Not My Coach, Not My Town, Not Anymore
THE CONVERSATION WASN’T EASY, fun or something that Steve Rockrohr had been particularly looking forward to. But he felt as if he had no choice. Rumors of a mysterious van in his neighborhood, on top of the horrific stories in…
Nobody Suffers Like Jens Voigt
Want to make someone appreciate baseball? Simple. Show them Mariano Rivera, still dominant and dignified after 17 seasons. Want to build a basketball maniac? Give them 40 inelegant minutes of Dirk Nowitzki—flailing arms, stumbling feet, unshrinking in the clutch.
No Pain, No Gain? Not So Fast
The former professional football player is confused. It is difficult for him to pinpoint, after the pads have come off for good, the precise cause of his aching body and his aching soul. He knows that the game did it.…
Nigeria ‘Lesbian Football Ban’ Reports Examined By Fifa
Football’s world governing body Fifa has written to the Nigerian Football Association over claims lesbians are now banned from playing football there. Dilichukwu Onyedinma, chair of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), was quoted as making the statement. “Any player…
Niall Ferguson on the End of the American Dream
The United States is where great things are possible.” Those are the words of Elon Musk, whose astonishing career illustrates that the American dream can still come true.
NHL Takes ‘Historic Step’ for LGBT Equality
There is an old expression in social movements that sometimes it takes years to make days worth of progress but sometimes it takes only days to leap ahead years. In the fight for full citizenship for our LGBT friends and…
NFL’s “Magic Potion” Has Risks, Players Like Urlacher Don’t Care
In an intriguing feature included in tonight’s new Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO, 10:oo p.m. ET/PT), Andrea Kremer explores the NFL’s “magic potion” that “masks pain from head to toe.”
NFL: Saints Defense Had `Bounty’ Fund
New Orleans Saints players and at least one assistant coach maintained a bounty pool of up to $50,000 the last three seasons to reward game-ending injuries inflicted on opposing players, including Brett Favre and Kurt Warner, the NFL said Friday.…
NFL Research Yields Possible TBI Breakthrough
Football season is over but Pentagon researchers are still watching the NFL, not for sport but for science. The NFL is very active in one of the same research areas as the Defense Department — brain injuries.
NFL and Pain: League Zeros in on One Pain Medication
Toradol, the players’ drug of choice, carries high risks but may soon be banned. During a 13-season NFL career, defensive tackle Warren Sapp cherished those days he was close to pain-free, those games he could race onto the field with…
NCAA Student-athlete Gambling Behaviors and Attitudes: 2004-2012 (Supplementary Tables)
During spring semester 2012, the NCAA conducted its third national survey of student-athlete gambling behaviors and attitudes (2004, 2008, 2012). Approximately 23,000 survey responses were analyzed from the 2012 survey administration and 20,000 each from the 2004 and 2008 administrations.…
NCAA Revenues And Expenses of Division II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report Fiscal Years 2004 Through 2011
This report provides summary information concerning revenues and expenses of NCAA Division II athletics programs for the fiscal years 2004 through 2011. It is the result of surveys conducted during the fall of each of those years. Although similar studies…
NCAA Member Revenue, Spending Increase
Key Points: 1) About 10%25 of Division I public schools made enough money to cover athletic expenses last year, 2) Subsidies for Division I athletic operating expenses totaled %242.3 billion in 2012, 3) Scholarship costs rose by nearly 9%25%2C and…
NCAA had Record $71 Million Surplus In Fiscal 2012
Key Points: 1) NCAA net assets have doubled since 2006, 2) Statement says pending litigation will not have %22 material adverse effect%22 on NCAA, 3) Revenue distributed to Division I schools grew by %2424 million%2C or 5%25%2C from 2011 to…
NCAA Autonomy Structure Moves Forward After Avoiding Override
Barely more than a third of the required votes to override the NCAA Board of Directors’ August decision to move to restructure Division were filed by Monday’s deadline, meaning that the wealthiest college conferences can move forward with a more…
Most NCAA Division I Athletic Departments Take Subsidies
Key Points: 1) All but 23 Division I athletic departments received subsidies, 2) Subsidies for all of Division I athletics rose by nearly %24200 million compared to what they were 2011, 3) For some self-sufficient programs%2C subsidies have remained basically…
More Than a Game: a Theology of Sport
Sports have captured the minds and hearts of people across the globe but have largely evaded the attention of Christian theologians. What is the meaning of sports? There seem to be two polar responses: some dismiss sports as merely a…
Money has Ruined Youth Sports
At six years old, our son had friends who played soccer from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. A six-year-old practicing as much as a Division I athlete. (The parents we know are actually hoping their kid stops…
Mixed Martial Arts and Christianity: ‘Where Feet, Fist and Faith Collide’
“Can you love your neighbor as yourself, and at the same time knee him in the face as hard as you can?” American Christian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champion Scott “Bam Bam” Sullivan wonders in an interview with The Times…
Men: AAU Ex-CEO Sexually Abused Them
Memphis police are investigating allegations made by two former players that Amateur Athletic Union president and chief executive officer Robert “Bobby” Dodd molested them in the 1980s.
