As has been well documented, athletic programs in our high schools have various impacts on the academic values and priorities and school culture and environment. For example, students involved in sports are more “engaged” in school and as a result less likely to cut classes or skip it entirely. On the other hand, a case […]
One of the most important and powerful impacts of sports is in the universe of social change, particularly as it relates to diversity and civil rights. The fundamental principles that drive progress in these areas are tolerance, acceptance and cooperation. Sports are a very effective platform through which these principles can be demonstrated. There is
The Times They Are a Changing: Sports, Music and Social Change Read More »
USA Football, the NFL funded national governing body for the sport recently held its annual meeting in Orlando. According to a January 30, 2018 account in the New York Times, they would have been better off holding it at a beach resort as it would have made it much easier for participants to dig holes
High School Tackle Football: Its Origins Foretell its Future Read More »
“When I feel athletic, I go to a sports bar.” — Paul Clisera In the coming weeks, America will be overcome by “madness”. Throughout the country, sports fans, both casual and hard-core, will focus their attention on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In bars and bakeries, at the dinner table and over phone lines, people
Nick Bouniconti’s Most Impactful Play Nick Bouniconti Nick Bouniconti always had a big impact on the football field. As middle linebacker, Bouniconti anchored the defense of the greatest football team in history, the undefeated 1972 Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins. Whether sacking a quarterback or tackling a running back short of a first down, Bouniconti
Originally published in the June 15, 2015 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Why Not Flag Football? It’s time for parents, school officials, the sports media, fans and anyone else who continues to resist the need to reconsider and re-imagine tackle football at the youth, junior high and high school levels to take a long, hard
I’ve participated in, worked in, studied, researched and written about college athletics for over 40 years. It’s not often that I see something that makes me sit up, take notice and say “Are you kidding me?” Last week I had such a moment when LSU announced that it signed its’ defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda, to
College Coaching Salaries: A New Level of Absurdity Read More »
When football legends Bo Jackson, Harry Carson and Mike Ditka say it, it’s a big deal. People pay attention to what athletes of their stature say. The “it” is that they would never let their sons play football. With increasing revelations regarding the link between tackle football and brain trauma, this should come as no
Creating a Football “Safe Space” for Kids and Parents Read More »
By Laine Higgins Texas A&M University on Thursday will hold a lottery in which the winners walk away with an unusual—and very expensive—prize: The right to pay $100,000 for a hotel reservation. The six-figure price tag is largely based on a single amenity: The yet-to-be-built hotel will sit across the street—96 feet away, to be
WSJ – Coming Soon to Campus: The $100,000 Hotel Room Read More »
There were two recent items in the media regarding high school tackle football that, taken together, provide a strong hint of the future of the sport in our schools. The first was a report that a three-judge panel of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court rejected an attempt by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to have a
High School Football: The Folly of Trying to Sustain the Unsustainable Read More »
