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Golf holes the size of pizzas? Bigger courts and four-point shots in basketball? Two-hand touch instead of tackle football? Tradition and history play an important role in sports, but like anything else, games evolve to keep up with changing times.

What rules would you like to see changed in your favorite sports?

In the article "In a Hole, Golf Considers Digging a Wider One," Bill Pennington writes about how some golf leaders want to shake up the sport to attract a younger generation:

Golf holes the size of pizzas. Soccer balls on the back nine. A mulligan on every hole.

These are some of the measures - some would say gimmicks - that golf courses across the country have experimented with to stop people from quitting the game.

Golf has always reveled in its standards and rich tradition. But increasingly a victim of its own image and hidebound ways, golf has lost five million players in the last decade, according to the National Golf Foundation, with 20 percent of the existing 25 million golfers apt to quit in the next few years.

People under 35 have especially spurned the game, saying it takes too long to play, is too difficult to learn and has too many tiresome rules.

Many of golf's leaders are so convinced the sport is in danger of following the baby boomer generation into the grave that an internal rebellion has led to alternative forms of golf with new equipment, new rules and radical changes to courses. The goal is to alter the game's reputation in order to recruit lapsed golfers and a younger demographic.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us ...

- Is there anything about your favorite sports that bothers you? Why?

- Would you want to make a sport more fast-paced for a new generation? Would you try to make it safer or easier?

- What sports rules would you like to see changed?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

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What Rules Would You Like to See Changed in Your Favorite Sports?

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Golf holes the size of pizzas? Bigger courts and four-point shots in basketball? Two-hand touch instead of tackle football? Tradition and history play an important role in sports, but like anything else, games evolve to keep up with changing times. What rules would you like to see changed in your favorite sports?

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Yogi Berra, one of baseball's greatest catchers, died on Tuesday at age 90. He was a Yankees legend, and a hero for many fans.

Who are your sports heroes? Why?

In " Yogi Berra, Yankees Hall of Fame Catcher With a One-of-a-Kind Wit, Dies at 90," Bruce Weber writes:

Yogi Berra, one of baseball's greatest catchers and characters, who as a player was a mainstay of 10 Yankee championship teams and as a manager led both the Yankees and Mets to the World Series - but who may be more widely known as an ungainly but lovable cultural figure, inspiring a cartoon character and issuing a seemingly limitless supply of unwittingly witty epigrams known as Yogi-isms - died on Tuesday. He was 90.

The Yankees and the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, N.J., announced his death. Before moving to an assisted living facility in nearby West Caldwell, in 2012, Berra had lived for many years in neighboring Montclair.

In 1949, early in Berra's Yankee career, his manager assessed him this way in an interview in The Sporting News: "Mr. Berra," Casey Stengel said, "is a very strange fellow of very remarkable abilities."

And so he was, and so he proved to be. Universally known simply as Yogi, probably the second most recognizable nickname in sports - even Yogi was not the Babe - Berra was not exactly an unlikely hero, but he was often portrayed as one: an All-Star for 15 consecutive seasons whose skills were routinely underestimated; a well-built, appealingly open-faced man whose physical appearance was often belittled; and a prolific winner - not to mention a successful leader - whose intellect was a target of humor if not outright derision.

That he triumphed on the diamond again and again in spite of his perceived shortcomings was certainly a source of his popularity. So was the delight with which his famous, if not always documentable, pronouncements - somehow both nonsensical and sagacious - were received.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us ...

- Who are your sports heroes? Why?

- Why do you admire them?

- Do you see them as role models off the field, as well as on? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. All comments are moderated by Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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Yogi Berra, one of baseball's greatest catchers, died on Tuesday at age 90. He was a Yankees legend, and a hero for many fans. Who are your sports heroes? Why?

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Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

WHO can cross a busy road better, a varsity wrestler or a psychology major?

WHERE did researchers study this question?

HOW did they test it?
HOW did the athletes move differently?

WHY, according to René Marois, does the finding in this experiment have a "certain intuitive logic"?

