November 3rd had all the makings of a terrible day for me. The skies were gloomy as a cold front approached. I was hobbling around on a painful knee I had injured the week before. And, worst of all, I woke up to awful memories of the night before. The […]
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A couple days ago some shocking news was delivered to us by the NFL. Las Vegas wide receiver Henry Ruggs III had been traveling 156 mph near a residential area where he hit and killed Tina Tintor and her dog. The Raiders were quick to drop Ruggs, but Tina’s life […]
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Two months ago, I wrote about the efforts of my hometown NFL team and my college alma mater to rebuild their teams by changing their cultures. Now we are halfway through the football season, and let’s check-in and see how it is going. The answer is not well at all. […]
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Older siblings can be tough, especially when it comes to athletics. The younger sibling is usually called too short … or too slow … or too weak; okay fine, that was him talking to me. My older brother, Nathaniel “San” Hensh, tragically died on July 21, 2020, and today, November […]
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Baseball and football are different in many ways. They represent different cultures, different lifestyles, customs, and traditions. The mere presence of a timeclock, or lack thereof, defines separate ways of life. Football is fast, and baseball is slow. Baseball fans and football fans also are different. A while back, a […]
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Sometimes, culture and sportsmanship don’t manifest themselves in competition, they are embodied more so in practice and helping the athletes. Zack McBride, the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track and Field Coach at Limestone University weighed in on the topic. “My best moment as an athlete isn’t just one […]
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To many people, culture means different things. For a lucky few athletes, we experience multiple sport cultures. Irwin Brambley, a beloved friend of mine and a decorated All-American wrestler, is one of those athletes. I was fortunate enough to get a brief interview with him. “What is sportsmanship? we learn […]
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Two off-the-field stories have dominated the headlines in the NFL this week. Both involve grossly inappropriate conduct by head coaches, although neither is surprising except that we heard about them. The “clubby culture” in the NFL may be beginning to break down. Finally. First, a short cell phone video of […]
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When one thinks of Culture In Sports, Track & Field (specifically the Pole Vault) embodies the mentality that any athlete should aspire to be a leader and to work hard. When I was eleven years old, I made the decision to be a diverse athlete. Well, that did not work; […]
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In a recent article by the Harvard Business Review (2020), 40% of recent graduates did not feel “job ready” and potential applicants would not even consider applying for entry level positions. They cited a lack of skills as one of the top reasons. It got me thinking about we cultivate […]
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A year ago, talk show host Skip Bayliss criticized Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott after admitting he was suffering from anxiety and depression after his brother’s suicide. His admission was called a sign of weakness, and it would impact his ability to lead. Bayliss apologized, but his reaction reflects what […]
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College student-athletes recently got a boon after the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) allowed them to sell the rights to their names, images, and likenesses from July 1st, 2021 and onward, so now players can be making money without having to go pro. This will be very helpful for athletes […]
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Major League Baseball did something pretty cool earlier this month. They held a regular-season game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa, at the site of the movie set of Field of Dreams. The game seemed like a stunt to draw interest to an […]
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After five years of investigating, the NCAA levied sanctions against Baylor University for mishandling multiple sexual violence cases this week. However, the penalties were not severe. Several key players in the scandal escaped punishment. Why not? Between 2010 and 2015, there were several instances of sexual assault emerged. A pattern […]
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The past two weeks have not been as I expected. Two events I have waited for with anticipation, along with some trepidation, happened on July 23rd, the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the beginning of the second season of Ted Lasso. Surprisingly, the storyline for both has […]
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We are nearly a week into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It has already proven to be an Olympics like none other in the past. The best surprise is the lessons the greatest athletes in the world are teaching us. It’s OK to make yourself vulnerable. Winning isn’t everything. According […]
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When one thinks of what culture in sports means or what is captured in this phrase, there is an excellent chance it is the Olympic Games that they think about. The Games are the largest regularly occurring cultural festival in the world, the greatest coming together of people from different […]
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The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners sent shock waves to the landscape of college football this week by sending signals that they are seeking to leave the Big 12 conference and join the SEC. They are coming on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court decision that allows collegiate athletes […]
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There has been a recent culture shift, where athletes are now using their platform and resources to create spaces for open and honest conversations beyond their sport. HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted is a show starring Lebron James, where he and other celebrity guests, mainly professional athletes, join together in a barbershop […]
