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Derek Silva

@derekcrim.bsky.social
6.9K followers 1K following 775 posts

// prof, writer, podcaster 🍉 // words in Time, LA Times, The Guardian, etc. // podcast @endofsportpod.bsky.social // book link in bio @uncpress.bsky.social uncpress.org/book/9781469683461/the…

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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Techbro professors everywhere screaming about the relationship they have developed with their chat bot
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
1/9 We cannot accept the findings of the federal CASE report. The methodology is fundamentally broken. Its data is highly questionable, but the resulting political weaponization is actively harmful. We unpack why for @canadiandimension.bsky.social. canadiandimension.com/articles/vie...
canadiandimension.com
Campus antisemitism report is based on fundamentally flawed methodology
Students deserve protection from bigotry. Antisemitism exists in Canadian society and must be confronted, and this study documents real examples. However, its methodology is flawed: by merging critiq...
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David #ArmsEmbargoNow! Heap @davidheap.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So, what's up @universityaffairs.bsky.social ? Why platform shoddy methodology from CASE advisory board, but not a quantitative critique by sociologists who actually use rigorous methods? You owe it to the community to cover both sides of the issue, with @derekcrim.bsky.social @nkalamb.bsky.social
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Lauren Weinberg @ldweinberg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Thread. Still disgusted by how @thebigstory.bsky.social laundered this crap.
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Shelagh Rowan-Legg @shelaghrowanlegg.northsky.social · 30/09/2026
thread of the day
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
At the end of the day, the Canadian government's Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences (CASE) study is propaganda politics laundered as legitimate social science by Canadian scholars. We break down all the methodological flaws in this work of professional malpractice 👇.
To make definitively broad generalizations grounded in a small, biased selection sample is an unacceptable error, yet this is something the authors of this report repeatedly do, such as when they assert, “95.7% said they had experienced or witnessed at least one instance of antisemitism over the previous 12 months” without providing a caveat such as “of those surveyed” or a strong note on the limitations of the report’s methodology. This finding of 95 percent has, predictably, been repeated ad nauseam in the media. In fact, the authors of the report have admitted that among the very small number of respondents who indicated Zionism was not important at all to them, 92 percent said their campus was safe and inclusive for Jewish students, a finding that directly contradicts the thesis that it is Jewishness, rather than the state policy of Israel, that is the object of critique on campuses.

The 95 and 92 percent figures, taken together, index a larger problem: the incentive for participants to articulate experiences that align with broader political projects in a moment of profound polarization. It is clear beyond doubt that students with Zionist proclivities reported discrimination and those with anti-Zionist leanings reported none. So, what the study seems to reveal above all is the political orientation of its participants. It is not really possible to falsify any of the findings beyond that. If Zionist students consider critique of Israel to be a form of harm, that is what they will report. But this is not an objective measure, as evinced by the testimony of anti-Zionist students.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Every "scholar" on this Advisory Board should have to re-take a methods course because they clearly need a refresher.
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Priyansh @privaricate.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Our piece on the specious CASE report is out now at @CDN_Dimension Derek's thread on the article's main arguments 👇🏽
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
9/9 The CASE Study and subsequent defence pieces in @UA_magazine by Howard Ramos and Co get a failing grade from us. @indjewishvoices.bsky.social @jvplive.bsky.social @unbfac4palestine.bsky.social @soc4pal.bsky.social @nkalamb.bsky.social @privaricate.bsky.social
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
8/9 Funding such a questionable project while anti-Palestinian racism skyrockets across our institutions tells you everything you need to know about the actual priorities at play. Bad science protects no one. We absolutely have to do better.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
7/9 Antisemitism is real and students absolutely deserve protection – yet weaponizing a fundamentally flawed study doesn’t keep anyone safe. It merely provides administrative cover to censor and surveil legitimate student academic freedom.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
6/9 This exposes a massive problem around what we call construct validity. The survey instrument collapses Jews, Judaism, Israel, and Zionism into a single monolithic category. It makes separating actual bigotry from political critique of a foreign state analytically impossible.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
5/9 The report claims 95.7% of respondents experienced or witnessed antisemitism. Predictably, media repeated this ad nauseum. But the authors buried a crucial finding. 92% of students who said Zionism was not important to them reported their campus was safe and inclusive.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
4/9 Recruitment flowed almost exclusively through established Zionist orgs & progressive and non-Zionist Jewish students were shut out. You simply cannot make national claims about a diverse demographic when you intentionally survey a narrow faction. www.canada.ca/en/canadian-...
canada.ca
Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences (CASE) - Canada.ca
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
3/9 In that piece, the authors defend making sweeping, generalized quantitative claims based entirely on an unweighted, self-selected convenience sample. Qualitative survey methods cannot, by definition, be generalized. It is a frankly irresponsible error. @indjewishvoices.bsky.social
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
2/9 We tried to publish this methods rebuttal in @universityaffairs.bsky.social. Curiously, they passed. Yet they gladly published this by CASE advisory board members (including prominent quantitative sociologist, Howard Ramos) doubling down on the bad science. universityaffairs.ca/opinion/rebu...
universityaffairs.ca
Rebuilding Jewish students’ trust in universities  - University Affairs
As students return to campus, discussions of the Middle East conflict deserve a scholarly, responsible and robust treatment that recognizes antisemitism in all its forms.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
1/9 We cannot accept the findings of the federal CASE report. The methodology is fundamentally broken. Its data is highly questionable, but the resulting political weaponization is actively harmful. We unpack why for @canadiandimension.bsky.social. canadiandimension.com/articles/vie...
canadiandimension.com
Campus antisemitism report is based on fundamentally flawed methodology
Students deserve protection from bigotry. Antisemitism exists in Canadian society and must be confronted, and this study documents real examples. However, its methodology is flawed: by merging critiq...
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Deep-dive into the controversy engulfing the UEFA Nations League fixtures btw Ireland & Israel. Irish Sport for Palestine's Rebecca O’Keeffe breaks it all down w/ @privaricate.bsky.social & @nkalamb.bsky.social on @endofsportpod.bsky.social ahead of Sunday's rematch open.spotify.com/episode/0hbo...
screenshot of an image that reads in all-caps text "Ireland Plays Despite Israel's Genocide" with a photo to the right of Gavin Bazunu of the Republic of Ireland's national soccer team
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Regardless of the final score in Ireland’s favour, they lost the minute they stepped on the pitch to play Israel." Exactly right. There are no victories when playing Israel "went vs the majority of the Irish people" + "succumbed to pressure to normalise genocide" www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
For the past few months, Irish Sport for Palestine (ISFP), which I am part of, has been campaigning for Ireland to boycott its football matches against Israel. We believe playing against Israel legitimises a genocidal regime and gives cover for international law violations, apartheid and war crimes.

