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 […]
By Ken Reed
After berating players like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson for leaving the PGA Tour to take huge sums of cash from the Saudi-backed LIV Tour, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sold out to the same murderous, human rights-abusing Saudi Arabian government group. It wasn’t that long ago that Monahan was appalled that […]
By Ken Reed
Baseball has a 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 to baseball that too often show up in print or on the big screen. Nevertheless, I […]
By Ken Reed
During a time when there is more and more evidence that blows to the head can lead to both short and long-term brain injuries and debilitating neurological disorders (including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE), Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson is publicly advocating for fighting in youth hockey leagues.
Colorado Springs Gazette writer […]
By Ken Reed
As we approach the one-third mark of the 2023 MLB season, it has become clear to me that Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani is underappreciated.
In the 150 years or so of Major League Baseball, we have never seen anything like what Shohei Ohtani continues to do in the dual role […]
League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast
[Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others]
Former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and United States Congressman Tom McMillen chats with League of Fans’ sports policy director Ken Reed in this episode of League of Fans’ Sports Forum.
The two talk […]
By Ken Reed
At this point, the problems with the American youth sports system are well-known: it’s too expensive; the economic gap between the haves and have-nots is growing; specialization in a single sport is happening at younger and younger ages; overuse injuries are becoming more common, overbearing adults (parents and coaches) continue to take […]
By Ken Reed
There’s only so much we can do to make tackle football safer for the human brain. Eliminating full contact during practices is the best way. Penalizing spearing and leading with the head also helps. But tackle football is intrinsically dangerous.
Enter flag football. It’s the same basic game minus the full contact […]
By Ken Reed
In recent findings that are far from shocking, National Hockey League (NHL) enforcers (players who frequently engage in fighting) die 10 years earlier than their peers, according to a study published by JAMA on May 10, 2023.
Brain trauma has long been a concern when it comes to NHL players, especially […]
The Oakland A’s are looking to leave Oakland for Vegas, after failing to extort more money from the city
By Ken Reed
Originally published by Troy Media
It appears John Fisher, owner of the Oakland A’s, is going to move his MLB franchise to Las Vegas. The A’s have struck a deal to […]
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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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
