By Ken Reed
What is wrong with the Los Angeles Chargers? Or, the NFL league office for that matter?
Despite flash flood warnings issued throughout the L.A. area, residents being advised not to travel by city authorities, a 5.1 earthquake earlier in the day that included after shocks felt throughout the area, MLB’s Dodgers and […]
By Ken Reed
We have long written about the negatives associated with young athletes playing only one sport year round, namely a high risk for overuse injuries as well as psychological burnout.
Moreover, single sport athletes tend to quit playing competitive sports sooner than multi-sport athletes.
On the other hand, in addition to both […]
By Ken Reed
Sandra Klatt was hit in the face at a Peoria Chiefs minor league baseball game several years ago. At the time, Dozer Park, home of the Chiefs, only had protective netting directly behind home plate. While team management has long promised to add protective netting down the foul lines past the dugouts […]
League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast
[Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and others]
This episode was recorded a couple days after the 108-year-old Pac-12 conference imploded, sending the world of big-time college sports into greed-based chaos.
Dr. David Ridpath, sports administration professor at Ohio University and a […]
By Ken Reed
Well, greed has killed one of the most historic and tradition-rich conferences in college sports. The Pac-12, for all intents and purposes, is dead.
College sports is truly a mess if a classic conference like the 108-year-old Pac-12 can’t survive.
Yes, four schools remain in what is now the Pac-4 (Stanford, […]
By Ken Reed
Most children stop playing organized sports between the ages of 11 and 13. The reason most often cited by kids is it’s no longer fun. The reason it’s no longer fun? Adults.
There’s too much “adult” in youth sports.
Overbearing win-at-all-costs coaches and parents are driving kids to the sidelines. In […]
Guest Column
By Gerry Chidiac
Like the United States, sports fans in Canada have noticed a huge increase in the presence of sports betting sponsorship, whether it be commercials, sportscasters giving the odds of every aspect of the game, or garish signs in stadiums and arenas. This is a result of a new law […]
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 […]
By Ken Reed
Some of the unhealthiest people are also the skinniest. That’s because body weight and body fat percentage aren’t the best measures of health status or death risk. Physical fitness levels are.
When it comes to trying to live a healthier lifestyle, most Americans focus on weight — primarily weight loss — instead […]
By Ken Reed
SportsWorld has made progress in the transition from autocratic, drill sergeant-type coaches to a more humanistic approach to coaching athletes. But there’s still a long ways to go. The recent situation at Northwestern University, involving their football and baseball coaches, is proof of that.
After giving football coach Pat Fitzgerald a slap-on-the-wrist […]
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
