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College Sports: Bringing Community Together
Crowds. Tailgates. Never-ending amounts of people waiting behind stadium doors. Ready for a day of chants, screams, scoffs, grunts, and tears (sadness or joy). College sports contain everlasting emotions, generational pride, a drive to win, and a hunger not to lose. These sports never fail to unleash the competitive spirit […]
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Winning the Week
Last week did not get off to a good start for my home team Houston Astros. Their tour of shame entered the Bronx on Tuesday for a three-game set, and the Yankees fans did not disappoint. The socially-distance crowd of ten thousand treated the Astros with the expected anti-social behavior. […]
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Is Nepotism a Necessary Evil?
I recently heard a podcast from two former NFL players discussing Tim Tebow’s return to the NFL, nearly a decade later. Their comments summarized were that Tebow only got the job because 1. Who he knew and 2. He is just a great human. They also referenced his stint in […]
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What Sports Teach Kids: Four Key Skills
As I wrote in my last article, sports have been on the chopping block of school budgets for decades. Physical education classes and extracurricular programs at all grade levels have suffered as districts insist on exam preparation as a more worthwhile pursuit. This is a dangerous trend, as a wealth […]
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The Importance of Facilitating Mentorship Between Athletes
Older elite athletes are something that you do not see very often. Many times, an athlete’s mental and emotional abilities far outweigh their physical abilities. I personally enjoy watching the old person running out on the pitch, field, court, or swimming in the pool. It really shows that with some […]
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Five Harmful Trends to Watch Out For As Sports Restart Post-Covid
It seems we are coming out of this for real. Vaccine distribution is outpacing many even optimistic expectations and trendlines are headed in a positive direction. People are demonstrating far greater confidence in their choices, including this author, who even dined out inside and took public transportation for the first […]
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Sport Driving the Culture of Society
We are all aware of the need to establish a winning culture in sport to achieve optimal performance, but it should also be considered that sport can affect the culture in a society. This is not a new concept; studies have indicated that sport can incite such a wave of […]
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“Change the Routine”: The Ugly Side of a Beautiful Art
After an undiagnosed stress fracture led to an horrific ankle fracture during a routine, aspiring Olympic gymnast Georgia Simpson came to the realization that she would never compete again. Simpson was told that she should “toughen up” and with that her career was over. Years later she laments that “…our […]
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Coach – Protect Yourself!
Most people will now be aware of the ethical mess that some National Governing Bodies (NGBs) get themselves into when the media publicly denounce sports coaches accused of abusive behaviour. In the UK we have seen high profile cases involving football, gymnastics and swimming to name but a few. However, […]
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Searching for Fat Tails
Big-time data analytics has arrived in college football. FCS Division school Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina has hired Kevin Kelley to coach the Blue Hose next year in the Pioneer League. Kelley has been a successful high school coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. For the last […]
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When You Call Me, You Can Call Me Al
Paul Simon wrote a song back in the mid-80s with a chorus that states, “If you’ll be my bodyguardI can be your long lost pal, I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al.” While Paul Simon, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, […]
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“The First and Greatest Victory is to Conquer Yourself”
“In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.” – Robert Collier Melbourne Victory FC were fortunate to have the massively talented Adama Traora on board and the Spanish born superstar was equally […]
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Too Many Cooks With Untrained Intentions
On 5 April five swim coaches from the same swim club all resigned from their posts – just one week before Club Swimming re-opened in the UK. The coaches had all been suspended and were all facing disciplinary hearings. What makes the matter more significant is that the Coaching Team […]
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Funny How Time Slips Away
This past year or so has been tragic. There has been so much death and so much destruction to our way of life. And, unfortunately, our culture has been in survival mode, and it is going to take us years to understand and appreciate all that we have lost. We […]
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Standing Up for What is Right at the Cost of Winning
As youth it is perceived that coaches know best, that is their job, right? To lead, guide, develop, and improve? At what point do we transition from coaches being all-knowing, to seeing athletes as equals on the pitch? Or do we ever? Recently, Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse has seen their players […]
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Sports for the Student Brain
For kids, we often view sports as a way for them to stay healthy, have fun, and get some fresh air. The benefits, though, go deeper, as a study from the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity reveals. After examining decades of educational data, researchers Francois Trudeau and […]
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Who’s Choice is an Athlete led Culture?
Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea FC in July 2003 a number of managers have come and gone and yet trophy winning has been consistent. Managers have been sacked after winning a European cup (Di Matteo and Sarri) whilst club legend Frank Lampard was sacked at the beginning of this year […]
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The Miasma of Winning
The news on Monday that Nadia Comanenci, one of the greatest, if not the greatest Olympic women’s gymnast, is reported to have suffered what is described as “horrorific abuse,” at the hands of her coach Bela Karolyi and his wife Marta, is less shocking than it is saddening. Reports that […]
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The Sport of Disc Golf
Are you looking for a new, interesting, and cheap hobby? Disc golf is all of those things and more. You’ll find an incredibly welcoming community, full of long time vets, tons of newcomers, and every skill level in between. The beginnings of disc golf occurred in the 60s when “Steady” […]
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… And as the Smoke Clears, the Vision Becomes Clear?
In my last article Where There’s Smoke? Or … Unwitting Target? I wrote about the sexual assault case currently being heard in Sydney Australia. NRL footballers Jack de Belin and Callan Sinclair await their fate as the jury continues to deliberate. The pair have pled not-guilty in a case that […]
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Emotional Connections in Sports Coaching
As we all know the best sports coaches are the ones that are able to create strong relationships with their athletes and hence help facilitate great performances from them. As a leader they inspire, motivate and are able to get under the very skin of the athlete, especially those who […]
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Patience and Discipline
Getting drafted in the first round of the NFL draft is an incredible accomplishment. Not only do you have to be a great player who has demonstrated the ability to play at the highest level, but you also have to convince teams that you can make the transition to the […]
