High schools need to find the money to fund a full-time athletic trainer who is nearby for practices and games
The fact Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to return to a game against the Buffalo Bills after clearly suffering a concussion is terrible. The fact he was allowed to play four days later in a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in which he sustained a second concussion, is worse. And it…
A high-performance car for buyers who like to drive with enthusiasm and want everyone to know it
The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro offered a wide range of powertrain choices, including a convertible and the hell-raising ZL1. General Motors was banking heavily on baby-boomer nostalgia with this, the fifth-generation version of the Camaro. Aside from the fact that it delivered better fuel economy than its predecessors, had better handling and braking, and was more…
Accepting that you can fail leads you to handling failure during a competition
As an athlete, coach and sports fan, I’ve long been enamoured with the subject of confidence in sports, more specifically, how you get it and maintain it. I’ve been equally enamoured with the phenomenon of choking in the sports arena. Why do our minds sometimes sabotage our efforts to perform well by feeding us self-doubt…
Perfectionism has been shown to be a leading cause of depression and, thus, suicide
As Shalise Manza Young pointed out in a recent column for Yahoo! Sports, at least five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes in the United States have died by suicide in the last couple of months. One young person committing suicide is a tragedy. Five young student-athletes with bright futures taking their lives in such…
A mixed bag performance at best
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, concluded on Sunday. The most appropriate term to describe this international sporting event? A mixed bag. The Games were held in a communist country with a long history of authoritarian rule. Most western democracies suggested their athletes take very few personal items to Beijing – or none…
New study identifies key areas for actions to improve gender equity in sport at all levels
When a female elite athlete announces her pregnancy, she can prepare herself for a slew of congratulatory messages wishing her well – on her retirement. At least, that was a typical experience for many within a group of 20 female athletes participating in a recent study. The surveyed athletes, who had either trained or competed…
High expectations and lack of crowds among the many pressures athletes will face at this year’s Games
Team Canada walked into the National Stadium in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday – but it’s not just another day at the office for these elite athletes. They’ve trained and prepared for every eventuality, but the Olympics is unlike any other sporting event. “The Olympics is a circus.…
The 31-year-old pro wrestler has quickly become one of sports entertainment’s most intriguing phenomena
When it comes to pro wrestling in North America, Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment is the largest and most profitable promotion. But in just three years, Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling has become the second-biggest promotion and is starting to gain ground in popularity, viewing numbers and recognizable names. Established veterans like Adam Cole, Bryan…
Kids become performers in a spectacle, under the authoritarian oversight of the head coach
Educational, physical, emotional and spiritual developmental goals for youth and high school sports programs are increasingly being brushed aside by win-at-all-costs and profit-at-all-costs ethos. The professionalization of youth sports organizations, our ‘little leagues,’ is appalling. Adults – parents and coaches – treat youth sports like the big-time pro and college versions. Kids quickly learn from…
According to a study from researchers at the Boston University CTE Center, each year a person endures repetitive head collisions from playing football the risk of developing degenerative brain disease increases by 30 per cent. In addition, for every 2.6 years of play, the risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) doubles. This study quantifies…