Media Advisory on Sex Verification in Sports
This issue appears to be perennial, so here are some FAQs to help reporters get the basic facts right. (I wrote this a while ago, but it still is relevant and helpful.)
Many in U.S. Are Arrested by Age 23, Study Finds
By age 23, almost a third of Americans have been arrested for a crime, according to a new study that researchers say is a measure of growing exposure to the criminal justice system in everyday life.
Maccabiah Games 2013: Athletes Gather in Israel for ‘Jewish Olympics’
More than 1,100 American Jewish athletes will be competing in the Maccabiah Games, known as the “Jewish Olympics” and held in Israel once every four years. This year’s event, which begins July 18, brings together more than 9,000 athletes from…
Lower-income Students Getting Shut Out of Sports
The cost of participating in travel teams, academy teams and even school teams is rising and the sports themselves may pay the price.
Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD) Stages
Children, youth, and adults need to do the right things at the right time to develop in their sport or activity – whether they want to be hockey players, dancers, figure skaters, or gymnasts. Long-Term Development (LTD) describes what athletes…
London 2012: Olympics Women’s Boxing Skirts Still Undecided
Amateur boxing chiefs are unlikely to make an announcement soon on whether female boxers will be made to wear skirts at the London Olympics. The Amateur International Boxing Association (Aiba) met last week to make recommendations on the issue. But…
London 2012 Euphoria has Died, But Will the Olympic Legacy Live on?
It was the key pledge supporting London’s bid to host the Olympics, made winningly by Lord Coe and the then-prime minister Tony Blair: that a British Games would “inspire a generation” to become more involved in sport. A nation still…
Leg-ism Leaves Paralympic Stars Out on a Limb
We all know the media is influential. We also know the media’s portrayal of disability issues and disabled people is uneven. Such biases are also evident in the portrayal of the technology employed by Paralympic athletes – and not least…
Larry Nassar: The Making of a Monster Who Abused Gymnasts for Decades
The phone rang. It was Dr. Larry Nassar.”Hey, man, what’s going on?” Dr. Steven Karageanes recalls saying.Nassar got straight to the point: “I just wanted to call and let you know that I’ve been accused of sexual assault.”It was Thursday,…
Jeremy Lin and ESPN’s “Accidental” Racism
The sports world has no anti-racist mental apparatus for how to talk about an Asian-American player. The spectacular New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin just made more headlines by leading his team to victory over the defending champion Dallas…
Is Gordon Gee Serious?
ABOUT 40 MINUTES BEFORE I MET GORDON GEE, I decided to play a joke on him. I entered a Columbus bookstore and bought a bow tie. They’re popular on campus because Gee, Ohio State’s president, famously wears one every day.…
IOC Regulations on Female Hyperandrogenism: Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, 2012.
