Hello everyone and welcome to the third installment of the weekly review. Thank you to all who have subscribed and especially the new subscribers.
Because a couple folks have asked, I figured I should clarify my mission here: the only limit on content I’m sharing is that I read it in the previous week. Thus, while some things are rather current and topical, others are simply interesting sports-related things that I came across or re-read in the past seven days. Hope you enjoy.
Inside The Lines: The Best Writing On Sports I Read This Week
The Confederate Flag Didn’t Bother Bubba Wallace. Until it Did. By Juliet Macur, via the New York Times. This story has only gotten more complicated given the noose-in-the-garge incident and related fall out, but this is still a great read for our current moment. I don’t think any of us expected a reckoning with race in the sport of NASCAR. Hell, when I first heard the name “Bubba Wallace” a few years ago, I could only imagine that someone with that name in that sport must be a white dude.
Marco Rubio’s NIL Bill Sucks. By Matt Brown, via his Extra Points newsletter. NCAA name-image-likeness rights are a critical issue in the college sports world and things are only getting messier as the federal government gets involved. This piece captures much of the current landscape.
Can a Championship Be a Catharsis From Crisis? By Brian Phillips, via the Ringer. Liverpool FC just won their first title in 30 years, this article explores what the title might mean given all that is going on.
How Much Did the Saints Help the Catholic Church on Its Sex Abuse Crisis? More Than They Admitted. By Jenny Vrentas, via Sports Illustrated. Heavy heavy stuff. Thanks to Matt Bowers for sending this my way.
The Story of Moe Norman, Golf’s Troubled Genius. By David Owen, via Golf Digest. Another one courtesy of Matt. This is a great and long read on athlete I didn’t know much about. Even non-golf folks should enjoy it.
The Week on SportsThink
I shared an interesting tidbit of research on the effects of stadiums on local retail. I also wrote a brief analysis and shared a bunch of links on the intersection of sport and geopolitics in the Arab world, of interest given the UFC’s trip to Abu Dhabi next month, as well as an ongoing attempt by Saudi Arabia to purchase Newcastle United in the EPL. Finally, I discussed the game play implications of fanless sports, building on the early returns that golfers seem to be doing better without fans.
And Some Other Stuff
We just finished the ESPN Lance Armstrong documentary last night. It’s good and you should watch it. I’ll be writing something on it in the next week or two
If you’re looking for a non-sports summer read, I’ll endorse David Baldacci’s One Good Deed, a totally fun and fast noir-ish thriller set in the post-WWII era. As a kid, my dad wouldn’t let me have the books we bought for a trip before we got to the airport because he knew I’d read everything before the trip even started. Some things don’t ever change. I bought this after reading a good review, thinking I’d take it on our beach trip next weekend. I made the mistake of opening it up and blew through it in a few nights. It’s the first Baldacci I’ve ever read, as I’ve been too big of a snob to give him a shot. Shame on me and I’m sure I’ll read more.
That’s all for now. Happy reading and be on the lookout next week for an earlier edition, featuring some USA centric reads for the holiday weekend. Stay safe everybody.