With Euro 2020 in full swing, I had a thought while watching one of the highlights in which a team formed a defensive wall just outside the penalty box that involved a player lying horizontally on the ground at the base of the wall: Is this really necessary? I’ve played soccer for most of my … Read more
As a follower of a variety of sports, I’ve witnessed some incredible finishes to events like the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the NBA Playoffs, the World Series, March Madness, and more. Today I’d like to add a new epic finale to that list: This weekend’s final round of the Disc Golf World Championship. The … Read more
A little less than a year ago, I started to casually play disc golf. It continues to be my go-to outdoor activity in the pandemic. For many sports that I’ve played or still play–notably soccer, football, and track–I enjoy watching professionals compete at a high level on TV. But for some reason it didn’t occur … Read more
A few years ago I got into indoor rock climbing. I’ve had so much fun with it–the puzzle of where to move next, the feeling of getting a little stronger every time, and the support provided by the people around you. It’s great. There are a few documentaries about rock climbing, and I haven’t actually … Read more
Something odd, interesting, fascinating happened a few weeks ago in the college football. Sports topics probably aren’t why you read this blog, but I love sports as a form of entertainment (particularly soccer, football, and basketball). Two weeks ago, there were two teams with perfect 9-0 records…but they weren’t in contention to play for a … Read more
One of my favorite competitions, American Ninja Warrior, typically films in the spring and airs throughout the summer. But the first half of 2020 was no ordinary time–hardly any sports were active during the spring. So I assumed ANW wouldn’t happen this year. Then, a few weeks ago, a new episode appeared on my Tivo. … Read more
While vacationing in Colorado last week, we wound down in the evenings watching sumo wrestling. As you do. Megan’s brother has followed grand sumo tournaments for a few years. There’s a 15-day tournament every other month, and one happened to be wrapping up last week. So almost every night we all settled down in the … Read more
This morning, the Washington Redskins announced that they will be changing their team name, which had been in place for 87 years. I grew up in Virginia, just 2 hours south of Washington DC. Most of my extended family lives in Northern Virginia, and many of them have rooted for the Redskins for a long … Read more
This past weekend in Kansas City, my girlfriend’s mother invited us to play a game of pickleball with her. I had some vague recollections about the game from high school gym class (which we played on tennis courts), but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the local park had nice, real pickleball courts. 8 … Read more
I don’t think I quite realized how much I’ve missed playing sports during the pandemic until this past weekend. Over the last year, my main sport activity has been indoor rock climbing (in addition to daily exercise)–it isn’t competitive, but it’s a physical puzzle with a series of challenges and ways to improve. However, when … Read more