The IOC Executive Board, in accordance with Rule 19.3.10 of the Olympic Charter, and pursuant to Rule 44 of the Olympic Charter, hereby issues the following regulations regarding female hyperandrogenism and participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games (hereafter the…
Investigation by ‘Indianapolis Star’ Hailed as Proof of Local Journalism’s Impact
The Indianapolis Star’s investigation into sexual abuse within USA Gymnastics, which culminated with the sentencing Wednesday of former team doctor Larry Nassar for up to 175 years in prison, is a sign that local journalism still matters, say media observers,…
Indiana House OKs Concussion Training
The Indiana House passed a bill today requiring concussion-awareness training for youth and high school football coaches and a 24-hour waiting period for players who suffer concussions. If the bill becomes law, Indiana would become the first state in the…
In Texas, a Legal Battle Over Biblical Banners
In a barrage of recent emails, telephone calls and letters to his office, Kevin Weldon has been called some of the worst things a Christian man in this predominantly Christian town can be called: un-Christian, and even anti-Christian.
In Hockey Loss, Russian Pride Yields to Gloom
President Vladimir V. Putin and any other Russian who was asked made it plain that the Sochi Games’ success hinged on the Russian men’s hockey team. Sure, Russia has a formidable delegation, winning medals in many events, from biathlon to…
In English Soccer, the Bettors Rule
The NFL’s policy, which forbids its owners from having interests in any gambling-related enterprises, is so prohibitive that the Rooney family, owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently had to restructure their ownership because of new gambling offerings at the family’s…
How You Go From Very Bad to Very Good Very Fast
A 10-month investigation that included independent interviews with 64 Oklahoma State players from 1999 to 2011, as well as current and former football staffers, reveals the measures that a program will take to become elite—and the collateral damage that follows
How the NFL Can Save College Football—and Make a Profit
There’s a growing belief among college officials that the NFL should amend its eligibility rules to accept 18-year-olds: thereby helping colleges avoid the farce of trying to educate “student-athletes” who are only there to audition for the NFL. Don’t try…
How the Miami Dolphins Fell Apart
In April, in the fifth round of the NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Caleb Sturgis, a kicker from Florida. He signed with the team for an annual salary of $406,000. To the larger world, this was a routine and…
How Rich Parents Spending Big on Their kids’ Sports Teams Hurts Lower-income Families
On this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin spoke with the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson about his piece “American Meritocracy Is Killing Youth Sports.” In that story, Thompson writes, “Declining athletic participation…
How Kids’ Sports Became a $15 Billion Industry.
Joey Erace knocks pitch after pitch into the netting of his $15,000 backyard batting cage, the pings from his metal bat filling the air in the south New Jersey cul-de-sac. His private hitting coach, who’s charging $100 for this hour-long…
How a Tragic “Soccer Riot” May Have Revived the Egyptian Revolution
The aftermath of the Port Said “riot” has been the exact opposite of what the military rulers expected. There are no words for the horror that took place in Port Said, Egypt last week. A soccer match became a killing…
Hope Solo Says Youth Soccer in the U.S. Has Become a ‘Rich, White Kid Sport
Former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo said Tuesday soccer in the United States has become a “rich, white kid sport” and that the sport’s high cost at the youth level is detrimental to the “state of the game.”
High School Athletes Continue to Play Despite Concussion Symptoms
High school athletes experience their fair share of dangerous head injuries during high-impact sports play, but new research shows many high school football players won’t bring their concussion symptoms to their coaches’ attention. Despite the fact that the students reported…
Heineken Scores U.S. Soccer Deal
Heineken USA has signed a four-year sponsorship agreement to become the official beer of Major League Soccer starting next year, taking a spot Budweiser has had for nearly two decades as one of the league’s top sponsors.