WHEN have previous experiments looked at whether being adept at sports would translate into success at a real-world, everyday task?

WHAT conclusions can you draw from this study?
WHAT activity done while crossing the street increased the number of accidents for both groups tested?
Find eight easy ways to teach with this feature in a related lesson plan.

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Thomas Barwick/Getty Images WHO can cross a busy road better, a varsity wrestler or a psychology major? WHERE did researchers study this question? HOW did they test it? HOW did the athletes move differently? WHY, according to René Marois, does the finding in this experiment have a "certain intuitive logic"?

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Do you participate in organized sports? Have you ever wanted to?

Do you feel youth sports in the United States are accessible to all children? Or do you feel they are available only to a talented few?

Last year, over 40 million children in the United States played an organized sport. However, the share of children from age 6 to 12 who regularly participated in an organized team sport declined to 37 percent in 2017 from 45 percent in 2008, and approximately one in six engaged in no sports activity at all. In addition, 80 percent of youth athletes quit sports by age 15.

In " Does Norway Have the Answer to Excess in Youth Sports?," Tom Farrey writes:

Imagine a society in which 93 percent of children grow up playing organized sports. Where costs are low, the economic barriers to entry few, travel teams aren't formed until the teenage years - and where adults don't start sorting the weak from the strong until children have grown into their bodies and interests. Then, the most promising talents become the most competitive athletes in the world, on a per-capita basis.

I am talking about Norway.

The country found its way onto my radar in a meaningful way last year at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where Norway, a nation of just 5.3 million, won more medals, 39, than any other country in the history of the Winter Games.

The United States finished fourth, with 23 medals. I was helping host a podcast for NBC Sports and interviewed the head of Norway's Olympic delegation, who explained that the country's system prioritizes participation through age 13 and, after that, surrounds top prospects with great coaching.

In late March I spent a week in Norway, visiting community clubs and talking to an array of stakeholders, including children.

"I like being outside and active with my friends," Julia Stusvik-Eide, an 11-year-old from Oslo, told me at her neighborhood club as she balanced on cross-country skis with the aid of two classmates, arm-in-arm.

Julia's comment is hardly a revelation. These are the priorities of most children, anywhere in the world. What's distinctive about Norway's sport model is how deliberately it tries to align with those needs.

The country's is a document unlike any other in the world, a declaration that underpins its whole sports ecosystem. Introduced in 1987 and updated in 2007 by the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, the eight-page statement describes the type of experience that every child in the country must be provided, from safe training environments to activities that facilitate friendships.

The statement places a high value on the voices of youth. Children "must be granted opportunities to participate in planning and execution of their own sport activities," according to the document. They may "decide for themselves how much they would like to train," and can even opt out of games if they just want to practice.

Want to transfer clubs in midseason? Go ahead, no penalty. Suit up with a rival club next week, if you wish.

"We believe the motivation of children in sport is much more important than that of the parent or coach," said Inge Andersen, former secretary general of the Norwegian confederation. "We're a small country and can't afford to lose them because sport is not fun."

All 54 national sport federations voted to adopt and abide by Children's Rights in Sport, which also describes the type of activities not allowed by member clubs. No national championships before age 13. No regional championships before age 11, or even publication of game scores or rankings. Competition is promoted but not at the expense of development and the Norwegian vision: "Joy of Sport for All."

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
- Should all young people be provided with opportunities to participate in organized sports? Why or why not? Are youth sports accessible to all children where you live?

- Have you participated in organized sports? If yes, were those experiences positive and healthy? What do you feel you have gained from those experiences? If you have never participated, tell us why?

- What are your thoughts on Norway's approach to youth sports? What do you think we can learn from that country's model? The article quotes Mr. Andersen:

It's impossible to say at 8 or 10 or 12 who is going to be talented in school or sport. That takes another 10 years. Our priority is the child becoming self-reflective about their bodies and minds.

Do you agree with this? Are youth sports in the United States too focused on competition rather than the physical well-being for all? What aspects of America's approach to youth sports do you think should be changed or could be improved?

