Posts by: League of Fans
By Ken Reed
If someone could find a truly evidence-based way to protect the brains of athletes in heavy contact sports like football, hockey and lacrosse it would be worth multiple millions of dollars.
Football is the most popular sport in the United States and players, coaches and fans alike don’t want to give it […]
By Ken Reed
Following an abusive conditioning workout, which was apparently punishment for some players missing curfew, five Concordia University, Chicago men’s basketball players had to be hospitalized. The hospitalizations forced the Division III program to postpone at least two of its games.
School athletic director Peter Gnan temporarily suspended coach Steve Kollar following the […]
Guest Column
By Mano Watsa
Today I want to share something that’s been troubling me for the better part of the last year or so…
For better or worse…
I’m quite active on social media these days.
It helps me keep a pulse on the game of youth basketball.
And I have to admit, […]
By Ken Reed
Tua Tagovailoa is in the NFL’s concussion protocol once again.
He has suffered multiple concussions this year. For his long-term health, he should seriously consider retiring from football.
Human beings can make full recoveries from knee, ankle and shoulder injuries. That isn’t always the case with brain injuries.
Tagovailoa, unconscionably, was […]
Brain injuries dropped after Dartmouth eliminated tackling during practices
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens made the bold move 12 years ago to eliminate live tackling during all practices. It was a gamble because neither he nor anyone else knew if Dartmouth could still be competitive on […]
By Ken Reed
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), on behalf of the National College Players Association (NCPA), has filed a claim against the University of Southern California (USC), the Pac-12 conference and the NCAA, charging unfair labor practices. The NLRB plans to argue that athletes at USC are employees of the three groups […]
By Ken Reed
Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens made the bold move 12 years ago to eliminate live tackling during all practices. It was a gamble, because neither he nor anyone else knew if Dartmouth could still be competitive on game days after making that move.
However, Teevens has plenty of data now. Injuries have […]
By Ken Reed
From a physical activity perspective our young people are in bad shape. Literally.
According to “The 2022 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth,” our children and youth earned a D- in “Overall Physical Activity” and a D in “Sedentary Behaviors.”
The U.S. Report Card Research Advisory […]
League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast
[Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others]
Linda Flanagan, author of the new book “Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports and Why It Matters,” joins the podcast to talk about the ways heavily commercialized and professionalized […]
By Ken Reed
There’s a sports organization in the United States that almost nobody has heard of, but nevertheless, is doing outstanding work: The U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The Center for SafeSport’s mission is to create a safe sports environment by preventing abuse in athletics — sexual, physical and emotional. Following a growing number of […]
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #33 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Ken Reed Announces His Retirement and Chats With League of Fans Founder Ralph Nader – Ken and Ralph talk about the history of League of Fans and the reasons it was created. They then move into a discussion of a variety of contemporary sports issues that League of Fans has been working on in recent years. Ken and Ralph end by talking about the need for sports fans, athletes, and other sports stakeholders to get involved in the sports reform movement and be activists and change agents on issues important to them, whether that be at the local, state, or national level.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify and others.
Episode #32 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Prolific Author Joe Posnanski Joins the Show – Posnanski is one of America’s best sportswriters and has twice been named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. We chat about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball,” his new Substack newsletter called Joe Blogs.
Episode #31 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Foul Ball Safety Is Still an Important Issue at Ballparks – Our guests are Jordan Skopp, founder of FoulBallSafety.com and Greg Wilkowski, a Chicago based attorney. We discuss the historical problem of foul balls injuring fans and why some teams are still hesitant to put up protective netting in some minor league and college baseball parks.
Episode #30 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The State of College Athletics with Dr. David Ridpath: Problems and Potential Solutions – Ridpath is a sports administration professor at Ohio University and a member of The Drake Group, a college sports reform think tank.
Episode #29 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Honorable Tom McMillen Visits League of Fans’ Sports Forum – McMillen is a former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Congressman. We discuss the state of college athletics today.
Episode #28 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: A Chat With Mano Watsa, a Leading Basketball and Life Educator – Watsa is President of PGC Basketball, the largest education basketball camp in the world. We discuss problems in youth sports today.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books
