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"Columns"
By Ken Reed
This is my last column for League of Fans – at least in an official capacity as Sports Policy Director.
I’m “retiring,” although I plan to still be involved in sports in multiple capacities moving forward.
I truly love sports. After family, sports have been the central passion in […]
The quest for immediate victory in baseball is jeopardizing long-term athlete health
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
As with virtually every contemporary sports issue, win-at-all-costs (WAAC) and profit-at-all-costs (PAAC) mentalities are at the foundation of the numerous pitching injuries we’re seeing in baseball.
The American Sports Medicine […]
Buddy Teeven’s legacy includes advocating for player safety and promoting gender diversity in football coaching
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
Buddy Teevens was a progressive football coach in the best sense of the term.
Sadly, a tragic accident took him from us way too soon.
Teevens […]
Studies have found that every year of playing football increases the risk of developing CTE by 30 percent
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
Nothing seems to slow the popularity of football, even the growing mound of research about how dangerous the game is to the human brain.
[…]
The rise of overbearing parents and coaches in youth sports is a growing concern
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
I was at a sixth-grade girls’ basketball game last weekend. I saw a lot of adults yelling and screaming at both referees and 11-and-12-year-old kids. Let’s just say a lot of what […]
The sports media has to do better to address major issues within the world of sports
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
For the most part, the sports media is falling dreadfully short when it comes to examining major sports problems, why they exist, and what can be done to mitigate them […]
Thankfully, his coaching style is going away
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
“It’s time to do away with coaching by humiliation and fear. When college coaches choose to coach this way and win, then coaches at all levels feel they have to emulate this behaviour. This results in an environment with […]
The profit-at-all-costs ethos is eroding the true purpose of sport
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
I recently chatted with a group of sports fans about the state of sports. Each of them was disillusioned by SportsWorld today.
The primary reason cited was that they see sports being driven more and more […]
Northwestern University sports scandals spark a shift toward humanistic coaching
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
The world of sports has progressed in its transition from autocratic, drill sergeant-type coaches to a more humanistic approach to coaching athletes. But there’s still a long way to go. The recent situation at Northwestern University […]
One sports enthusiast’s perspective on the timeless appeal of baseball
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
Baseball has its hook in me, and I’m not really sure why. I’m a basketball and football fan, but I find baseball has a unique appeal.
I’m not a big fan of the overly romanticized odes […]
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.
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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