- How important is playing sports for you and your friends and peers? Do you think youth sports are inviting to all young people? Do you think all young people would benefit from participating in a sport, regardless of talent?

- Should the United States have a declaration of Children's Rights in Sport? What would you want to be included in our version?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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Do you participate in organized sports? Have you ever wanted to? Do you feel youth sports in the United States are accessible to all children? Or do you feel they are available only to a talented few? Last year, over 40 million children in the United States played an organized sport.

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In 2014 Mo'ne Davis became a media sensation as the first girl to throw a shutout in the Little League World Series. Now Fox has a new show in its fall lineup that features a female pitcher in Major League Baseball. Will we soon see women pitching in the major leagues?

What about other sports, such as wrestling? New York City now has a coed wrestling division for high schools, where boys and girls practice and compete alongside one another. Should coed teams become commonplace?

In " Will Women Play Major League Baseball? (And Not Just on TV)," Gretchen Reynolds writes about questions raised by the new Fox series:

The new Fox drama "Pitch," about the first female pitcher in Major League Baseball, proclaims that it is "a true story on the verge of happening."

The heavily promoted show, which premieres Thursday, already is drawing praise for its groundbreaking premise. But it also raises questions about just how true and how on the verge the story line really is. Could a female pitcher make it into the major leagues anytime soon? And if so, why hasn't she yet?

From a scientific standpoint, the answer is yes, she can. While there are some physical obstacles to a woman's pitching in the major leagues, they aren't insurmountable. The larger challenges may be social and cultural, as girls struggle to find opportunities and acceptance in a traditional boys' sport, and boys struggle with the social consequences of being struck out by a girl.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us:

- Should women and girls compete alongside or against men and boys in high school, college or even professional sports? Why?

- Could making teams coed actually improve the level of play for all athletes? Could it set a better tone at practice? Could it make athletes more encouraging of one another? After all, these are some of the changes that Chris Smith, the coach of a New York City high school coed wrestling team, noticed when girls and boys started wrestling alongside one another on the same team (though individual bouts are same-sex - boys wrestle boys and girls wrestle girls).

- Are there sports besides wrestling for which athletes might benefit from having girls and boys - or women and men - practice and compete on the same teams?

- Do you agree with the article that some of the greatest obstacles to having coed teams might be social and cultural, rather than physical?

- Do you think the premise in "Pitch," that Major League Baseball might someday soon have a female pitcher, is realistic? Why?

- Or do you think it's best for both boys and girls - and men and women - to practice and compete on different teams and in separate divisions?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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In 2014 Mo'ne Davis became a media sensation as the first girl to throw a shutout in the Little League World Series. Now Fox has a new show in its fall lineup that features a female pitcher in Major League Baseball. Will we soon see women pitching in the major leagues?

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The Chicago Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908.

But their fans - like the woman in this picture who has been a season-ticket holder for 45 years and has attended at least 2,000 games at Wrigley Field - don't care.

What sports teams are you a fan of? How would you react if your team went on a 107-year losing streak? Do you think you would stay loyal?

After you comment, read this related article about fans' reactions this year, now that the team has had the best regular-season record in the major leagues and are the favorites to win this year's World Series.

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The Chicago Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908. But their fans - like the woman in this picture who has been a season-ticket holder for 45 years and has attended at least 2,000 games at Wrigley Field - don't care. What sports teams are you a fan of?

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Do you think women and men should compete against each other in sports? Why or why not? Are there some sports that should be coed and others that should not be? If so, which ones and why?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn about how the New York City Marathon became one of the few gender-inclusive sporting events.

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Do you think women and men should compete against each other in sports? Why or why not? Are there some sports that should be coed and others that should not be? If so, which ones and why?

