There simply is no ethical justification for colleges calling athletes back to campus while telling other students to stay home
A group of U.S. college football players (#WeAreUnited) have presented a set of demands to Pac-12 athletic conference administrators. The demands vary from COVID-19-based health and safety concerns to economic and racial justice issues. Big Ten football players, through a group called College Athlete Unity, followed with a similar list of demands. It’s clear to…
Americans need to start acting like they’re mature enough to responsibly handle the freedoms they’ve been blessed with
Across the United States, from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to Major League Baseball (MLB), sports fans have looked on as athletes have chosen to stand, kneel or raise a fist during the playing of the American national anthem. Both the kneelers and standers have been attacked on social media in recent days. Some…
Culture change is a messy process. We need to stand up to the ignorant in this fight for social justice
I truly think this time is different. I think as a society, we’re fed up with lingering racial injustice. It’s been heartening to see white leaders in government, corporate America and the sports world step up in a strong way toward social justice in the days since George Floyd died. But this movement toward real…
All of a sudden, the National Football League tells us it’s seen the light. The league’s leaders tell us their draconian reaction to players kneeling during the U.S. national anthem in protest of police brutality and social injustice was all wrong. That they’re very sorry. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even appears to be trying to…
Anger and deep frustration over racism are appropriate responses. Setting fires, breaking windows and looting aren’t
America is clearly broken. We Americans have struggled from the beginning of the nation to live up to our ideals. From our Pledge of Allegiance: “… with liberty and justice for all. …” From our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. …” From our Constitution:…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how connected and interdependent we truly are as a global community
I’ve been blessed with many great sports experiences in my life. Since I was seven years old, I’ve loved playing and watching sports. I enjoy many aspects of sports but what I love the most is the camaraderie. More specifically, it’s the sense of fulfilment that comes from being part of something bigger than myself,…
The man who is trying to give college athletes their due inexplicably doesn't appear in Chicago Bulls documentary
Sonny Vaccaro is to basketball what Marvin Miller was to baseball. They both have had a profound impact on their games; they both fought valiantly for athletes’ rights; and each of them had to deal with a power establishment that tried to rub them out. The latest example is ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary about…
Major League owners need to climb up from behind their wallets and take a hard look at what’s best for the game
Minor league baseball teams, like millions of other small businesses in North America, are in trouble. Big trouble. Unlike their Major League Baseball colleagues who typically get about half their revenue from media rights deals, minor league teams are almost exclusively reliant on ticket sales and in-stadium concession and merchandise revenues. MLB teams could play…
The coronavirus is certainly testing us all. In times like this, it’s natural to look for guidance in dealing with challenges. Wise guidance can come from all areas of life, including the world of sports. I recently came across some wisdom from two sports figures that I think is applicable to the situation we’re in.…
Fans, players and the game deserve a stronger punishment for this blatant disregard of basic fair play and sportsmanship
To Robert D. Manfred Jr. Major League Baseball Commissioner Dear Mr. Manfred: With Major League Baseball on hiatus due to the coronavirus, you have time to revisit the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The Houston organization – and the team’s players in particular – are getting off easy when it comes to punishment for a long-standing…
The emergency NHL goalie did what every sports fan wishes they could do every time they watch the best of the best play
I can’t get enough of the highly improbable David Ayres story. A 42-year-old kidney transplant recipient – and until recently a Zamboni driver for a minor league hockey team – who hadn’t played in a hockey game, at any level, for five years, enters a National Hockey League game in the second period, stops eight…
Sport, at its best, is a co-operative activity in which competitors on both sides play with honour in a mutual quest for excellence
The Houston Astros have a strange way of saying they’re sorry for cheating and tainting the game of baseball, including the World Series. Last week, the Astros staged what was supposed to be an apology press conference for using an elaborate high-tech scheme (well, except the banging on the trash cans part) to illegally steal…
Just allow college athletes to benefit from their names, images and likenesses, like Olympic athletes do
On the same day that NCAA president Mark Emmert was testifying in front of U.S. Congress about how terrible it would be if college athletes were allowed to earn money from their names, images and likenesses – like any other college student or U.S. citizen for that matter – Michigan State was giving Colorado football…
The late basketball legend became a model husband, father, citizen and businessman. But a dark incident in Colorado can't be forgotten
I was walking off the tennis court last Sunday when I saw several texts saying Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash. My first reaction was disbelief, then shock, then sadness. As I got in my car, I wasn’t sure why I was so sad. While I definitely respected his athletic ability and…
Baseball suspensions and fines should reverberate through all sports, down to children's athletics. Cheating is a social ill that needs to be addressed
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred handed the Houston Astros severe penalties for cheating this week. Manfred suspended Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch for a year each for their role in using electronic equipment to steal the signs of opponents. He also fined the organization $5 million and stripped the Astros…
A group of U.S. college football players (#WeAreUnited) have presented a set of demands to Pac-12 athletic conference administrators. The demands vary from COVID-19-based health and safety concerns to economic and racial justice issues. Big Ten football players, through a group called College Athlete Unity, followed with a similar list of demands. It’s clear to…
