The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
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Society
/ February 6, 2026
The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
A comic about the Eagles, fathers, incarceration, and the holes that sports can’t fill.
Christopher Blackwell and Solomon J. Brager
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This comic was written by Christopher Blackwell, an incarcerated journalist and author in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice, and illustrated by Solomon J. Brager, a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. It was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism nonprofit.
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From Minneapolis to Venezuela, from Gaza to Washington, DC, this is a time of staggering chaos, cruelty, and violence.
Unlike other publications that parrot the views of authoritarians, billionaires, and corporations, The Nation publishes stories that hold the powerful to account and center the communities too often denied a voice in the national media—stories like the one you’ve just read.
Each day, our journalism cuts through lies and distortions, contextualizes the developments reshaping politics around the globe, and advances progressive ideas that oxygenate our movements and instigate change in the halls of power.
This independent journalism is only possible with the support of our readers. If you want to see more urgent coverage like this, please donate to The Nation today.
Christopher Blackwell
Christopher Blackwell is an incarcerated writer in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice. He is a contributing writer at Jewish Currents and a contributing editor at The Appeal.
Solomon J. Brager
Solomon J. Brager is a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York.
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This framing isn't accidental.
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The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
Magazine
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Magazine
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Politics
World
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Current Issue
Society
/ February 6, 2026
The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
A comic about the Eagles, fathers, incarceration, and the holes that sports can’t fill.
Christopher Blackwell and Solomon J. Brager
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
This comic was written by Christopher Blackwell, an incarcerated journalist and author in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice, and illustrated by Solomon J. Brager, a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. It was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism nonprofit.
Keep Reading
Submit a correction
Send a letter to the editor
Reprints & permissions
Your support makes stories like this possible
From Minneapolis to Venezuela, from Gaza to Washington, DC, this is a time of staggering chaos, cruelty, and violence.
Unlike other publications that parrot the views of authoritarians, billionaires, and corporations, The Nation publishes stories that hold the powerful to account and center the communities too often denied a voice in the national media—stories like the one you’ve just read.
Each day, our journalism cuts through lies and distortions, contextualizes the developments reshaping politics around the globe, and advances progressive ideas that oxygenate our movements and instigate change in the halls of power.
This independent journalism is only possible with the support of our readers. If you want to see more urgent coverage like this, please donate to The Nation today.
Christopher Blackwell
Christopher Blackwell is an incarcerated writer in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice. He is a contributing writer at Jewish Currents and a contributing editor at The Appeal.
Solomon J. Brager
Solomon J. Brager is a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York.
More from The Nation
How Big Gaming Is Swallowing Up the Big Game
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The Super Bowl will showcase the lords of legalized betting, even as they’ve already colonized every other reach of human experience.
Matt Alston
Get Ready for This Year’s Undemocratic, Debt-Ridden, and Mobster-Infused Winter Olympics
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ICE thugs in the streets, Mafia meddling, and billions in waste—seems like the Games are off to a great start.
Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin
Childcare Providers Around the Country Are Being Targeted by Vigilante Surveillance
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In response to bogus allegations of fraud in Minnesota, strangers are filming them, knocking on their …
The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
This framing isn't accidental.
Log In
Email *
Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
Log In
New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access
Skip to content Skip to footer
The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
Magazine
Newsletters
Subscribe
Log In
Search
Subscribe
Donate
Magazine
Latest
Archive
Podcasts
Newsletters
Sections
Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
Advertise
Current Issue
Society
/ February 6, 2026
The Pain and Glory of My Football Life
A comic about the Eagles, fathers, incarceration, and the holes that sports can’t fill.
Christopher Blackwell and Solomon J. Brager
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
This comic was written by Christopher Blackwell, an incarcerated journalist and author in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice, and illustrated by Solomon J. Brager, a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. It was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism nonprofit.
Keep Reading
Submit a correction
Send a letter to the editor
Reprints & permissions
Your support makes stories like this possible
From Minneapolis to Venezuela, from Gaza to Washington, DC, this is a time of staggering chaos, cruelty, and violence.
Unlike other publications that parrot the views of authoritarians, billionaires, and corporations, The Nation publishes stories that hold the powerful to account and center the communities too often denied a voice in the national media—stories like the one you’ve just read.
Each day, our journalism cuts through lies and distortions, contextualizes the developments reshaping politics around the globe, and advances progressive ideas that oxygenate our movements and instigate change in the halls of power.
This independent journalism is only possible with the support of our readers. If you want to see more urgent coverage like this, please donate to The Nation today.
Christopher Blackwell
Christopher Blackwell is an incarcerated writer in Washington State and a cofounder of the nonprofit Look 2 Justice. He is a contributing writer at Jewish Currents and a contributing editor at The Appeal.
Solomon J. Brager
Solomon J. Brager is a cartoonist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York.
More from The Nation
How Big Gaming Is Swallowing Up the Big Game
How Big Gaming Is Swallowing Up the Big Game
The Super Bowl will showcase the lords of legalized betting, even as they’ve already colonized every other reach of human experience.
Matt Alston
Get Ready for This Year’s Undemocratic, Debt-Ridden, and Mobster-Infused Winter Olympics
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ICE thugs in the streets, Mafia meddling, and billions in waste—seems like the Games are off to a great start.
Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin
Childcare Providers Around the Country Are Being Targeted by Vigilante Surveillance
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In response to bogus allegations of fraud in Minnesota, strangers are filming them, knocking on their …