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Newsela | Competitive Sports - The Art of Argument

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Newsela | Competitive Sports - The Art of Argument

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Newsela | Competitive Sports - The Art of Argument

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Frank Deford: Sports Illustrated= - SI.com

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Frank Deford: Sports Illustrated= - SI.com

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Sports writer and a Correspondent for HBO RealSports

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Sports writer and a Correspondent for HBO RealSports

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Best Sports Writing - The Best Books, Features And Profiles From Around The World

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Best Sports Writing - The Best Books, Features And Profiles From Around The World

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Excellence, Sacrifice, Dedication - Home

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Excellence, Sacrifice, Dedication - Home

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The Boys in the Boat | Daniel James Brown

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The Boys in the Boat | Daniel James Brown

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The Boys in the Boat celebrates the 1936 U.S. men's Olympic eight-oar rowing team-nine working class boys who stormed the rowing world, transformed the sport, and galvanized the attention of millions of Americans.

The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers from the American West, the boys took on and defeated successive echelons of privilege and power. They vanquished the sons of bankers and senators rowing for elite eastern universities. They defeated the sons of British aristocrats rowing for Oxford and Cambridge. And finally, in an extraordinary race in Berlin they stunned the Aryan sons of the Nazi state as they rowed for gold in front of Adolf Hitler.

Against the grim backdrop of the Great Depression, they reaffirmed the American notion that merit, in the end, outweighs birthright. They reminded the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together. And they provided hope that in the titanic struggle that lay just ahead, the ruthless might of the Nazis would not prevail over American grit, determination, and optimism.

And even as it chronicles the boys' collective achievement, The Boys in the Boat is also the heart warming story of one young man in particular. Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself, Joe Rantz rows not just for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others, and to find his way back to a place he can call home.

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The Boys in the Boat celebrates the 1936 U.S. men's Olympic eight-oar rowing team-nine working class boys who stormed the rowing world, transformed the sport, and galvanized the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers from the American West, the boys took on and defeated successive echelons of privilege and power.

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Welcome Teachers, Students and Readers!

Outcasts United is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of refugee resettlement.

It's a tale about resilience, the power of one person to make a difference and the daunting challenge of creating community in a place where people seem to have little in common.

Over 100 colleges and universities have selected Outcasts United as their required read for incoming freshmen, and the book has been selected by numerous state and city-wide common reading programs. For more information about common reads, including lesson plans for teachers, visit the Resources section of this site.

Also, younger readers and teachers of elementary and middle school readers should check out the special YOUNG ADULT EDITION of Outcasts United.

For the latest on the team and programs run by the Fugees Family, visit www.FugeesFamily.org.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Welcome Teachers, Students and Readers! Outcasts United is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of refugee resettlement. It's a tale about resilience, the power of one person to make a difference and the daunting challenge of creating community in a place where people seem to have little in common.

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English Journal, Vol. 104, No. 1, September 2014

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English Journal, Vol. 104, No. 1, September 2014

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limawhit

1imawhit

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English Journal, Vol. 104, No. 1, September 2014

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English Journal, Volume 104, Number 1, September 2014

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Alan’s Bio | Alan Brown's Sports Literacy Blog

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Alan’s Bio | Alan Brown's Sports Literacy Blog

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Greetings! My name is Alan Brown, and I am Assistant Professor of English Education and the secondary education program director in the Department of Education at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Originally from Summerfield, N.C., I was a high school English teacher and basketball coach at Southwest Guilford High School before making the move to teacher education.

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What I enjoy about using these videos is that they are not necessarily just focusing on the sport but rather examples of characteristics sport encourages children to develop. These traits such as motivation, building character, overcoming adversity, dealing with failure are just a few life skills sports instill in children. The following videos are great examples of the ways sport can engage children but also inspire them to work and try harder.

This first example - is the Nike Advert from the 2010 World Cup and carries an inspiring theme of "Write the Future!" This video will have the boys hooked as it starts some of the biggest names in the footballing world - Rooney, Ronaldo and Drogba to name a few and I love the "Sliding Doors" effect it portrays. The film ponders the question of how specific decisions can alter the direction of our lives.

The "what if" aspect to the advert could inspire some fantastic contrasting writing. Take the Rooney section, where you see the moment his pass is cut out and he has flashes of what would happen to his life - becoming a villain, losing his fans etc. He makes the decision to tackle and this is completely contrasted with the hero status he recieves. This could be a powerful stimulus for a writing activity.