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“The Olympics have the power to bring the world together, to inspire, to show what’s possible,” said World Health Organization boss Tedros Adhanom. He added, “May the rays of hope from this land illuminate a new dawn for a healthy, safer, and fairer world.” Yet, the opening ceremony for the […]
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Basketball is in the spotlight right now, but it is having a rough go of it. The USA Olympic team is far from a “Dream Team,” the long-awaited Space Jam 2 is getting terrible reviews, and nobody is watching the NBA Finals. Team USA historically dominates the Olympic basketball competition. […]
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This week, baseball has taken its annual midseason break to celebrate its heroes at the All-Star Game. In a season unlike any other, one hero has stood out by accomplishing feats never done before in the sport. It has been great to get to know him a little bit. Two-way […]
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Winning an international soccer competition is brutal. Changing a culture is more challenging. Somehow, an unlikely leader has managed to accomplish the latter with a new vision based on clear values and patriotic identity. Today, he leads England against Italy in the final of Euro 2020. Winning the match will […]
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Unfortunately, we will not see Sha’Carri Richardson compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics later this month. Richardson is the fastest female athlete in the United States and quite possibly the world. But she broke the rules. You probably have heard of this already, as it has been all over the […]
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Well, it was about time Major League Baseball took a stand! Clear and decisive action is required when players behave poorly. Without it, we risk anarchy. It’s essential to send a message to let the players know that improper conduct will not be tolerated and let the fans know that […]
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It happens every year around this time, but typically a little later and a tad bit less intense. The sun aligns with the star system Sirius and brings heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. The dog days of summer have begun. It was 108 degrees […]
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Have youth sports become a pay to play business model? Are resources equally available to youth of all economic backgrounds? I would argue not. many club teams have scholarship opportunities, but is that enough, when other parents are able to pay for additional specialized training, better equipment, and some times […]
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The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously last Monday not to allow the NCAA to prohibit its student-athletes from receiving benefits related to their education. This decision opens the way to ending the current practice of making huge profits without sharing the proceeds with the players who earned them. There’s […]
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Here in the United States, we are all pretending we are back to normal now. It’s liberating and refreshing. And for the fully vaccinated, well-deserved. But, unfortunately, the party-crashers are threatening to spoil the fun for the guests. Sporting events have shaped the public’s perception of the COVID-19 pandemic. We […]
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Major League Baseball seems to have been in the news a lot lately, mostly for their crackdown on pitchers and illegal substances. Awhile back the White Sox Player Yermin Mercedes broke an “unwritten” rule of baseball by swinging at a 3-0 pitch that resulted in a home run, and the […]
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Getting through a professional sports season is a grind. Packed schedules, travel, and competing at a high level against the best athletes in the world take their toll on the human body. As a result, injuries are piling up at a record clip this year so far in the Major […]
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Major League Baseball does a great job of getting themselves in sticky situations. Unfortunately, the latest one is really sticky. Literally. Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of Spider Tack. I’m guessing neither did you. You can buy a tub of the stuff on Amazon for […]
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This summer, Simone Biles is putting on a show for the ages. Already, she has dazzled us with a Yurchenko Double Pike at the U.S. Classic competition and a stunning floor exercise at the U.S. Championships last Sunday. And the big show is yet to come. However, what Biles is […]
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Recently an interview with Stephen Schoch, pitcher for the University of Virginia baseball caught my attention; not just because it was hilarious but because his comments struck a chord. When asked what makes him nervous, he jokingly said caves, but quickly retorted with “this is just a game, there are […]
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It’s been three months now, and nobody seems to know what to do about the Deshaun Watson situation. What’s becoming clear is that the culture of the National Football League does not align with its core values. At least when it concerns incidents of sexual or domestic violence. Values are […]
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I’m a big fan of Naomi Osaka. She has guts. Not only is she one of the top tennis players in the world, but she is also one of the most effective communicators in professional sports. Once again, Osaka has brought attention to an important issue and started a public […]
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Several months back I wrote about how we as fans contribute to the culture of the game, and yet we find ourselves here again. It seems a few people did not listen. This first week and half of the NBA playoffs have seen a number of fans banned from NBA […]
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The semi-vaccinated public is returning to large gatherings. For over a year, we have either been alone or with close friends and family members. Consequently, now have to face our nemeses once again and learn how to play nicely with them. They didn’t go away, but they are no longer […]
