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Can the NFL Recover Its Own Fumble?

blog, football / /

My father was a successful high school football coach. He was an old school, three yards and a cloud of dust sort of coach. Nothing bothered him more than watching his offense fumble the football. Offenders of what he considered the ultimate football sin were made to carry a football around school all day, every day until the next game. Conversely, as a defensive minded coach, nothing delighted him more than when his defensive unit caused and recovered a fumble.

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The Future of Tackle Football: The Bricks Just Keep Coming

blog, Education, football, John Gerdy, Sports / /

Sometimes you can repeat a phrase or articulate a theory or belief so often that it begins to become simply background noise or, if repeated enough, irrelevant. I am referring to my ongoing use of the metaphor, “another brick in the wall” as it relates to the future of tackle football in America. It seems

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The Future of Tackle Football: Another Couple of Bricks in the Wall

blog, football, John Gerdy, Sports / /

An old friend called recently. We were catching up on news of kids, recent travel and various body aches and pains when he announced he had something to tell to me.  “I’m quitting football.” I found this a bit confusing because at age 60, his playing days are long over. Besides, he played basketball in

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‘Strange Fruit’ to ‘Hey Jude’: Music Protests Large and Small

Art, blog, John Gerdy, music / /

For my money, WBGO, which airs out of Newark, NJ, is the world’s finest jazz station. Founded in 1979, WBGO is “a publicly supported cultural institution that preserves and elevates America’s music: jazz and blues.” Due to the wonders of the internet, you can livestream WBGO anywhere in the world. In this case, I was

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Envisioning a Better Model for Interscholastic Sports

blog, Education, John Gerdy, Sports / /

Athletes often use a technique called “visualization” to improve their chances of success. For example, the athlete imagines an act such as hitting a baseball or envisions reacting during a competitive situation. It is believed that if the athlete sees herself performing a particular skill, it will improve her chances of actually performing that skill

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Guns for Teachers? How About More Violins for Students?

Art, blog, Education, John Gerdy, music / /

Originally published in Lancaster Online on May 25th, 2018   As I walked home from the March for our Lives rally for gun control and school safety in Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Binns Park, being one of millions of participants in the estimated 800 events worldwide, I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe…possibly…this time will be different.”The typical

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America’s Game Slipping Out of Touch with American Values?

blog, football, John Gerdy, Sports / /

America’s Game Slipping Out of Touch with American Values? One of the most defining influences on my athletic career was when the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl. The Jets, from the upstart American Football League, were lead by the brash, shaggy-haired, nightlife-loving Broadway Joe Namath. The Colts represented the

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