First, you could ask the children to list all the different ways his life changes for the worse

Then they could write all the positive effects from making the tackle.

They could then write a contrasting story about that moment and the potential effect it could have.

Children could even write their own example that doesn't even relate to sport - The day I missed the bus/the day I caught the bus.

The advert also provides plenty of opportunities to create some wonderful suspenseful writing. The last 30 seconds where Ronaldo is fouled and lines up the free kick would be great to write as a build up to the climax. Children can also describe the atmosphere of the packed stadium, what could they see? hear? smell? touch?
Another of Nike's adverts which can inspire some great writing is the "Take it to the next level," advert. Another inspiring example which shows the journey of a non-league footballer rise to the top of the footballing world. There are however snippets that I would consider inappropriate for children (what do you expect with Guy Ritchie as director) - at 54 seconds the footballer signs his autograph onto a girls chest and at 1.23 mins he plays a prank on a team mate where he pulls his pants down. Despite this, there are excellent opportunities for children to be inspired by this message of following your dreams, working hard and being reward for that. The last 30 seconds would be great for some descriptive writing again leading up to building suspense similar to the previous video.

Write a diary of a footballer's career.

Write a newspaper article of the winning goal at the end.

Use hot seating to interview the character, almost like a press conference.

Write a explanation text about what it takes to become a great player.

The next two examples are from Sky Sports and are great for asking the children to write using the show not tell writing technique. The show not tell technique encourages the children to describe through actions or speech how a character feels or what is happening in the story. Alan Peat explains it here. My challenge would be how could they tell me about the action from the pitch without writing about anything happening on the pitch?

Describe the reactions of the crowd, managers, officials,

Desctibe what you could see? hear? smell? taste? touch?

A poem about the atmosphere.

The ingredients for the perfect football match maybe?

Or even a set of instructions for the perfect atmosphere.

Or write a recount about walking out as a mascot?

The next few suggestions all come from some of Hollywood blockbuster sports films. Most of them have the climax beautifully shot, building up all the anxiety, tension and angst before the final resolution. These are great for children to watch and see how carefully the tension is built. This first clip from the Movie, Friday Night Light's, shows the dying seconds of the State Championship game.

The way the scene is shot can be great for again encouraging the children to build suspense.

They can use similes and metaphors to describe the tackles and movements of the players.

It is also a great way for children to show their empathy for characters by writing recounts of those final moments and the agony of defeat as the game finishes.

They could interview players about how they feel after the game.

They could write a newspaper report about the defeat.

What I particularly like about the above clip is that it isn't a happy ending. The team lose, I like to see how well the children could empathise with that. How often do children really get to follow that pattern? Where there isn't a happy ending?

Alternatively, here are two clips similar for building tension however provide a happy ending. They also have links to real life events which could provide some rich learning opportunities in other curriculum areas. The first is from the film, Invictus, which tells the story of Nelson Mandela, newly elected as president, and how he used the South Africa national rugby team (the Springboks) to unite his country. This could lead perfectly into a unit of work looking at Nelson Mandela and the inspirational figure he has become. The other is from a film called "We are Marshall," which depicts the tragic events of 1970, where the team was involved in a plane crash which killed 37 players, rather than cancel the football programme they continued and despite only winning one game the following season they grew back to become of the strongest university teams in the country. You can read more about that story here.

Children could write a recount for these final minutes of the film.

They could focus purely on building tension in this scene.

They could interview players and write in role as one of the players.

They could research the true life stories behind the movie and write reports.

For the "We Are Marshall clip," they could write a discussion text about whether it was right to continue the programme.

I love the New Zealand Rugby Team's Haka, I think it is one of the most intimidating and intense rituals of any sport. This advert shows it in its purest form and could inspire some great poetry.

Children maybe write the message they think the Haka is trying to portray

Use it to make descriptions using similes and metaphors

What you need to be a New Zealand player.