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Phil Mickelson shocked the world and thrilled a large gallery last week by becoming the oldest major champion in golf history. He held off a charge by a much younger Brooks Koepka to win the PGA Championship on a thrilling Sunday afternoon. He looked cool doing it, too, wearing state […]
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Your body is the least interesting thing about you. I stole this from one of my favorite podcasters, Madi Murphy of The Bad Broadcast. Unfortunately, female athletes are still critiqued and judged on their bodies. Liz Cambage of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces was referred to as 300 lbs by […]
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This past Thursday was World Bee Day, honoring the birthday of the world’s first beekeeper. Its purpose is to acknowledge bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem. It’s a good reminder for us to be more like bees. Each bee only makes a small amount of honey in its lifetime. […]
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Congratulations to the Sam Houston State Bearkats for winning the NCAA Football FCS Division championship last week. It was a strange game that ended a peculiar football season, and, in many ways, it may have been a sign of things to come. In Huntsville, Texas, Sam Houston State University is […]
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We know there is no I in team, but there can be one (or sometimes a few) player that heavily influences the team. I recently read about Miami Heat veteran player, Udonis Haslem, and his tenure on the team more so as a mentor than a player. The Heat organization […]
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The Tokyo Olympics are in trouble. The immediate issue is COVID-19. Case rates in Japan are rising while vaccination rates are low. It will take a logistical miracle to figure out protocols and rules on how to follow them effectively. Public pressure is mounting to cancel them altogether. However, there […]
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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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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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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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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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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 […]
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More so than other sports, Major League Baseball is woven tightly into the culture of our society. The two evolve together. Last weekend, the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed the second of two consecutive weekend series. Not only were they seven great games with a sense […]
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Many parents often start their kids in school a year later than they are actually eligible. There are often many reasons for this: size, social development, signs of delayed learning, etc. A common one, is often so their child can be bigger for sports in the future. A concept I […]
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For abusive cultures to survive and even prosper, the abusers need to be supported, they need facilitators. The facilitators are usually management or a funding agency with the role of facilitator varying dependent upon the individual circumstance. Some facilitators of abuse in sport will claim to have not known what […]
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What has gotten you through the past year? Have you taken up baking sourdough bread or nurturing a small jungle of houseplants? According to psychologist Adam Grant, many of us have been in a state of languishing. We’re not depressed or burned out, but just feeling joyless and aimless. The […]
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Sunday night’s announcement that twelve of the largest European soccer teams were pulling out of UEFA Champions League competition to form the new European Super League rocked the football world. The reaction was loud and intense. Politicians screamed. Fans of rival clubs, both in and out of the proposed new […]
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There are plenty of quotes and cliches about the mental aspect of sports. Mountaineer Edmund Hillary, the first to climb Mount Everest, once said: “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” Muhammad Ali stressed that the will must be stronger than the skill. And as legendary women’s basketball […]
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For many in sport, striving to be their best and comparing their efforts against their competition is what pushes the boundaries of performance. Double Olympic Heptathlon Champion Daley Thompson once said he would train twice on Christmas day as he presumed his competitors would only train once. The word competition […]
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“Dude, You’re On ESPN!” That’s what Dom Valdespino told his girlfriend, Hope Trautwein, after she completed the impossible last weekend, a perfect perfect game. That’s right, two perfects. Twenty-one batters came up, and twenty-one batters struck out. No one put a ball in play. Nobody had done this before in […]
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Golf is the antidote to our anxious western culture. To be successful at golf, you have to unlearn many habits that have been drilled into us in school and later as we worked our way up the corporate ladder. Frederick Winslow Taylor and his scientific management style have turned us […]
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When we hear the word “pivot” I’d be willing to bet many of us first think of Ross Geller’s famous “PIVOT!! PIVOT!!” Growing up a dancer, when I hear the word pivot, I think of a change of direction, or a turn. Pivoting is common in many sports: basketball players […]
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Yesterday, Culture in Sports participated in our first webinar. It was with Drexel University’s School of Education’s Sport Coaching Leadership Program. It was a great opportunity for us to share what we are currently working on at Culture in Sports. In addition to writing every day about all topics within […]