Green Bay Packers Sound Off Against Gov. Scott ‘Hosni’ Walker
Gov. Scott Walker is learning the hard way: you can’t praise the Green Bay Packers on a Monday and threaten workers on Tuesday, and expect the Pack to be silent. Less than two weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers—the only…
Getting the ‘Development’ Right in Sport for Development
Getting the ‘development’ right in sport for development (S4D) means that on the pitch, disabilities are dissolved into strengths. It means that traditional ‘no girls allowed’ attitudes are torn away. It means that children’s voices are valued in both the…
Getting into the Game: Understanding the Evidence for Child-focused Sport for Development
Sport is a powerful tool for involving all children – including the most marginalized and vulnerable – in group activities from an early age (UNHCR, 2013). For this reason, sport for development (S4D) organizations use sport as an inclusive means…
Game Changers Off the Playing Field
The people who just might be able to save the sport of football from its own self-destructive ways don’t wear whistles or hold clipboards. They don’t file lawsuits, and they don’t dole out suspensions for helmet-to-helmet hits. Instead, they tend…
For Young Athletes, Good Reasons to Break the Fast-Food Habit
When I ran high school cross-country 14 years ago, the bus that took us to meets always stopped at a Wendy’s or McDonald’s after the event. Most of the team would order some variation of burgers, fries and a big…
For Many Athletes, One Nation Won’t Do
Nationality still matters deeply at the Olympics, and you will see just how much if the British go another few days here without finishing first. “WANTED: GOLD MEDAL,” read the headline in The Sun on Tuesday. “Can we have just…
For German Soccer, a Lyric Debate
Players’ Silence During Pregame Anthem Sparks Controversy; a History of Patriotic Ambivalence
Football’s Hidden Pains
This weekend offered two of the best football games of the year, both of which I watched, though turning on the television for Sunday’s games was slightly harder after reading Dan Le Batard’s account of Jason Taylor’s fifteen painful years…
Football is Dead. Long Live Football
In a typical regulation football game, the two teams combine to run roughly 120 plays from scrimmage compared with nearly 300 pitches in a typical baseball game. There are no “waste pitches” in football. Every play is meaningful, consequential, suspenseful.…
Football High: Bigger and Faster, But Safer?
Corporate sponsorships, nationally televised games, minute-by-minute coverage on sports websites — for players, parents and coaches, high school football has never been bigger. But is enough being done to ensure players’ safety as the intensity of the sport grows? In…
Fear, Greed, Broken Dreams: How Early Sports Specialization is Eroding Youth Sports
Commentary on how specialization in youth sports leads to youth quitting sports earlier.
Faster, Stronger – and High
The development of genetic enhancement in animals has led to fears that ‘gene doping’ could be abused by athletes. Meet Marathon Mouse. The rodent genetically engineered in the US can run 5km nonstop on a treadmill, compared with an average…
Even Football Players Without Concussions Show Signs of Brain Injury
Having a concussion may not be the only indicator of brain damage among football players. A recent study from the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Rochester reports that football players may experience long-term brain changes even if they haven’t…
ESPN: Everywhere Sports Profit Network
How did the Bristol-based sports channel become the world’s most powerful media brand? It never forgot the fans
ESPN Holds on to NFL
Cable channel ESPN will pay $15.2 billion over eight years to continue carrying National Football League games, a sharp increase for the U.S.’s most-watched sport as leagues wrestle a bigger cut of rising cable-television bills.
Enough: An Open Letter to Dan Snyder
Dear Dan Snyder, History tends to be unkind to those who make bold proclamations against change. You have made it crystal clear that you believe there is nothing wrong with the name of our region’s beloved franchise and probably perceive…
Dying to Play
The beating goes on. This past Saturday a Tulane University football player, Devon Walker, collided with a teammate while making a tackle. Walker, who is 21, broke his neck. Fans gasped. Doctors performed C.P.R. He may or may not walk…
Does Football Cause Brain Damage?
The critical issues in the clinical management of sports concussion include confirming the diagnosis, excluding structural abnormality and determining when players can be safely returned to competition. Despite the apparent simplicity of this process, the management of this one injury…
Doctors Turn on No 10 Over Failure to Curb Obesity Surge
Major food and drinks firms fuel crisis with irresponsible marketing, claim doctors, who call for ban on fast-food sponsorship deals. The body that represents every doctor in the country has launched an unprecedented attack on the coalition government’s failed strategy…
Division I Schools Spend More on Athletes Than Education
Key Points 1) At schools where athletic budgets top 2470M, tickets are the largest source of revenue, 2) Tuition at four-year public universities increased an average of 38%, 3) Compensation and benefits represent the largest athletic expense
Fatal Distraction: Manhood, Guns, and Violence
As I write this, it’s been only a few weeks since the mass murder of children and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, less than 50 miles from my home. I have grandchildren of the same age as the children who were…
Diversity Study: Black Head Coaches Rarely Get Second Chances
NFL commissioned research project before offseason when no African Americans were hired to prominent leadership jobs Black coaches rarely get second chances at NFL%2C college or coordinator level Report%27s author suggests teams be rewarded with draft picks for diverse hiring…
Digital Seen Surpassing TV in Capturing Our Time
It’s finally happening, folks. This year, the average time Americans spend with digital media each day will surpass traditional TV viewing time. That’s according to eMarketer’s latest estimate of media consumption among adults. The average adult will spend more than…
Designing for Universal Access: How to Reach All Kids?
