Weekly Recap — #Sportsbiz, Superfights, and super fast citizens
Sorry I’m a day late on this. Started to write this post Sunday morning but got off on a tangent about SAE bros, n-bombs and whether hip-hop makes white people say racist things. Anyway, folks keep telling me they’re working to keep track of everything I publish. It doesn’t always come up in their Facebook … Continue reading
So I’m Running the Chicago Half Marathon
Like many journalists I’m a procrastinator by nature but this week, for once, I made a decision and took action well in advance of any deadline. Tuesday night I registered for the Chicago Half Marathon, which takes place Sept. 7, starting and finishing in Jackson Park. A crew of us are getting together in Toronto for … Continue reading
Controversy surrounds Lolo Jones, but this one’s not on her
Last Sunday world-class hurdler and 2012 Summer Olympic media darling Lolo Jones was named to the U.S. bobsled team for next month’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, a mild surprise given her performance on the World Cup circuit but an inevitable choice when the squad’s selection criteria are both stats-based and subjective. To arrive at is … Continue reading
Sprinting, steroids and questions we don’t want answered
Drugs that enhance performance aren’t exactly rare in high-level sport — or in recreational gyms for that matter — and I state the blatantly obvious because we still insist on taking it personally every time a pro athlete is ensnared in a doping scandal. Then we slit the throats of our sacrificial lambs, allow the … Continue reading
Long Live Dontae; Long Live The Woodlands Rams
So if you’ve noticed the last couple of days I’ve been gushing on social media like an obnoxiously proud parent, it’s because I feel like one. Or at least like a big brother. Sunday morning Canada’s men’s 4×100 metre relay team crossed the line fourth in the final at the IAAF World Championships, but were … Continue reading
Jeff Demps: Back on Track and 21 Forever
Really gloomy times in my profession, but Olympic silver medallist and New England Patriots kick returner Jeff Demps just brightened my day by announcing he intends to return to the track this spring and summer. This is big news for a track nerds like me, and for anybody else who wonders whether the U.S. track … Continue reading
Jeff Demps sprints to the NFL at the perfect time
The track nerd in me rejoiced when I saw former University of Florida two-sport star Jeff Demps settle into the blocks to run the leadoff leg for the United States’ 4 x 100-metre relay team in the semi finals at the Summer Olympics in London. Most American sports fans probably knew him as a powerfully-built … Continue reading
Here’s the thing about Lolo Jones
First, a disclaimer: If you follow this blog or know me personally you know I’m more than a passive observer of any 100-metre hurdles race at the world class level. I make that fact clear only to make this one clear: my thoughts on this particular topic are mine and mine alone. The opinions expressed … Continue reading
More predictable than an Usain Bolt victory? The NFL question
About an hour before the men’s 100-metre dash final at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games I tried to pre-empt a conversation we all knew would arise about whichever man triumphed in the most intense (less than) 10 seconds in sport. It’s the same discussion that crops up every four years, as the mainstream sports world … Continue reading
My (un) biased take on the false start rule: It stinks
Full disclosure: When a listfranc fracture in her left foot kept Canadian hurdle heroine Perdita Felicien out of the 2008 Olympic Games, she spent much of her summer in Mississauga, Ontario, staying in shape as best she could without running, and often that meant climbing on a bike and repeatedly riding up a steep hill … Continue reading
Morgan Campbell: A Writer on Sports and More 