By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
May 27, 2015
As a teenager, I remember my parents and coaches, on several occasions, telling me how important sportsmanship was. I recall hearing them paraphrase the old Grantland Rice quote, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
I would […]
Continue Reading →: Sportsmanship: It Truly Is What It’s All About
By Ken Reed
Like all change agents and reformists, Kain Colter has been experiencing a lot of resistance.
Colter, the former Northwestern quarterback, is heading an effort to give college football players the right to unionize. And as you might imagine, it’s been a bumpy road.
“I had one guy tell me that his son […]
Continue Reading →: Kain Colter: The Leader of the Northwestern Unionization Effort
By Ken Reed
America seemingly can’t get enough of Deflategate. Did New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady orchestrate a scheme to lower the pressure in NFL game balls to a level slightly below league specifications? Did Brady and the Patriots design a coverup? Does the NFL have it out for the Patriots and their bully […]
By Ken Reed
Many of you have probably attended a professional sporting event in stadiums and arenas across the country and seen the salutes to members of the military on the giant Jumbotron. It’s an emotional scene.
Unfortunately, in the case of the NFL, the whole thing is a sham.
As an example, during timeouts at […]
By Ken Reed
The last week hasn’t been a good one for pro sports, and the concepts of sportsmanship, integrity, honor, and ethics.
The NFL, which constantly preaches about protecting the integrity of the shield (the NFL’s logo), made Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston the top pick in its annual draft.
To say the least, […]
Continue Reading →: A Flurry of Character Defects in Pro Sports
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
May 6, 2015
“I’ve gotten letters asking me why I’m always picking on ‘Our Team.’ I write back asking how come you’re picking on a writer from ‘Our Newspaper?’ Do you root for General Motors? Well, the ball club is a business enterprise as is General […]
By Ken Reed
Kentucky’s John Calipari takes a lot of heat for recruiting one-and-done players that come to campus for a semester of basket-weaving classes and then go pro. However, conservative Duke University, and its basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, might be the new masters of the rent-a-high-school player (please don’t call them “student-athletes”).
Duke won […]
Continue Reading →: Big-Time College Sports Sham Continues Unabated
By Ken Reed
According to participants in a panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference, women are increasingly helping to set the agenda in the worlds of sports, athletics, and fitness.
“Women have a seat at the table like we’ve never seen before,” said Christine Driessen, ESPN’s chief financial officer.
Much of the […]
By Ken Reed
The big fight approaches. “Bring it on!” yell sports fans. Pay-per-view execs clamor on and on about this “great event” and the record riches that the Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao fight will bring.
But nobody seems to want to address the fact that Mayweather is a serial abuser of women […]
Continue Reading →: Mayweather: A Great Boxer But Despicable Human Being
By Ken Reed
After a four-year battle, federal judge Anita Brody approved a $1 billion NFL concussion settlement agreement earlier this week.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league owners are celebrating the deal.
A group of former players who are suffering from the effects of football-induced brain trauma (including Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease), […]
Continue Reading →: NFL Concussion Settlement Good for Owners, Bad for Everyone Else