Alabama Versus Indiana
The televised tumult of a 90,278-person crowd inside Los Angeles County’s Rose Bowl Stadium was blaring through the feeble Samsung speakers. God wanted Alabama to win. That much we knew.
Sports
Unheralded and Autonomous
Take the military academies out of the college football equation and what remains is a host of systemic challenges that threaten the game’s integrity and long-term stability.
Sweet Home Alabama, The Army-Navy Game & Southern Patriotism
Sweet Home Alabama & the Army-Navy Game: A story of a decades-old military academy rivalry coupled with good, old-fashioned Southern Patriotism.
The Promotion of Gambling by Professional Sports Leagues is Stupid and Dangerous
Athletes like Pete Rose and Paul Hornung and Alex Karras have been suspended or banned from their sports over gambling, Mr Rose’s suspension lasting until after his death. The “Black Sox scandal” of 1919 occurred when eight members of the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, allegedly for a payment …
The $40 Million Mulligan
Virginia Tech made headlines by hiring James Franklin as its next football coach because nothing screams “fresh start” like picking up a guy who was fired just over a month ago.
The Dukes’ Dark Horse; Chesney: The right stuff for PSU
In the spring of 1966, Penn State didn’t just hire a football coach, they rolled the dice on destiny. The university handed the keys to its storied program to a longtime assistant with no head coaching experience but was a gritty Brooklyn Ivy Leaguer.
A Defining Search
Despite a positive 12-year run at Penn State, James Franklin ultimately fell short of delivering what defines college football’s elite – a national championship. The chants of “fire Franklin” that echoed throughout Beaver Stadium grew louder as the young season progressed.
Last of the Deer Camps: Saving America’s Hunting Heritage Before It’s Gone, Part I
When Congress passed the Pittman–Robertson Act of 1947, it did something rare: it trusted ordinary citizens more than bureaucrats. Hunters agreed to tax themselves—an excise on firearms, ammunition, and archery gear—to restore the nation’s wildlife. Every box of shells, every rifle sale, sent dollars straight to state conservation agencies. No congressional earmarks, no political games.
Fourth and Funded; The business of buyouts
Through week ten of the college football season, the ledger on what universities owe their former coaches in buyouts was nearly $185 million. It all commenced in week three when Virginia Tech decided to fire head coach Brent Pry who was owed a buyout of $6 million.
Training the Invisible Marksmanship Skill: How Young Athletes Can Learn to “Trust the Shot”
There’s a moment every great athlete eventually discovers — a flash so brief it hides between heartbeats. It feels like magic, but it isn’t. It’s the highest form of motor control: the point where training replaces thinking.
The left keep attacking Riley Gaines Barker for everything except her real argument
Judging from my Twitter — I refuse to call it 𝕏 — feed, the talking points memo has gone out: the left must attack Riley Gaines Barker, the former University of Kentucky swimmer who is now a vocal advocate for protecting women’s sports from men males who think they’re somehow women. It’s no surprise to …
Can Someone Smarter Than Me Figure This Out, ‘Cause I Sure Can’t
We noted, on September 26th, that six schools had forfeited games against the Jurupa Valley High School’s girls’ varsity volleyball team because a mentally ill male, A B Hernandez, plays on the girls’ team. Fox News has just reported how much the real girls are sacrificing: California girls’ volleyball team with trans player sees 10th …
The Brotherhood of the Rifle: What Germany Got Right About Shooting Culture
Today, when German shooters don their old green sport jackets, they’re not just competitors. They’re descendants of the city guard. And when the Schützenkönig or Ritter (Knight) is crowned at the festival, it’s not merely a marksmanship title—it’s a symbolic knighting. It says, you have upheld the standard, you belong…
James Franklin’s contract fallout
Penn State’s decision to fire head coach James Franklin came the day after a disappointing 22–21 home loss to Northwestern, which extended their losing streak to three games that included defeats to winless UCLA and No. 5 Oregon.
A Portal Timeout
The NCAA has taken a bold step to rein in what many have called “unrestricted free agency” throughout college football. The Division I Administrative Committee has voted to eliminate the spring transfer portal window,
Scheduling collides with legacy
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has become college football’s latest exercise in gridiron gerrymandering. The ACC’s footprint now sprawls from Boston and Miami all the way to Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay, defying both geography and its own name.
Grit over glamor; The tranquil excellence of D-III college football
Over 32 years, I covered the collegiate gridiron gospel from State College to Bloomsburg to Bucknell. Not once did I find myself in Selinsgrove taking in a Susquehanna University football game. That changed this past Saturday and let’s just say the differences weren’t subtle.
Redemption’s Playbook
Sports films, and particularly those about football, have a strong inspirational bend. You can add the upcoming “The Senior” to that list.
Figures Flip the Field
There is one key statistic missing from Penn State’s flip-card that the sports’ information office provides the media for every home football game. It is the one most are talking about, but few correctly understand: Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the amounts the players are paid.
Fundraising, Renovation, and a New Era at Beaver Stadium
It was quite the off season for Penn State athletics. In July, Penn State in conjunction with the Nittany Lion Club announced a record-breaking fundraising year of $164.9 million.