Butterfinger bets “One Million” on Pacquiao — For Real?
A news release that landed in my inbox. Reprinted here in full. This is an actual thing: Subject: BUTTERFINGER BETS ONE MILLION ON PACQUIAO TO WIN ON MAY 2 World Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao Trains with Butterfinger Cups for Fight of the Century Glendale, CALIF. (April 1, 2015) – Upon learning that NESTLÉ® BUTTERFINGER® CUPS … Continue reading
The story behind #Sportonomics
Confession: In August 2011, the moment I learned I’d been traded from the Toronto Star’s sports department to its business team, I felt a twinge of anxiety over how I’d manage this task. More than a twinge, actually. I worried for a week about how I’d connect with an audience interested in finance and the economy … Continue reading
Cinco de Mayweather: Preview to the Previews
Ha llegado el Cinco de Mayo, an annual holiday that for me means a hard morning workout followed by diet-destroying gluttony at places like La Mexicana or Tacos el Asador. Days like this I treat the menu like Williams treated the escorts in Enter the Dragon. Waitress: Sir, would you like the pulled pork soft tacos … Continue reading
Floyd Mayweather 2.0? A Motor City Postscript
Back in Canada and still recovering from 24 hours in Detroit, where the drinks are stiff (the young lady tending bar at Cutters promised her Jameson with a splash of Faygo ginger ale would put hair on my chest), and where rebirth has been a running theme for nearly four decades. On the banks of … Continue reading
Told y’all I’m not dead: Venezuela to the Woodshed
Just a quick note to thank you all for you patience, with a special shout out to those of you who missed me enough to ask where the hell I’ve been for the last seven weeks. As I pointed out before my hiatus, I’m not dead — but I did spend a few weeks buried under … Continue reading
NCAA, Pay-for-play and the search for sympathetic victims
Monday night the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team vanquished the Kansas Jayhawks to win their first national championship in 14 years and tie together several compelling subplots. There’s the one about high-profile coach John Calipari delivering an NCAA crown to long-suffering fans who expect Sweet 16 appearances like the rest of us expect taxes. And … Continue reading
Morgan Campbell: A Writer on Sports and More 