Posts by: League of Fans
By Ken Reed
March Madness is one of my favorite sporting events of the year. The upsets are fun. The one-loss-and-you’re-gone format is much more exciting than the long playoff season the NBA gives us. The bands. The crazy student sections. Switching back and forth between tournament games. It’s all great fun.
But during a […]
By Ken Reed
For years, SportsWorld was a male-only bastion. Sports were in effect a private party for males. That private party has slowly — very slowly — been crashed since the 1970’s when Title IX became law and female journalists first began covering the major pro sports leagues.
This past weekend, Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller […]
By Ken Reed
When it comes to sales pitches to seniors about insurance to fill the gaps in Medicare coverage, there is a lot of incomplete and deceptive information involved. And sometimes, total misinformation.
Unfortunately, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath is contributing to the confusing mess.
In a TV ad, Namath tells viewers […]
By Ken Reed
I have witnessed a lot of irresponsible behavior in SportsWorld during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the actions of the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee take the cake for the most unnecessary, irresponsible behavior during the pandemic.
The CFP committee, led by executive director Bill Hancock, insists on meeting in person for the […]
League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast
In this episode of League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast we talk with Patrick Hruby, a journalist who has done extensive research and in-depth writing on the topic of brain trauma in sports, most notably football. Patrick believes brain trauma is our country’s most important contemporary sports issue. […]
By Ken Reed
There are growing concerns about brain injuries in the soccer community in England.
Recently, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) called for immediate heading restrictions in training sessions following an assessment of research into dementia and neurodegenerative diseases by its management committee.
“Science has been developing quickly in this area, and we […]
Mental health challenges also negatively impact sports performance
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
Anxiety and depression are common mental health issues among college students.
According to Daniel Eisenberg, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, one in three American college students experience […]
By Ken Reed
Anxiety and depression are common mental health issues among college students. In fact, according to Daniel Eisenberg, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, one in three college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions.
College athletes certainly aren’t immune from […]
By Ken Reed
The Miami Marlins hired long-time baseball executive Kim Ng to be their new general manager Friday. Ng becomes the first female GM in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. She’s also the first Asian American GM in MLB history. Moreover, Ng is now the first female GM in a major North American […]
League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast
In this episode we talk coaching styles with veteran sports sociologist Jay Coakley. Jay is a former college basketball player who went on to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology from Notre Dame. He then became one of the nation’s preeminent sports sociologists. He is the author of the […]
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.
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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
