The SportsThink Review #117
October 25, 2024: FERNANDOMANIA
The SportsThink Review highlights my favorite sport-related content.. Most things I share are recently published, but some are not; the only rule is that I’ve read or encountered them recently. Some are relevant to my day job as a professor teaching courses on the business, history, and philosophy of sports. Others are just plain interesting, relevant to my lifelong obsession with the games we play. I also occasionally share articles and assorted musings on Twitter. The newsletter is free, but comes with two requests. 1. I’m always open to suggestions, so send me the good stuff that you read! 2. If you enjoy the newsletter, please share it with other folks who might enjoy it as well. Finally, I try to focus on non-paywalled writing, but if you find yourself unable to access anything, just hit reply to the email and I’ll do my best to get you a copy. Thanks for reading!
Howdy folks, happy Friday. A big, big thank you to everyone who came out the Sport Technology and Innovation: New Perspectives symposium in DC this week. We had a phenomenal group of presenters in an amazing setting and while the event is done, it felt more like the beginning of bigger things in the sport innovation space rather than a culmination. Busy week with the travel, so we’ll celebrate the start of the World Series and the passing of an all-time great. Back to regular programming next week.
RIP Fernando Valenzuela
I mentioned a few recent passings last week, but this one hit hard. The Dodger legend was a big figure in my household growing up, a Los Angeles immigrant success story paralleling my parents’. My dad was a good sport about supporting my baseball endeavors, but I’m not sure he could name many pros beyond Fernando, who captured hearts in LA and beyond in those days. Honestly, I think dad loved the Fernando songs as much as anything.
There have been several nice tributes, but I’ll recommend Scott Miller’s from the LA Times. And I’ll always recommend the great 30 for 30 documentary, Fernando Nation.
I’ve had Fernando looking over my shoulder in the office for years, but I figured it was time to let him breathe a little bit. Before the collector nerds gasp, trust that I was never letting this one go; resale value be damned.
I imagine there will be a tribute during the World Series, very much looking forward to that. If you’re trying to kill time until the first pitch tonight, here’s the final inning of Valenzuela’s 1990 no-hitter. Vin Scully on the call? Straight into my veins. (Kirk Gibson’s 1988 walk-off autoplayed for me as this one finished. I could run a marathon right now.) Go Dodgers!
As always, thanks for reading. Share the newsletter far and wide and send me cool things!
See you next time,
Tolga