Children could also research the history of the Haka and write a non-chronological report about it.

They could learn the dance and write instructions or even make up their own dance.

Is there still a place for the Haka in today's game? Children could discuss and write their findings.

Usain Bolt in full flow - many children will be inspired by the worlds most famous athlete.

Children can commentate over the video, use a media merge program to record childrens commentaries over the film.

Write a recount as if the children were there to witness it.

Write an internal monologue for one or more of the athletes, how are they feeling, what are they thinking? Is this different for the different atheletes?

Write a newspaper report of the event.

Interview Bolt and Blake, how do their responses differ?
Maybe Blake is saying one thing and thinking another.

The Paralympics in the summer were a huge success and have left a lasting legacy. For many of our children these games were the first time that they saw athletes competing in paralympic sports.

'They're here' is an advert for the games which shows many of the star athletes in training. It also show some scenes of how the athletes were injured which you might not want to show to younger children.

Children could research some of these athletes and write biographies.
They could write letters to athletes and write questions for mock interviews in which other children could answer in role.
Write news reports on the success of the games.
Write reports about individual events - many of them can be found easily on youtube.
There are a number of scenes in this film where two athletes are talking - children could write the dialogue for these scenes.

Children can also write dialogue for the film below. Perhaps one of the athletes are thinking about giving up - what would you tell them? What would the coach say to them?

Couldn't have a sports shed without Mighty Mo.
Children could write newspaper reports for this race including mock interviews with Mo, his wife and his old PE teachers. There are many great headlines to have fun with 'Not so slow Mo' etc
Children can use puppet pals to put themselves in the action as a presenter or commentator.
Show children the image of Mo crossing the line. What things would be going through his head? Can they imagine winning a gold medal? Who would they thank?

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What I enjoy about using these videos is that they are not necessarily just focusing on the sport but rather examples of characteristics sport encourages children to develop. These traits such as motivation, building character, overcoming adversity, dealing with failure are just a few life skills sports instill in children.

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Sports and Society - Duke University | Coursera

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Sports and Society - Duke University | Coursera

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About this course: Sports play a giant role in contemporary society worldwide. But few of us pause to think about the larger questions of money, politics, race, sex, culture, and commercialization that surround sports everywhere. This course draws on the tools of anthropology, sociology, history, and other disciplines to give you new perspectives on the games we watch and play. It's the new and improved version of Professor Orin Starn's original "Sports and Society" for Coursera, which drew more than 40,000 students. We will focus on both popular sports like soccer (or "football," as anyone outside America calls it), basketball, and baseball, and also lesser-known ones like mountain-climbing and fishing. You will never watch or think about sports in the same way again.

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About this course: Sports play a giant role in contemporary society worldwide. But few of us pause to think about the larger questions of money, politics, race, sex, culture, and commercialization that surround sports everywhere. This course draws on the tools of anthropology, sociology, history, and other disciplines to give you new perspectives on the games we watch and play.

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Book Review: Writing on the Bus: Using Athletic Team Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports - National Writing Project

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Book Review: Writing on the Bus: Using Athletic Team Notebooks and Journals to Advance Learning and Performance in Sports - National Writing Project

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We all know that writing is introspective and clarifying. We know that a consistent writing practice can help a writer think clearly and articulate new ideas. So, if writing is learning, and coaching is teaching, and if athletes by nature are motivated to improve their skills, it does not require much of a leap to see the role for writing in athletics.

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SI Kids: Sports News for Kids, Kids Games and More

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SportsKid of the Year

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The Broncos Were Right to Go All-In on Russell Wilson

Building through the draft takes time. To win now, teams need to be willing to make a splashy acquisition.

By Spencer Brod Mar 28, 2022

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SI Kids: Sports News for Kids, Kids Games and More

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SI Kids provides a kid-first perspective of sports. Find sports news for kids, scores, kids games, photos and expert analysis of the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, soccer, and more.

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The Intersection of Literacy, Sport, culture and society - NCTE 2014

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This collection contains a selection of content from NG Education about sports. Use search to find more.

