Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o said during the football season that he was dealing with the death of his grandmother and the death of his girlfriend, but according to reporters at Deadspin, that girlfriend never had cancer, never died, and in fact, never existed. Dave Zirin, a sports writer, has the story.

This week, the Baseball Writers of America decided that in 2013, no players would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Potential inductees included players hailing from the infamous steroids era. Yesterday, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the League would expand its drug testing program. Dave Zirin, sports columnist for The Nation, explores the ramifications for MLB players and the league itself.

Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson announced yesterday that no players would be inducted in 2013. Notable omissions include Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, who were included on the ballot but criticized for allegedly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation and host of "Edge of Sports Radio" on Sirius XM, explains the NCAA penalties against the Penn State football program and what it could mean for the future of the school. 

By this point, everyone's seen the headlines. It seems like a huge number of football players are getting seriously injured this season. People are asking whether the game has become more violent than ever.

Instead of their usual jerseys, the Phoenix Suns wore shirts with "Los Suns" inscribed across the chest as they played the Spurs last night. This change in wardrobe was explicitly meant as a nod in support of Arizona's Latino population, and a protest to Arizona's new immigration law, signed by Governor Jan Brewer last week.

Today is opening day in baseball and the season has already begun with a Yankees loss to the Red Sox last night. Nation sports editor Dave Zirin previews the season. He says the stats are all pointing to a predictable "chalk year," but, he doubts it will be. We get Dave's take on the baseball year ahead and why he has high hopes for the Atlanta Braves.

• Business Takeout: Louise Story, finance reporter for The New York Times, looks at a sudden rise in the price of oil.
• NFL Takeout: Sports writer Dave Zirin talks about the upcoming Supreme Court date for the NFL as they argue that they are a single corporate entity. The ruling could have wide ramifications for all four major U.S. sports leagues and anti-trust law.
• Listener Responses: We get a dose of decade-pedantry (all of it correct, however) from you, our listeners.

This weekend, Cooperstown holds its induction ceremony for the Baseball Hall of Fame—days after White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Takeaway talks with Dave Zirin, who writes about sports for The Nation and is author of "A People's History of Sports in the United States."

Watch the final out in Mark Buehrle's perfect game below.

The 2016 Olympics are already heating up. Seven candidates — baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash — are vying for a place at the games from 2016 onward. To find out how the process is going, The Takeaway is joined by Don Porter, the President of the Softball Federation, who is in Lausanne, Switzerland, to pitch his sport to the IOC. Also joining the discussion is Dave Zirin, sportswriter for The Nation and author of People's History of Sports in the United States, for his take on the Olympics.

Used to be that stolen bases were the bad behavior of baseball, but America’s pastime balked as Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking performance enhancing substances while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003. Condemnation was swift. Even the President weighed in to express his disappointment. But with so many other athletes admitting to the same, are we really shocked anymore? Takeaway Sports Contributor David Zirin, the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States,” joins us for a rundown.

Read Jeff Beresford-Howe's take on A-Rod's admission.

President Obama addressed Rodriguez's steroid use at his press conference on Monday.

Dave Zirin, author of Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports (Haymarket Books, 2007), reviews sports news about NBA officiating and NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting and talks about being a "progressive" sportswriter.

Welcome to the Terrordome is available for purchase at