The SportsThink Weekly Review #30
January 15, 2021
Hello and welcome to the thirtieth edition of the Weekly Review! A busy week for me on the eve of the spring semester, so let’s get right to the content.
Inside the Lines: My Favorite Sports Reads of The Week
The Man Who Captured the Hand of God Has Been Erased from History, by David Davis, via Defector. All soccer fans—and most sports fans—are familiar with Maradona’s legendary goal-that-shouldn’t-have-been. Very few of us are familiar with Alejandro Ojeda Carbajal, the man responsible for the iconic photo of the “mano de Dios.” Really well reported piece from Davis.
Davante Adams is Peaking in Every Way Possible, by Mirin Fader, via the Ringer. I don’t share a lot of athlete profiles, but this one was really nicely done. On the path Adams has travelled to become the best in the game, what he’s overcome, and the meaning he’s gained from being a father. Fader has a talent for telling this kind of story, like this one from last year about Andrea Aquino, a women’s basketball phenom from Paraguay.
Was The 2020 College Football Season Worth It? by Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger, via SI. Another great installment from SI’s “Daily Cover” series. Do we really need any more of these post-mortem type articles? Maybe. Is this a really good one? Yes.
Why Do Some NFL Teams Never Hire People of Color As GMs and Coaches and Others Do? by Nancy Armour, Mike Freeman, and Tom Schad, via USA Today. Ok, what robot wrote this absolutely wretched headline? But if you can get past that, your reward is a solid analysis on diversity and hiring in pro football. Well researched and put together.
Did Lola Falana Win a Cut of the Mets Playing Baccarat in 1983 Atlantic City? by Eric Nusbaum and Eric Villacin, via Sports Stories. Another great installment of your favorite newsletter’s favorite newsletter. These guys have really been digging deep with some obscure tales and this one is no exception. I’ll let the title mystery lure you in.
Tweet of the Week
If the people paid to identify young talent are only succesful less than .5% of the time, what hope do parents have? (answer: none, just let the kids have some fun)
Non-Sports Reads and Some Things to Watch
A Brief History of Peanut Butter, by Kate Wheeling, via Smithsonian. Good fun here!
Salt, Fat, Acid, Defeat, by Aaron Timms, via N+1. Solid and incisive critique and analysis of the restaurant industry before and after the pandemic. Highly recommended if you’re interested in the subject. Thanks to Donovan Daughtry for sharing with me.
We caved and subscribed to HBO Max this week, mostly to watch the Tiger Woods documentary, which is pretty well done. Looking forward to part 2 on Sunday. The Bee Gees documentary on there is also really nicely put together, if a tad long. You’ll inevitably shake your head at some point when you realize what relentless hit-machines the Gibbs were.
As always, thank you for reading. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re having trouble accessing any articles, happy to send them directly your way. And, if you’re enjoying the newsletter, please consider sharing it with someone else who might like it.
See you next week,
Tolga