Confronting the complicated basketball bubbles
Tuesday marked the end of a complicated experiment for fans of basketball and advocates of social change alike. Breanna Stewart concluded her successful return from an Achilles injury to the…
Sports
Despite a new strategy for the playoffs, baseball continues to toe the line on COVID-19
Well, they made it. Almost. Major League Baseball (MLB) survived its chaotic, shortened, 60-game season and has begun its postseason. And this may have been the strangest year in MLB…
Why the 2020 NBA finals trophy will be made of glass
After the Sunday night tilt between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, one thing was clear: the Heat would not be swept. In the 2020 NBA finals, they…
With venerable captains at the helm, Vassar athletic teams tackle new challenges in stride
The first practice for any new senior team captain is a little nerve-wracking. That isn’t to say they’re not confident—after all, they are walking into their fourth year as true…
Why patriotic songs at sporting events make me uneasy right now
On a bright, sunny summer day less than a year after a norm-defying election that profoundly shook my faith in humanity, I got uncomfortable at a Yankees game. It started…
Sports, seasons and birthdays prompt writer melodrama
There are two birthday boys that I’d like to celebrate this week. I’ll start with the youngest of the pair because he did something spectacular last Saturday. You have probably…
Statistical Chatter: Qualifying the value of NFL head coaches
There have been 60 National Football League head coaches since 2014. Considering 28 of them have had to seek different employment in the intervening years, we might ask: How can…
Despite unequal access, women’s sports leagues provide additional evidence in favor of a bubble strategy
In my last article, I discussed the varying levels of success that the NBA, MLB and NHL experienced in returning to play during the pandemic, and expressed skepticism at the…
Stat Chat
Stat of the week: 1.13, the average number of 60-game stretches per season in which a player hit .400 or higher. In the 79 years since Ted Williams hit .400,…
Fears over NFL’s resistance to change loom over Week One hopes
As America exits a summer marked equally by protest and pandemic, many, including myself, are eager for fall and football. But just because football is back does not mean the…