Despite all of the energy today that goes into organized youth sports in some communities, the system misses a lot of kids. Of the 51 million children between the ages of 6 and 17, only 27 million play team sport…
Derek Boogaard: Blood on the Ice
I didn’t see it coming at all. I was in a bad position and he hit me hard, hardest I’ve ever been hit. I instantly knew it was broken. I didn’t lose consciousness, but I went straight on the ice.…
Derek Boogaard: A Brain ‘Going Bad’
Through the Night and into the next day, as the scrolls across the bottom of television screens spread the news of Derek Boogaard’s death last May, the calls of condolences came, one after another. Among them was a call from…
Derek Boogaard: A Boy Learns to Brawl
Derek Boogaard was scared. He did not know whom he would fight, just that he must. Opportunity and obligation had collided, the way they can in hockey. His father bought a program the night before. Boogaard scanned the roster, checking…
Declaration on Sport and Christian Life
1. Sport has a legitimate place in the Christian life. 2. Sport touches all dimensions of human life. 3. Sport can be a means of spiritual formation.4. Sport can glorify God. 5. Competition is an essential element of sport. 6.…
CPS Challenged on Scarcity of Girls Sports Teams
A Washington law center filed a complaint Wednesday against Chicago Public Schools, saying girls in the district do not receive the same opportunity to participate in sports as boys. The National Women’s Law Center filed complaints against 12 U.S. school…
Cortisone: Is it Worth the Shot?
Key Points: 1) Shots help ease pain, 2) Short-term benefit for sure; long-term effects uncertain, 3) General rule is no more than three or four a year
Confronting an Enduring Taboo (Site Provides a Rare Rorum Ror Gay Athletes)
In the past couple of weeks, a Website called Outsports.com has written about a gay Brigham Young athlete who abided by the university’s honor code, published an essay from a lesbian basketball player at a Catholic girls school in California,…
Concussions Pose Silent Risks to University and Pro Athletes
Concussions have reached epidemic proportions in Canada, warned speakers at a recent panel discussion held at McGill University called Heads Up: On the Concussion Issue. Every year, 160,000 Canadians sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), from accident victims to athletes…
Concern Raised Over Pain killer Use in Sports
When Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey partly tore the plantar fascia in his right foot last May, he turned to a treatment that in recent years has become a go-to elixir for professional baseball and football players: Toradol, an injectable…
Competitive Balance: Best Teams More Dominant Than Ever
Issue number 109 of the Big-5 Weekly Post analysis the evolution in the competitive balance since 2005/06 from the perspective of goals scored and conceded by top ranked teams at the current stage of the season. The findings show that…
College Sports Goes on the Offensive
High-school players are allowed to enter the MLB draft, but if they choose a four-year college, they must stay through their junior year or until they turn 21. […]the 2006 draft, high-school basketball players could jump straight to the NBA,…
Coaching Mobility (Volume I in the Good Business Series)
Examining Coaching Mobility Trends and Occupational Patterns: Head Coaching Access, Opportunity and the Social Network in Professional and College Sport.