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A few hours after this article drops, Culture in Sports will be presenting its first webinar in conjunction with Drexel University’s School of Education’s Sport Coaching Leadership Program. The title and subject matter of this webinar is” A Bad Playing Field: Recognizing and remedying toxic cultures in sport: Perceptions for […]
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How do we instil the values into the athletes in our shared sports culture? How are these values created and subsequently evolve? Are they set in stone for any member of the sports culture to sign up to or do they evolve organically in line with the values of the […]
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Have you seen Ted Lasso yet? If not, you should. It’s not really about what you expect it to be. Sure, the show chronicles a folksy American football coach from Kansas going to England to coach a Premier League team. Much of the comedy centers around the clash in cultures […]
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I love both chocolate and peanut butter. Put the two together, and you have magic. This simple but genius idea behind Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has made Halloween and Easter better holidays. It also created one of the most effective marketing campaigns ever. A guy walking down the street eating […]
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Nelson Mandela is famously quoted as saying “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” This is one of my favorite […]
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Youth sports are a staple of American culture, often viewed as the surest track to developing talented athletes. It makes sense — more practice time and more gameplay lead to better skill and fitness. For parents hoping to see their kids earn a college scholarship or start a pro career, […]
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Have you ever been to a yoga class? If not, you should try it sometime. You learn a lot about yourself, mostly about how inflexible you are. It is a place without judgment. At least they say it is. You hear a lot about this journey you are on, about […]
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“You died on a Saturday morning” No matter how many times I watch Forrest Gump, that line always gets to me. Why did Jenny have to die? She had worked so hard to overcome her demons and redeem herself. She, Forrest, and Forrest should have lived happily ever after in […]
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The nature of sports tends to obscure athletes’ human qualities. We often view them as a source of entertainment, as a distraction from the concerns of the real world. When they step out of their roles as performers, it’s taboo. Athletes using their voices to advocate a cause — a […]
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Sport has had a long a varied history with ethics and ethical behaviour from the systematic abuse of gymnasts to the systematic doping in the peloton. Recently there seems to have been a split into two forms of ethical behaviour: not getting caught vs not doing it at all – […]
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We are all from somewhere, and this is important because it is the beginning of our story. We don’t know how our story ends but we know where it started. Everybody has a story. Each story is different, and each one is interesting. People enjoy sports for many different reasons, […]
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You can tell a lot about an organization’s culture or an individual’s character by how they handle setbacks. There are two paths to go down, acceptance or denial. Setbacks are inevitable. We know this. Lately, it seems that they are coming at us more frequently and with more incredible velocity. […]
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If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get the results you’ve always got. Sometimes, that’s great, when your past results are winning. How long should leaders stay in their position of power? Some very successful coaches and leaders have had very lengthy stays in their positions: Bill Belichick, John […]
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If you are of a certain age and enjoy country music at all, you immediately recognize the lyrics to Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys. Ed and Patsy Bruce wrote this song in 1975, but Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson made it famous in 1978. It […]
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Athletes understand the importance of challenging themselves to reach the next level. Yet, the organizations that support them are stuck in complacency. As a sports fan, I continue to be amazed by the athletes in the events I watch. Whether the competition is amateur or professional, individual or team, local, […]
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In January of 2021 Ryan Smith, the new owner of the Utah Jazz announced that for every Jazz win, they would award a 4-year full ride scholarship to a Utah high school senior to attend a Utah University. They have since awarded 30 scholarships and the Jazz have risen to […]
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“The sea was angry that day, my friends.” Suppose you are, like me, a Seinfeld fan. In that case, you immediately recall this line and remember George Costanza’s speech at the diner explaining how he overcame his fears and saved the whale by extracting Kramer’s golf ball from its blowhole. […]
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In the summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to be involved with the Special Olympics World Games based in Los Angeles, California. I spent the whole week working the volleyball portion of the whole tournament. Teams came from all corners of the world to participate. I have never seen […]
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I wish Tiger Woods well in his recovery. The news of his accident was shocking. Coming just a little over a year after Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, we all wondered if we had lost another of our sports heroes too soon. Fortunately, this time, the accident wasn’t fatal. However, questions […]
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I apologize in advance to all of you haters out there. I am an Astros fan. Still am. Let me explain. I live in The Woodlands, Texas. It is a suburban utopia just north of Houston. As the name suggests, there are lots of trees. It is a master-planned community […]
