League of Fans sports policy director, Ken Reed, has a new book out. It’s titled, The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place. It is Reed’s fifth book.
Here’s a short description of the book:
Sports, at their best, matter. They can positively impact society and a large […]
By Ken Reed
.901.
That’s Urban Meyer’s winning percentage at Ohio State.
It’s also the only reason he’s still the head coach at Ohio State today.
After protecting — and covering up for — despicable assistant coach Zach Smith — and lying about it — Ohio State’s board of trustees gave Meyer a 3-game suspension […]
Guest Essay
By Alden S. Blodget, with Thomas Babson
The problem
Here’s what my grandson said about his experience as a referee in youth soccer:
“I did not like being a ref one bit, and I’m very happy to be done with it. It was very stressful, and I hated all of it. I […]
By Ken Reed
Larry Fedora is the head football coach at the University of North Carolina and he had a few interesting things to say at ACC football media days this week.
Fedora believes that if football declines in the United States — due to links between playing the game and CTE, a chronic […]
The following is a guest submission to League of Fans from Gerry Chidiac, a high school teacher and freelance sportswriter with over 30 years of experience in Canada, the United States and Africa.
It’s unfortunate that we often forget the people who come second.
Jackie Robinson is rightly honored as the first African-American to play […]
— Guest Submission by Gerry Chidiac
It is becoming clearer than ever that mental health issues are very real and very prevalent in our society. There are few of us who are not impacted, either by living or working with people who struggle, or dealing with our own mental well-being.
Mental health issues are nothing […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
January 17, 2018
It is widely believed that the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) does the worst job representing its players of all the pro sports league player unions in the country.
Enter Cyrus Mehri, one of the nation’s most effective social justice and worker […]
By Ken Reed
The Denver Post
November 17, 2017
Youth and high school football players in this country experience more full-contact practices during the season than their college and professional counterparts.
Does that make any sense?
The brains of youth and high school players are still developing. Yet, we allow them to […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
August 25, 2017
In a land of people who treasure their freedoms, why do so many people hate Colin Kaepernick for exercising his First Amendment-sanctioned rights?
I truly appreciate the fact that the national anthem is very meaningful to a lot of people. To some, it’s […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
July 11, 2017
The only industry in the United States in which you as a business owner can do pretty much whatever you want is the sports industry.
The four major professional sports leagues in this country — MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL — operate […]
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #32 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Prolific Author Joe Posnanski Joins the Show – Posnanski is one of America’s best sportswriters and has twice been named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. We chat about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball,” his new Substack newsletter called Joe Blogs, and we cover topics including how baseball treats its fans, MLB’s numerous rule changes this past season, how the sport can become more fan-friendly, the greatness of Negro Leagues champion Buck O’Neil, and much more.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #31 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Foul Ball Safety Is Still an Important Issue at Ballparks – Our guests are Jordan Skopp, founder of FoulBallSafety.com and Greg Wilkowski, a Chicago based attorney. We discuss the historical problem of foul balls injuring fans and why some teams are still hesitant to put up protective netting in some minor league and college baseball parks.
Episode #30 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The State of College Athletics with Dr. David Ridpath: Problems and Potential Solutions – Ridpath is a sports administration professor at Ohio University and a member of The Drake Group, a college sports reform think tank.
Episode #29 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Honorable Tom McMillen Visits League of Fans’ Sports Forum – McMillen is a former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Congressman. We discuss the state of college athletics today.
Episode #28 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: A Chat With Mano Watsa, a Leading Basketball and Life Educator – Watsa is President of PGC Basketball, the largest education basketball camp in the world. We discuss problems in youth sports today.
Episode #27 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Kids’ Sports: How We Can Take Back the Game and Restore Quality Family Time In the Process – Linda Flanagan is author of “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports and Why It Matters.” We discuss how commercialized and professionalized youth sports are hurting kids and their families.
Media
"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.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
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.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books