A sport yields immense power in a young athlete’s life. It challenges an athlete to grow, not only in physical strength but in the confidence to use it. Success on the field or court is met with praise and the exciting possibility of scholarships and fame. But as athletes begin to excel at a sport, they may become fixated on …
Why Sports Matter
The Power of Sports for Racial Equity Recent headlines in sports news are about far more than wins and losses. As the nation reeled under police violence this summer, athletes took a stance. Their social media pages called for justice and racial reconciliation. Their stadiums became voting centers, and their fans listened and voted. A quick look at sports news …
Spring Sports or Not, the Common Good Should Be Our Priority
Many athletic conferences put on a good face this fall when they took a bullet to their budgets and canceled fall competitions. The NCAA resentfully followed suit, first canceling Division III, and then finally calling off money-making sports when grim COVID-19 data presented no other alternatives. Now, however, despite COVID cases surging nationwide, colleges, the public, and the athletes themselves …
The Silver Lining of COVID-19 Cancellations
Student-athletes were already confused about their identity. Then coronavirus cancellations hit. The Big 10. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Ivy League. In the weeks leading up to the fall semester, college athletic conferences announced canceled seasons like gongs of a death toll. The Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Northeast-10 Conference. The New England Small College Athletic Conference. Division I, II, and …
Student-athlete activists deserve our empathy
Something strange played out in American college athletics this summer. While our nation rallied in the wake of police brutality, organizing and demonstrating with a renewed focus on eradicating systemic racism, student-athletes took to the front lines. Players with massive social media followings provided real-time feedback to virtual stadiums of fans and observers, attentive to their every word. And when …