On Sunday, the match between the two teams went ahead in an almost empty stadium in Hungary. Regardless of the final score (3-0) in Ireland’s favour, they lost the minute they stepped on the pitch to play Israel. They lost because they went against the majority of the Irish people who do not want these matches to be played. They lost because they succumbed to pressure to normalise genocide.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I think the most striking thing for me is Rubin accuses **everyone else** of doing politics instead of looking in the mirror.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I am not sure I agree with the critique that Rubin doesn't have a PhD in sociology so can't speak to sociology (seems a bit gatekeeper to me) but I do think the rest of this stands as a strong response to shitty "research."
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anyway, I find it humorous that Rubin doesn't see the irony in statements about sociology losing credibility because of supposed "politicization" without realizing (or admitting) that she is literally doing politics with shit research. Can't make this stuff up.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
John Levi Martin's response to Rubin's report. It used AI which gets a big NO from me, but I guess this is what we have to live with now. The reason I am sharing it is because it systematically dismantles basically every one of Rubin's bad claims. osf.io/preprints/so...
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The best critiques come with receipts, and @juliango.bsky.social does exactly that (with appropriate nods to Geoff Wodtke and John Levi Martin's own). osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Imagine using shitty evidence to argue the standards in sociology have lowered because of its "politicization." That's exactly what Ashley Rubin did. Funny how sociology is "too political" but Rubin's weak claims are devoid of politics entirely 🙄. scatter.wordpress.com/2026/09/19/g...
scatter.wordpress.com
guest post: scholarly malpractice and the vanderbilt-washington university report on sociology
The following is a guest post by Julian Go. By now readers of scatterplot will be aware of the Sociology portion of the Vanderbilt-Washington University Report (VWUR) by Ashley Rubin. Part of the “…
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thanks!! Will repost
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anyway, I am not sure I agree with the critique that Rubin doesn't have a PhD in sociology so can't speak to sociology (seems a bit gatekeeper to me) but I do think the rest of this stands as a strong response to shitty "research." A worthy read. scatter.wordpress.com/2026/09/19/gue…
scatter.wordpress.com
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
John Levi Martin's response to Rubin's report. It used AI which gets a big N.O. from me, but I guess this is what we have to live with now. The reason I am sharing it is because it systematically dismantles basically every one of Rubin's bad claims. osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The best critiques come with receipts, and @juliango.bsky.social does exactly that (with appropriate nods to Geoff Wodtke and John Levi Martin's own). osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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Harbinger Media Network @harbingermedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
On two new @endofsportpod.bsky.social the team discuss ICE's kidnapping of international college athletes, the controversy surrounding Irish sport's response to Israel’s genocide, the implications for solidarity movements + more podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i... podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This (superb) reporting reveals ASU has basically attempted a full cover-up and the only reason they aren’t going to get away with it is the genuine courage and solidarity of his teammates. Very rare in college sport.
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Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Wonder if there's any consulting firms out there making the pitch to higher ed administrators that replacing football coaches with AI could save unis and athletic departments hundreds of millions of dollars. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
A figure showing the large disparities in football scholarships and football coach salaries for top teams in 2023
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
ONLY EIGHT PLAYERS GOT A WATER BREAK AT AN ARIZONA WORKOUT IN AUGUST???? This is literally criminal.
Rund’s report said Powers directed a water break roughly 20 minutes into the workout. The players said otherwise: Their only water break came 35 to 45 minutes into the roughly 75-minute workout, after a grueling bear crawl, and lasted just seconds. The only players who got water during the break — about eight — were the first finishers of the drill.

