Outside Zone

Political and Cultural Commentary

Outside Zone

Jun 2, 2026

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8 min read

We're Leaving Substack for Beehiiv

We're switching site and newsletter platforms. We hope you continue joining us as we grow!

Arif Hasan

Longform

May 26, 2026

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10 min read

The Cowardice of Political Incuriosity

The Athletic's Dan Duggan wrote about not writing about Jaxson Dart's appearance at a Donald Trump rally. It's journalistic abdication.

Arif Hasan

Outside Zone

Team Rainbow Wrap-Up — A Successful Olympics

Feb 24, 2026

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2 min read

Team Rainbow Wrap-Up — A Successful Olympics

With the Winter Olympics wrapped up for 2026, Ethan Hammerman finishes out his series covering queer athletes competing in Italy. How did Team Rainbow do?

Outside Zone

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 20 — Feb 22: Love Wins

Feb 20, 2026

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3 min read

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 20 — Feb 22: Love Wins

As the Olympics near their end, the team and tournament results have begun to stream in and provided a massive boost to Team Rainbow. Ethan recaps the week and what to watch this weekend.

Outside Zone

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 17 — Feb 20: The Point of The Olympics

Feb 17, 2026

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4 min read

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 17 — Feb 20: The Point of The Olympics

This is another story in our continued coverage of the upcoming Olympics.

Outside Zone

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 13 — Feb 16: Ice Dancing Drama

Feb 13, 2026

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4 min read

Team Rainbow Review and Weekend What To Watch, Feb 13 — Feb 16: Ice Dancing Drama

An update on which queer athletes have made an impact in the medal count, changes to Team Rainbow and which events to watch this weekend

Outside Zone

Team Rainbow Weekend Review and What To Watch, Feb 10 — Feb 13: Easy Breezy Golds

Feb 10, 2026

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4 min read

Team Rainbow Weekend Review and What To Watch, Feb 10 — Feb 13: Easy Breezy Golds

This is another story in our continued coverage of the upcoming Olympics.

Outside Zone

2026 Winter Olympics, Team Rainbow—What To Watch, Feb 6-Feb 9: At The Starting Line

Feb 6, 2026

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5 min read

2026 Winter Olympics, Team Rainbow—What To Watch, Feb 6-Feb 9: At The Starting Line

The Olympics are about to begin! Recover from a wild (or not wild) Super Bowl

Outside Zone

Meet the Athletes, Part 2: Iconic Daredevils

Feb 3, 2026

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4 min read

Meet the Athletes, Part 2: Iconic Daredevils

We continue our series on Team Rainbow in anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics—this time, the two part of a two-part preview on the participants contributing to the medal count!

Outside Zone

Meet the Athletes, Part 1: The Real Heated Rivalries

Jan 31, 2026

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4 min read

Meet the Athletes, Part 1: The Real Heated Rivalries

We continue our series on Team Rainbow in anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics—this time, the first part of a two-part preview on the participants contributing to the medal count!

Outside Zone

Introducing You to Our Coverage of Team Rainbow at the Winter Olympics

Jan 28, 2026

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3 min read

Introducing You to Our Coverage of Team Rainbow at the Winter Olympics

Wide Left will be providing coverage of the Winter Olympics! Ethan Hammerman provides a venue to keep up with the storylines surrounding the queer athletes competing in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo

Outside Zone

Jan 8, 2026

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12 min read

At War, At Home and Abroad

One week in, and it's already been quite a year. What does it mean to be at war?

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Sports Journalism Is Dying — And ESPN and the NFL Are to Blame

Aug 7, 2025

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18 min read

Sports Journalism Is Dying — And ESPN and the NFL Are to Blame

The NFL sold off elements of its NFL Media arm to ESPN in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the Worldwide Leader's equity. Could this kill sports journalism?

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

Guaranteed Money, the NFL, and What It Means for Labor Politics

Jul 8, 2025

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22 min read

Guaranteed Money, the NFL, and What It Means for Labor Politics

A deep dive into the recent confidential decision regarding the NFLPA’s claim of NFL collusion to keep guaranteed money down.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Jun 22, 2025

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21 min read

History Fatigue

“Just once, I’d like to live in precedented times”

Arif Hasan

Longform

How Catapult Sports is Killing Football YouTube

Jun 6, 2025

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26 min read

How Catapult Sports is Killing Football YouTube

There's been a scourge slowly killing football analysis channels on YouTube. Unless something changes, football fans and creators will find a landscape barren of content.

Arif Hasan

Outside Zone

May 12, 2025

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5 min read

Wide Left: A Change

We're announcing changes to Wide Left to find a way to give readers more!

Arif Hasan

Longform

Super Bowl Commercials and the AI Bubble — Why Investment Looks Dangerous

Feb 10, 2025

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8 min read

Super Bowl Commercials and the AI Bubble — Why Investment Looks Dangerous

The Super Bowl commercial landscape is a fascinating cultural artifact. The prevalence of AI in this year's ads might tell us something about the Super Bowl: it's a bubble predict predictor.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Do Cities Benefit From Hosting the Super Bowl?

Feb 6, 2025

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19 min read

Do Cities Benefit From Hosting the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LIX will be hosted in New Orleans once more, a product of a competitive bidding process that chose an NFL favorite. Is it worth it for cities to bid for the right to host the Super Bowl?

Arif Hasan

Longform

The Death of Neoliberalism: An Autopsy of a Doomed Campaign

Nov 19, 2024

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36 min read

The Death of Neoliberalism: An Autopsy of a Doomed Campaign

The dissection of the Harris-Trump race has focused on blame more than explanation. But this more meaningfully represents a shift of the global economic consensus. And that's not necessarily good.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Has Legalized Gambling Poisoned the Sports Atmosphere?

Oct 30, 2024

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35 min read

Has Legalized Gambling Poisoned the Sports Atmosphere?

Football fans have been flooded with ads for gambling and fantasy products. What has been the impact of legalization on the people who gamble, the fans who don't and the players who play?

Arif Hasan

Lead Dive

The NFL and Private Equity: Barbarians at the Goal Line?

Aug 29, 2024

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24 min read

The NFL and Private Equity: Barbarians at the Goal Line?

The NFL approved a plan that would allow select private equity firms to purchase up to ten percent non-governing stake. Is this business as usual, or something to be genuinely concerned about?

Arif Hasan

Outside Zone

One Year of Wide Left: A Reflection, An Offer and a Recap

Aug 15, 2024

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17 min read

One Year of Wide Left: A Reflection, An Offer and a Recap

It's been one year of Wide Left, which is unbelievable. I want to thank you all, provide a special offer and reveal elements of my mental health story. And share my top stories this year.

Arif Hasan

Longform

Aug 9, 2024

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20 min read

What Is Happening to PFF?

Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo have announced their departures from Pro Football Focus, the company that they've been the face of for years. Is the foundational football data company in trouble?

Arif Hasan

Longform

The Imane Khelif Discourse, the IBA, Fascism and Russian Oligarchs

Aug 2, 2024

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21 min read

The Imane Khelif Discourse, the IBA, Fascism and Russian Oligarchs

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif landed a punch against Italy's Angela Carini. What happened next sparked a toxic discourse that serves the interest of Russian expansionism and fascist revisionists.

Arif Hasan