Why Sports Need More Theodore Roosevelts Today: Concussions and Leadership
By Doug Abrams By late 1905, college football was at a crossroads. In that season alone, eighteen players had been killed and scores more had been seriously injured during games. Americans cringed at news accounts of bloodshed on the field, and calls to abolish the sport as barbaric grew louder. Games and death did not … Read more
Follow Up on Tommy John Surgery “Sports Edge” Show
By Steve Kallas On the Sunday, May 22,2011 edition of Rick Wolff’s “The Sports Edge” show, Rick paid special attention to an article by John Erardi that appeared in the May 13 edition of The Cincinnati Enquirer entitled, “”Tommy John’ not just for big leaguers.” The article discussed, among other things, the Tommy John surgery … Read more
Travel Teams Continue to Impinge Upon HS Teams
I had seen a troubling column by Paul Tenurio of the Washington Post regarding the United States Soccer Federation, and how the USSF was lengthening its soccer season from 7 months to 10 months. To do that, USSF coaches in Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, and now the Washington, DC metro area have been … Read more
Why are so many young pitchers suffering serious arm injuries?
There was a disturbing piece that ran in the Cincinnati Enquirer last week about two young pitchers from Ohio who had both pitched in the LL World Series a few years ago. They were thrilled to have played in front of thousands in Williamsport, PA. Problem is, due to overuse of their arms and by throwing … Read more
Why Moving the Age of Legal Body Checking to Bantam Hockey is a Good Idea
By Doug Abrams The winds of change are blowing again in youth hockey. USA Hockey, the national governing body for ice hockey in the United States, currently bans body checking in the mite and squirt divisions, which enroll players under the age of 11. Next month, the organization’s board of directors will decide whether to … Read more
The Strange Case of Jorge Posada and Joe Girardi…
You don’t have to be a Yankees fan to become intrigued by the awkward situation that has engrossed the Bronx Bombers. Basically, Jorge Posada, who has enjoyed a wonderful career with the Yanks, finds himself starting this season as the team’s official DH. Even worse, he’s off to a slow start. So, the other day, … Read more
How BBCOR Bats are Affecting the Game of Baseball
The reports are coming in from all over…because of BBCOR bats, baseball coaches everywhere this season are seeing a lot fewer HRs than in recent seasons, fewer runs are being scored, and in general, the game is quickly returning to its roots. In short, the game is beginning to resemble the game how it used … Read more
Are HS Sports Destined to be “Pay to Play?
Over the last two years as the national economy went south, school districts everywhere were faced with cutting budgets…and invariably, the first to feel the pain of cuts were HS sports. In many schools, middle school programs were immediately abolished. Schools began to re-align schedules to play other schools that were geographically closer so that … Read more
If Parents and Coaches Were Angels
By Doug Abrams James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution” and later the nation’s fourth President, had an answer during the 1787 Constitutional Convention for critics who advocated a weak national government. “If men were angels,” he said, “we wouldn’t need government.” But, added Madison, men were not angels, so government was necessary to regulate … Read more
"The Sports Edge"
Doug Abrams
Rick Wolff
Steve Kallas
