Reads of the Week: Religious Freedom in a Pandemic, Europe’s Tech Regulation, and the Problem with the NFL’s Player Unions

Each week, we’ll be featuring opinion pieces from the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. Do you dream of having bylines like these? Learn more about how the Writing Fellows Program can help boost your writing career!

The Supreme Court is rescuing religion from the pandemic by Christian Sagers (Summer 2020) in Deseret News

Justice Neil Gorsuch seems like a patient man, but California’s regulations on religion tested his tolerance.

“Once more, we appear to have a state playing favorites during a pandemic,” he wrote in February. California had barred in-person religious gatherings in certain areas while allowing more lucrative industries to operate, and the Supreme Court justice had words to say about the situation…

European tech regulation will hold back free competition and hand power to digital giants by Kir Nuthi (Spring 2020) in City AM

Last month, the world’s eyes were on America as the CEOs of its most successful businesses came before Congress to testify about their companies’ content moderation practices. But while America debates if and how to regulate digital markets, the EU has been moving forward with similar proposals—proposals that would needlessly burden technology companies for decades to come. 

Far from levelling the playing field, the new regulations would edge out small digital start-ups and give the tech giants, who have the resources to grapple with the rules, an even firmer foothold…

How the NFL and the Players Union Screw Draft Picks Out oof Millions by Jason Russell (Fall 2014) in Reason

When the National Football League drafts its next crop of players this weekend, those draftees will have to be careful about what’s showing on their in-home camera. Don’t drink anything but Pepsi products, don’t snack on anything but Frito-Lay brands, and don’t do any video interviews using Apple AirPods. And definitely don’t try to make a few bucks by hawking a motor oil other than Castrol or a mattress company other than Sleep Number. The league has threatened to keep any player off-camera if an NFL sponsor’s competitor would otherwise be onscreen.

It’s just one of the ways NFL rules keep young players from realizing their true market value, thanks to the league’s take-it-or-leave-it system…