By Ken Reed
Major college sports programs mimic professional sports. They are revenue-generating and profit-making machines.
In a recent Forbes article by Chris Smith, just how rich our country’s top 25 college football programs are was revealed.
“So much for amateur athletics — the sport’s 25 most valuable programs combine to earn an average […]
By Ken Reed
In a recent Washington Post commentary, Dr. Robert Cantu, clinical professor of neurology and neurosurgery and co-founder of the CTE Center at the Boston University School of Medicine, and Mark Hyman, professor of sports management at George Washington University, suggested the following Surgeon General’s Warning be placed on all youth football helmets […]
Pressure From Coaches Jeopardizes Athletes’ Health
By Ken Reed
John Gerdy is one of my favorite sports reformers. He has an extensive background in many aspects of sports. His essays on various sports issues are always well thought out and supported.
In the September issue of his newsletter Quick Hits, John has a compelling […]
By Ken Reed
A survey of 3,500 former NFL players, conducted by Harvard researchers, revealed NFL players are six times more likely to suffer from a variety of cognitive problems than members of the general public.
“These guys are such fantastic athletes, but a significant percentage of them are doing serious damage to themselves,” […]
By Ken Reed
Too many sports fans view athletes as robots designed to play games for their entertainment.
They sit in the stands, or on their sofas, a cold beer in their hands, and yell at injured players for being “too soft” and “not tough enough.” They think jocks should just “suck it up” […]
By Ken Reed
The latest episode of Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel on HBO looks at the shocking number of high school football players who have died as a result of heat stoke resulting from intense football practices, often conducted during periods of intense heat.
The sad part is that all of the […]
By Ken Reed
As part of a lawsuit alleging that Major League Baseball (MLB) owners are not complying with minimum wage laws, minor league players won a victory in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday when it was ruled that the class-action suit could proceed. The appellate court’s ruling reversed a […]
By Ken Reed
By all accounts, Maxim Dadashev was a terrific young man. Now he’s dead. At 28. Because of a boxing match.
Dadashev died late last month after taking a beating during a boxing match in Oxon Hill, Md. He collapsed shortly after leaving the ring and was rushed to a nearby hospital. […]
By Ken Reed
There are folks in a couple other professions out there besides football player and hockey player that have to think about the dangers of blows to the head: baseball catchers and umpires.
For both catchers and home plate umpires, foul tips that go off a hitter’s bat and straight into the face […]
By Ken Reed
Back in 2006-07, 384 NHL games featured at least one fighting major, which was 31.2% of all games.
During the 2018-19 season, there were fewer than 200 games with a fighting major, the first time in the modern era the total had dropped that low.
There are several reasons for the […]
- "How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues. - Ken Reed's Author Page on Amazon
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.