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With the month of March being celebrated as Women’s History Month in the United States, what could be a more appropriate topic of discussion than the disparity in professional sports between male and female pro athletes? You would be hard pressed to find someone who is not familiar with any […]
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When we are young our days are explorations of anything new. We do stuff because we think it looks like fun; our older brother/ sister does it; dad/ mum says it would be go for us/ it is on the school curriculum/saw it on YouTube …The reasons for why we […]
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In week 17 of the 2020 NFL season the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, in fact they had already clinched the win in their final possession of the game. Most quarterbacks would take a knee and let the clock play out. Instead, Russell Wilson through a pass to […]
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Every team has a culture, the question is what does this culture say about the team? A culture is a set of observable behaviors that are promoted and widely accepted by the organization. Teams whose members are aligned culturally, are more engaged and have better morale which ultimately leads to […]
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It seems difficult in 2021 to separate sports from politics. Calls now are rising on both sides of the U.S. and Canadian border and across the Western nations to organize a boycott of or put pressure on the International Olympic Committee to force a move of the 2022 Winter Olympic […]
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On Tuesday, February 23rd golf legend Tiger Woods experienced a terrifying car accident. His car tumbled down a hill and he was pulled out of the SUV by the jaws of life. After the accident, he was immediately rushed to the hospital and sent to surgery. Tiger Woods experienced a […]
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Marco Lucchinelli is an Italian former professional, and legendary, Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who in 1981 won the FIM 500cc World Championship with Suzuki. He is known for being fast … very fast, and he lived his life that way too. Lucchinelli had a taste for the seamier things in […]
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There are many coaches who say that they remember their losses the most. After the losses, many coaches begin a period of reflection as to why the loss happened, whether the athletes or coaches could have done something differently, or maybe a change to a small part of the training […]
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In Nebraska, where I grew up, everyone knows about the 1972 Nebraska-Oklahoma game. It is known as the “Game of the Century.” Lyle Bremser’s call of the classic Johnny Rodgers punt return is legendary. Still today, it is considered the best game in the history of college football. Unfortunately, it […]
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Okay, full disclosure here, even though this is only my second article, I may ruffle some feathers with these next few statements. I am a native New Englander, which means I have a passion for all things related to New England sports, and a significant distaste for a certain professional […]
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On Monday 22 February the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnston, unveiled the UK’s latest road map to lead the UK out of lockdown into the new ‘normal’ of existing with Covid. 12 April being the date set to resume all sport for those under 18 years old. Lockdowns in the […]
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What role do we have as spectators and fans when it comes to sports culture? We know how toxic it is to have rude parents in the stands of youth games, but why does that seem to be lost at the professional level? Support and loyalty to a team is […]
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There are so many great ideas on how to influence positive change in an organization that are spoken about in academia, leadership circles, and in the news. Everyone has an idea. Everyone is an expert. Everyone wants to give you their idea, but at a cost. The cost normally starts […]
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There are two hallmarks that make North American (U.S. & Canadian, specifically) professional sports different than their global peers. The first of these is that North American pro leagues, going back to the turn of the 20th Century, have been have been aligned toward maximizing the value of their individual […]
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His name was Eddie… he was my first unfortunate experience of sexism in sport, before that I always felt safe on the swimming team and playing netball and softball with my classmates at my girls-only school. Eddie, whose image is forever burned into my memory, was a ‘little’ man and […]
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Last week, LeBron James earned a warning from the NBA for his acting. While his acting was not good enough to win at the Oscars or Golden Globes, it did fool the officials on the court and they called a foul on the opposing player. The Lakers were down by […]
Read More Anyone familiar with sports, and baseball in particular, is sure to have heard of the infamous 1919 scandal involving the Chicago White Sox and the allegations that they “threw” (no pun intended) the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds that year. The background, for those unfamiliar, is that members of […]
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The Australian Football League (AFL) has a long unfortunate history of systemic racism. Although the AFL was the first major sporting code in Australia to adopt a no-tolerance stance over racial-sledging on-field, the sport is proliferated with shameful incidences. Australian sporting fans, it is theorized, struggle to include the indigenous […]
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Bruce Arians already won points in my book when he added two females to his coaching staff. He recently won a few more when I read that he told his staff if they missed their child’s sporting event, he would fire them. His reasoning, he missed too many of his […]
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