Stories

Catching up with the kid who helped get MLB to right a decades-long wrong for Negro Leaguers

Cam Perron was a teenager when he started writing letters to Negro leaguers. To his surprise, they wrote back. To the ballplayers surprise, the kid helped them receive MLB pensions.

College Bill of Rights upends NCAA’s imbalance of power

I spoke to Senators Booker, Murphy, and Wyden about the College Athletes Bill of Rights and their time as student-athletes.

The odds of sports gambling legalization in a pandemic

2020 was supposed to be the year sports betting exploded. But a pandemic hit, the economy tanked, and major sporting events were canceled across the country. As states start to loosen their pandemic restrictions and businesses begin to reopen, some states are weighing sports gambling legislation to bolster their economies.

Stadium voting is just one step in the long war against voter suppression

Could stadium voting help democracy and fight Black voter suppression?

A small town, an international event canceled, and tens of millions in lost revenue

For Williamsport, PA, the cancelation of the 2020 Little League World Series will be a major blow to the town’s economy.

Student activists on the Harvard-Yale protest, one year later

I spoke to student climate activists a year after they disrupted “The Game.”

Japanese companies don't want the [2021] Olympics next year either, and who could blame them?

The Olympics saddle cities with debt and isolate local businesses from the games. So why would companies want anything to do with the Olympics? Turns out, many don’t.

Q & A

The NFL’s cheerleader problem with filmmaker Yu Gu

I spoke with documentary filmmaker Yu Gu, ahead of “A Woman’s Work” debut on PBS. The film follows two cheerleaders in their fight for fair pay from the NFL.

Negro League researcher Cam Perron talks about his new book, the Negro Leagues, and the times to come

After reading a copy of Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players, I called Perron to talk about the new book. He told me it is a bit about baseball, but more of a story of “friendship, history, relationships, and a search for information.” This is all true. But I think this is also a book about time.

The best stories ask more questions than they give answers. And after reading Perron’s book, I couldn’t help but wonder about the time running out. What happens to these stories in the years to come?

Cat Osterman speaks about her return to Olympic softball ahead of the Games

The 2004 Gold Medalist looks to reclaim the top of the podium at the 2021 Games.

Blogs

‘Tiger King’ made me question the treatment of wild college mascots

Do live, wild animal mascots belong at athletic events? With no sports to cover, “Tiger King” made me wonder.

We have a winner: Sports gambling

At the time of this post, poll workers were still counting votes for the 2020 Presidential election. But what’s one issue Americans from all political leanings approved on November 3? Legal sports betting.

Amy Bockerstette will be first athlete with Down syndrome to compete for national collegiate title

Learn about Amy Bockerstette and her historic achievement.