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With the centennial year of the of crooked World Series that shook up America fast approaching, Steve Klein, GMU Professor Emeritus/Journalism, Is in the forefront of scholars changing the way we see the fix.

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GMU professors Chris Elzey and David K. Wiggins co-edit new book on sports in Washington, DC.

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Through pursuit of a sport and American culture minor, jointly offered through the college and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism, Mason junior Peter Kleine has embarked on research that is allowing him to tell the story of race and society's roles in Washington, DC sports.

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Sport and American Culture Director Chris Elzey discusses the role sport plays in helping start serious conversations in his op-ed piece for the Washington Times.

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With the centennial year of the of crooked World Series that shook up America fast approaching, Steve Klein, GMU Professor Emeritus/Journalism, Is in the forefront of scholars changing the way we see the fix. Read More " GMU professors Chris Elzey and David K. Wiggins co-edit new book on sports in Washington, DC.

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Competitive Sports in Schools (Pros and Cons) 

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Competitive Sports in Schools (Pros and Cons) 

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Teachers College, Columbia University

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Teachers College, Columbia University

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NASSH | North American Society for Sport History

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NASSH | North American Society for Sport History

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Our mission: The purpose of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) is to promote, stimulate, and encourage the study of the history of sport; to support, stimulate and encourage scholarly writing and research related to the history of sport; and to cooperate with local, national, and international organizations having the same purpose.
NASSH is committed to sharing ideas and information about the study of sport, the body, and exercise across time and space, and in diverse historical contexts. The Society runs its activities solely for scholarly and literary purposes, not for pecuniary profit.

NASSH defines "sport" broadly and welcomes papers at its Annual Convention and in its internationally renowned Journal of Sport History on all aspects of competitive games, play, physical culture, and all other forms of physical activity.

NASSH Members can be found in such diverse departments as History, Kinesiology, Sport Management, Sociology, Classics, Cultural Studies, Literature, American Studies, Anthropology, Health, and Business. Our members can be found in all corners of the globe and meetings of the Society-generally held in late May-are truly international conferences.

NASSH particularly encourages graduate students to become involved with the association, to submit papers for the conference, and to consider entering the NASSH Graduate Essay Contest. Contact the Graduate Student Representative with questions.

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Our mission: The purpose of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) is to promote, stimulate, and encourage the study of the history of sport; to support, stimulate and encourage scholarly writing and research related to the history of sport; and to cooperate with local, national, and international organizations having the same purpose.

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The Girlfriend’s Guide to Fantasy Football | Court & Field Dimension Diagrams in 3D, History, Rules – SportsKnowHow.com

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The Girlfriend’s Guide to Fantasy Football | Court & Field Dimension Diagrams in 3D, History, Rules – SportsKnowHow.com

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It's that special time of year again-you know the one-scarves, boots, changing leaves. And football. Specifically, fantasy football. And if you're in a relationship, you've probably noticed a general lack of your significant other, or at least a noticeable change in their ability to be present-as in, off of their phone/laptop/Ipad and actually in the moment. Maybe you're into it too, in which case, what are you doing here?! Go check your stats!

But for the rest of us (you know, the ones who think a cornerback is just a mispronunciation of quarterback), a helpful guide:
A Brief History
In 1963, Oakland Raiders limited partner Wilfred "Bill" Winkenbach, Raiders pubic relations manager Bill Tunnell, and reporter Scotty Stirling met at the Milford Plaza Hotel to develop what would later become fantasy football. Initially called the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League, the men drafted their teams in Winkenbach's rumpus room. Each roster contained two quarterbacks, four halfbacks, two fullbacks, four offensive ends, two kick/punt returners, two field goal kickers, two defensive backs and two defensive linemen.

The league gained popularity and became several leagues. Without the use of computerized stats, fantasy football took even more time-manual calculation of statistics acquired via newspaper certainly slowed down the rate at which the leagues grew. But by 1997, CBS launched the first fantasy football website. In the next three years, every major sports media website followed suite. In 2010, even the NFL got in-now, fantasy football is their most important marketing tool.

