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rantnrave:// The Nike Pro Hijab is coming. The shoe company has embraced its role as a social progressive leader. By jumping out ahead of organizations like FIBA, it puts pressure on them to act, especially since they are now partners. Nike knows the power of its influence. But this goes beyond just the court or a clothing line. Hate crimes in the U.S. are rising against people with brown skin. Islamophobia is widespread. Every measure of support matters. Sports can help clear a path from the arena to civil society. Every step doesn't need to be large and grand. ... The NCAA tournament isn't just buzzer-beaters and upsets. It's about the stories that make Cinderellas and the journeys that crown champions. Get ready for the rest of this month with our REDEF SportsSet "The Moments That Made March Madness". ... NASCAR is considering making its cars quieter -- for the millennials, apparently, not the eardrums. Quieter cars means more people can talk while attending a race. More socializing means more fun means more attendance means more revenue. It's a good thought, in a vacuum. But like MLB's incessant attempt to speed up the games, it seems like cosmetic surgery. Fans will continue to flock because of the core product, not the bells and whistles. Or, with NASCAR, the lack of them. Is the sport doing this because they actually care about conversation and your aural health? Or out of desperation? ... You can watch three channels at once with the PlayStation Vue‎ -- just in time for the NCAA tournament. ... Where is Washington's GM as NFL free agency begins? Bueller? Bueller? ... Can the super-shoe make me run faster? ... Turner president David Levy: "No person or organization will ever persuade us on how we change our journalistic principles." Is that Bleacher Report's new policy going forward or revisionist history? Levy, for the record, says Mark Cuban didn't bring down B/R's tweet. ... Sneakers are getting bolder (and uglier).

Ryan Arcidiacono and Marcus Paige, the guards who squared off against each other in last year's men's national title game, are still thinking about that night.

Chuck Culpepper | The Washington Post

The NFL' s regular March meetings have long been scheduled for those days in Phoenix. But now, it seems for sure, the Raiders will get an up-or-down vote on whether the league wants the team in Las Vegas ... or if, instead, the league is leery of the concept and doesn't want to move so fast.

Mark Purdy | Mercury News

A new social science study has found that whites are more likely than blacks to oppose paying NCAA athletes -- and that the more negative whites felt about blacks, the stronger their opposition.

Patrick Hruby | Vice Sports

Video game sports are on the cusp of going mainstream. Can game publishers, team owners, and investors like Rick Fox figure out a business model?

Joshua Brustein | Bloomberg

Paul Mason once weighed 980 pounds. But what did he gain when he lost most of it?

Justin Heckert | GQ

"It's not enough to be smart. You have to be curious."

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