Cleaning Up Sumo
Enough with the Toilet Scrubbing Some of the changes required of sumo are easy enough. The choicest matches, for instance, take place at just the hour when most Japanese are beginning their train commute home. Shifting bouts to evening prime…
Cheerleaders with Bible Verses Set Off a Debate
The hand-painted red banner created by high school cheerleaders here for Friday night’s football game against Woodville was finished days ago. It contains a passage from the Bible — Hebrews 12:1 — that reads: “And let us run with endurance…
Cheerleaders Gain Ally in Free Speech Fight
Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday lent his support to a group of East Texas cheerleaders who are fighting in court to keep using banners with Bible verses at public school football games.
CEO Pay in 2012 Was Extraordinarily High Relative to Typical Workers and Other High Earners
The 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s were prosperous times for top U.S. executives, especially relative to other wage earners and even relative to other very high wage earners (those earning more than 99.9 percent of all wage earners). Executives constitute a…
CAC’s Purposeful Play Creates Education Outside the Classroom
CAC’s Purposeful play is based on four key pillars: Our Core Values, Chance to Choice Educational Philosophy, Self-Directed Learning Methodology, and Theory of Change. Coaches Across Continents knows that many individuals and organizations understand the potential power of sport, but…
Broken Promises
WHEN I retired in 2011 after serving 30 years in Congress, there was one set of issues I knew I could not leave behind. I donated $1 million of unused campaign funds to create the Center for Native American Youth…
Brazil Confident World Cup Will Leave a Lasting Legacy
Listen to any Brazilian official talking about their country hosting the 2014 World Cup, and the word they all use is “legacy”. And they say it all the time. Speaking at the Soccerex global business industry convention in Rio de…
Brain Injury Study: A Single Season of Hits May Harm College Athletes’ Ability to Learn
Just a single season of contact sports can take a toll on college athletes’ ability to learn, according to a new study. Overall, one season’s worth of repetitive hits did not seriously harm players’ thinking and memory skills, but when…
Blatter Bribes Warner With TV Bonanza
An explosive confidential letter written by FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke reveals that he and president Blatter secretly bypassed FIFA’s committees to give World Cup television rights to former vice-president Jack Warner, rather than sell them in the open market.
Black Men as College Athletes: The Real Win-loss Record
Frustrated by the endless grumbling about black men’s failures, I have spent much of my career examining how black men get to college and what helps them succeed. We now have hard data, and many of the most effective strategies…
Big Ten Guarantees Graduation Opportunity for its Athletes
All 14 of the Big Ten Conference’s schools have agreed to generally guarantee that any athlete who receives an athletic scholarship will be able to keep that award until they graduate, the conference announced Wednesday.
Beyond Larry Nassar: Hundreds of Athletes Are Fighting USA Gymnastics in Court Over Abuse
Athletes say Nassar was just one abuser of many. A bankruptcy case could be their chance at restitution.
Blatter Tries to Gag 2010 Reporters
As criticism of FIFA grows in South Africa over the huge prices being demanded for World Cup tickets, travel and hotel rooms, Sepp Blatter’s Thought Police are swinging into action, threatening to ban reporters who dare to write stories ‘bringing…
Benching the Title IX Changes
In April, the Obama administration gave itself a victory lap, thinking it had just scored the winning goal by rolling back a 2005 Bush administration Title IX policy clarification. In his announcement, Vice President Biden called the rollback a “no…
Behind Ugly Locker-room Talk Divisions of Class and Race
There’s a joke here about “the great Amherst chain of being.” The phrase evokes an invisible continuum, binding Amherst College students to their alma mater from graduation to grave. It is the strength of this chain that brings alumni back…
Battle of the Sexes Rages on at Olympics
Women boxers have claimed an early victory at the 2012 Olympics by knocking out the last all-male sport but the battle for sex equality at the Games rages on, and not just among women – male synchronized swimmers are also…
Barack Obama is Not Pleased: The President on His Enemies, The Media, and The Future of Football
Barack Obama’s pre-presidential manifesto, The Audacity of Hope, has only one extended riff on gun control—not a homily on behalf of the cause or even a meditation on the deep divisions opened by the debate, but a story of crummy…
At Meeting of Knight Commission, Old Ideas Are New Again
Amid growing scrutiny of college sports, leaders of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics gathered here on Monday to discuss what they called “new approaches for the next era.” The featured speaker was Brian Hainline, chief medical officer of the…