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"Special Features"
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
December 9, 2014
It’s refreshing to see more and more athletes taking a stand on social issues, both within and outside the context of sports.
Recently, NBA stars Derrick Rose and LeBron James wore “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts to honor Eric Garner and his family, and […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
November 26, 2014
As I write this column it’s Thanksgiving Eve, a perfect time to reflect on the things one values and appreciates.
One of the things I value and appreciate the most in life is sport. While sport is flawed in many respects – usually […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
October 31, 2014
First, I want to say that I truly believe most youth sports parents and coaches have their hearts in the right places.
However, the growing trend of having our young athletes specialize in a single sport — some as early as 9 […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
October 21, 2014
If I were financially independent and free of any family responsibilities, I’d be in Kansas City, Missouri right now soaking up the energy of a city going bonkers for its Major League Baseball team.
The 2014 Kansas City Royals are why we all […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
October 10, 2014
Young athletes, ages 10-14, are often putting in more time on their sport than professional athletes do.
Pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Ron J. Tucker, who’s done a plethora of ACL knee surgeries on young athletes, says the paradigm has changed from kids growing […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
September 25, 2014
We’re fat and getting fatter.
There’s really not a nicer way to put it. Today, more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.
According to the Trust for America’s Health, 20 years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15 […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
September 16, 2014
Last week, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Tom Wheeler wrote in an op-ed column, “The FCC shouldn’t be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favorite teams on TV. It’s time to sack the sports blackout rule for good.”
I couldn’t […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
August 27, 2014
Goodbye Boise State. Goodbye Butler. Cinderellas are no longer welcome in big-time college sports.
The college football season gets started in earnest this weekend. But it will do so with a new exclusive division on top of the heap. Let’s call it the […]
The following essay is part two of a series of essays on the problem of violence and brain injuries in youth hockey. Part one is a well-rounded overview of the problem and part two provides a more in-depth discussion of the proposed solution.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Reducing Violence […]
By Ken Reed
The Huffington Post
August 4, 2014
The past year or so has been a good one for LGBT athletes and their quest for acceptance, fairness, justice, and equal opportunity in sports.
Robbie Rogers became the first active openly gay athlete in a North American professional team sport when he […]
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
