The SportsThink Weekly Review #89
July 21, 2023
Welcome new readers! The SportsThink Weekly Review highlights my favorite sport-related reading of the week. Most articles are recently published, but some are not; the only rule is that I’ve read them within the past week. 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. At the end of last week’s newsletter—which was a bit of a downer—I suggested that this week would be more fun. Whether it was my subconscious, algorithms, or just luck, but I did actually come across some lighter stuff this week. There’s some not-so-light as well, but that’s life. The week sorta got away from me, so not much in the way of commentary, but I hope you find something to enjoy over the weekend and the week ahead.
Inside the Alabama Baseball Gambling Scandal (Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated)
Just a brazen, stupid bunch of folks here. Great reporting—as usual—from Forde.
How a Trainer in California’s Coachella Valley Built One of the Most Important Boxing Gyms in the World (Roberto José Andrade Franco, ESPN)
I’m a simple man: Roberto writes something, I read it and share it. He’s especially good on boxing, this time around diving into Joel Diaz’s work as a trainer of champions.
The 103 Official, Unwritten Rules of Sports and Games (several writers, SB Nation)
Now this is fun! Thanks to Matt Bowers for this one. From football on the beach to the gym and your friend’s couch, a handy set of rules to live by. Most are pretty good. I like these:
Don’t offer your recipe for a food a host has made. It only sounds like you think their food is ass.
If the host’s team is not playing during a given window, then the most important matchup has priority, followed by the most exciting game.
It’s absolutely fine to call for a high-five from strangers after a big play, especially if they’re matching your energy.
This last one reminds me of the time a very large man bear hugged and hoisted me 3 feet off the ground at the Staples Center after this legendary alley-oop. I hope he is well, wherever he may be. (Also this video quality makes me feel like a senior citizen.)
The Man Who Broke Bowling (Eric Wells, GQ)
Thanks to Rob Stone for sharing this one. I always like stories about dominant athletes who aren’t household names. In this one we encounter Jason Belmonte, who bowls two handed, and wipes the floor with everyone.
Sports Under 150 (Austin Krance)
This is a SportsThink first! Not an article or a video, but a game! You should probably just try it because it’s easier to play and figure out, but you are essentially trying to get the lowest score possible by matching high ranking national teams to sports. (I realize that isn’t very clear, just try the game.) Annoying and addictive, it’s a perfect time waster during commercial breaks. The randomization of the countries you get can be infuriating, but it’s just a game, after all. Holler if you can beat my 140!
As always, thanks for reading. Please share the newsletter and keep sending me the good writing that you encounter.
See you next week,
Tolga