Los Angeles’ next mayor nears and narrows, Zócalo, together with Creating Our Next L.A., convened a panel to answer the question on every Angeleno’s mind: …

Love the Games or Loathe Them, the Olympics Need to Do Better by Competitors and Local Communities

From Displacement to Doping, Athletes Argue for More Moral and Engaged Leadership

by Joe Mathews | June 19, 2020

The Olympic Games need to overhaul their governance and give more decision-making power to athletes if they are ever going to address their many failings, from the costs they impose …

Are the Tokyo Olympics Cursed?

Canceled in 1940 and Postponed for 2020, Japan’s Bad Luck Highlights a Bigger Problem Plaguing the Games: Outsized Ambition and Subpar Leadership

by Jules Boykoff | May 3, 2020

This spring, as the coronavirus pandemic flared across the globe, pressure mounted on Olympics organizers to cancel or postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games. At first, the International Olympic Committee, the …

L.A. Is Too Good to Host the 2024 Olympics

The Olympic Movement Is Relentlessly Corrupt, so Why Should Southern California Help Save It?

By Joe Mathews | March 9, 2017

Los Angeles should drop its bid for the 2024 Olympics—before it gets chosen.

It’s true that Paris has long been the favorite to be awarded the games during an upcoming vote …

Did Hamburg’s Olympic Bid Destroy Its Local Democracy?

How the Failed Effort to Bring the 2024 Games to Germany Restricted Voters' Democratic Rights

Angelika Gardiner | November 10, 2016

Democracy killed a bid to bring the Olympics to Hamburg, Germany, where I live. But in the process, the Olympics dealt a big blow to our local democracy.

I’ve worked on …

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