“The first of us to finish had a few seconds at the bottles before being ordered back while others, including Matthew, were still crawling,” players wrote. “This was the only water break.”
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ireland players wore black armbands in yesterday's match against Israel. Captain Dara O’Shea chose not to shake hands with Israel's captain. Ireland players bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem. My latest w/ @edgeofsports.bsky.social for @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My latest, co-written with @edgeofsports.bsky.social: "Irish Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu’s Refusal to Play Against Israel Puts Him on the Right Side of History." For @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Irish Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu's Refusal to Play Against Israel Puts Him on the Right Side of History
Bazunu's decision raises the perennial question: Why is a country that is currently committing a genocide allowed to compete in the first place?
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Today’s absolute must read from @julesboykoff.bsky.social and @edgeofsports.bsky.social. 👇👇👇
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Exceptional solidarity from ASU hockey players who have demanded their coach be placed on leave for essentially overseeing the murder of their teammate and have disputed the university’s findings. www.nytimes.com/athletic/764...
Seven Arizona State men’s hockey players asked the university’s president to place the Sun Devils’ coaching staff on administrative leave pending further investigation into the workout that left sophomore transfer Matthew Mayich on life support.

In a 26-page letter sent to ASU president Michael Crow on Monday and obtained by The Athletic, the players disputed numerous findings from the university’s initial review of the Aug. 20 workout, writing that Mayich did not receive water and was provided inadequate medical care after his collapse.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thanks for sharing Jules!
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"Institutions that recruit international athletes & benefit from their athletic labor must build systems capable of supporting them when their immigration status places them at risk," write @nkalamb.bsky.social Simran Kaur Sethi, & @derekcrim.bsky.social in a powerful & important essay
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Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Infuriating story that @nkalamb.bsky.social, @derekcrim.bsky.social, & Simran Kaur Sethi unfurl with attention to how colleges are complicit in putting international students in danger. Destabilizing student visa process creates more detentions. That’s not disorganization. That’s design.
theguardian.com
ICE has abducted a college athlete. What are the NCAA and universities going to do about it?
Aminata Seck’s detention shows the bargain facing international college athletes: universities eagerly recruit them, but support can disappear when their immigration status becomes precarious.
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The recruitment of international college athletes by universities is predatory. open.spotify.com/episode/5hnY...
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Priyansh @privaricate.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
'International college athletes are among the most exploited campus athletic workers in the current political economy of US college athletics...' @nkalamb.bsky.social, Simran Kaur Sethi, & @derekcrim.bsky.social shed light on the case of Aminata Seck who was abducted by ICE in August this year
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Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
My latest for @theguardian.com: "What Can Halt FIFA’s Authoritarian Turn Under Infantino? Change from the Outside" www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
What can halt Fifa’s authoritarian turn under Infantino? Change from the outside | Jules Boykoff
The World Cup and its aftermath made clear that Fifa needs independent oversight by governments and NGOs dedicated to preserving the people’s game
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Shoutout to SSHRC for making it impossible to submit a reference letter for a student that is finished and ready to go. Great use of everyone’s time and effort!
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
READ THIS.
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
As someone who works on the plantation dynamics of college sports, I would say this qualifies as a “and they just tweeted it out?” moment for me.
Us department of education:

Make college football great again
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We finally dig deep on the crucial new @bmj.com study on CTE prevalence.
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Derek Silva @derekcrim.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Solidarity with my friends at @uwofa1.bsky.social who are looking for a fair agreement despite terrible conditions presented by Western admin!
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UWO Faculty Association @uwofa1.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A YES vote strengthens our negotiating team’s position at the bargaining table and gives them the support to keep pushing for a fair agreement. Make a plan. Bring your colleagues. Vote. In person: today at Conron Hall until 6pm, Tues. at Social Science Kiosk, 9am-6pm Online: Wed. 9am to Thurs. 6pm
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