Fantasy football is now played by over 19 million people competing in public and private leagues.
Types of Leagues
There are 10 types of fantasy football leagues, but for our purposes, let's discuss the two most popular.

* Head to Head League: in this type of league, a team is matched up against another team each week and the winner is determined by the highest number of points. Points are determined by the website or customized by the commissioner and are based on the performance of the players in their starting lineup. In this league, wins and losses are the most important statistic because they correlate with the league champion, i.e.-most wins=playoffs.

* Total Points League: fairly self-explanatory, the total points league is one in which points accumulate on an ongoing basis. League standings are then determined by total points throughout the NFL regular season and teams advance to playoffs based on point total.

The Draft

The fantasy football draft has become something of a pop culture phenomenon, referenced often in movies and on television and takes place before the season begins. It can happen via serpentine method (in which owners take turns drafting players and the owner who picks first in the odd rounds picks last in the even rounds. It can also happen via auction, in which owners bid on players. Players remain on an owner's roster until they are dropped or traded (except in the salary cap league, where rosters are locked), at which point they can be claimed by others. No player may be owned by more than one fantasy team within the league, except in the case of salary cap leagues, where everyone has the same pool of players to choose from.

Because leagues take place largely online, many drafts are done over the internet. Ideally though, owners will gather for an annual draft scheduled weeks in advance. In the tradition of Winkenbach, they're typically held in basements, bars, and boardrooms.
Scoring
Scoring rules vary greatly by league, so it is important for owners to know what they're dealing with. The basic structure for scoring is the gain of points from touchdowns and yardage gained. A sample scoring system might look like this, (from fooballguys.com):

1 point every 10 yards rushing

1 point every 10 yards receiving

1 point every 25 yards passing

4 points for each touchdown pass

6 points for each touchdown run

-1 point for each interception

1 point for each extra point

3 points for each field goal

No matter the scoring system, it is important that owners use it to dictate their draft, starting lineups, and trades. Which is where strategy comes in-likely appeal for 19 million dudes and gals.
Strategy
This gets complicated and extremely varied, so we'll keep it brief. Most owners mess up their first year in a fantasy football league. Instinct tells you that the best team ever will be the team comprised of your all-time favorite players. Instinct is wrong. Depending on the league, certain positions (as noted above) have the ability to earn more points. If an owner wastes all of their money on guys they "just know will be great" but don't have the power of points, they tend to tank.
What You See
So, friends, what you're seeing when your boyfriend/mother/girlfriend/uncle stares and shouts at the television during every.single.game, even for teams they don't care about, teams they hate-is a new form of couch coaching, an involved spectatorship that puts the focus on the player and the game instead of the team. It creates a shift in which owners cheer for certain things to happen during a game, regardless of win or loss.
What's at Stake
While many leagues exist to be played with groups of friends and coworkers, there is a variety to choose from. Sites like DraftStreet offer daily and weekly cash prizes, while friend leagues may issue one cash prize at the end of the season. Most leagues require some sort of buy in, which can range from $2 to over $400.

Love it, like it, or leave it, fantasy football is here to stay and, actually, provides an interesting look at strategy, even for those who are ambivalent about sports. By understanding the fantasy game (at even a basic level), you'll at least look cooler at the water cooler.

Julia Randall is a sports writer with a sports anger problem that doesn't impress her parents. When she's not lamenting a loss or celebrating a win, you can find her knee-deep in her fantasy football lineup.

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Court & Field Dimension Diagrams in 3D, History, Rules - SportsKnowHow.com

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It's that special time of year again-you know the one-scarves, boots, changing leaves. And football. Specifically, fantasy football. And if you're in a relationship, you've probably noticed a general lack of your significant other, or at least a noticeable change in their ability to be present-as in, off of their phone/laptop/Ipad and actually in the moment.

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Teachers College, Columbia University

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"Sports" Search Results at Smithsonian.com

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"Sports" Search Results at Smithsonian.com