Key Points: Women have historically faced much more pressure than men to look a certain way, but social media has started to increase expectations on men, too. However, unlike with the backlash against ultra-thin female models in the 1990’s, society still celebrates a male physique that’s “unhealthy” and difficult to attain naturally. To protect our … Read more
Key Points: Professional athletes in the U.S. enjoy WAY longer offseasons than European soccer players. Somewhat surprisingly, U.S. franchises are also valued significantly higher, despite playing shorter seasons and having far smaller global fanbases. This suggests that “less is more,” and if the soccer world wants to emulate this success, it will need to be … Read more
Key Points: Top-level professional footballers play too many matches, full stop. Only a couple weeks into this new season, many elite European teams have already seen key players ruled out for months due to preventable soft tissue injuries. The culture of overtraining runs deep within the soccer world, and needs to change, or the sport’s … Read more
Key Points: There are multiple facets of athleticism. Many sports fans tend to value some components of athleticism, like speed, more highly than others, like endurance. The NBA’s best player, Nikola Jokic, demonstrates the devastating combination of skill plus elite ability in some of the lesser-valued traits. Estimated reading time: 5-10 minutes Listen to this … Read more
Key Points: When I was growing up, athletes were encouraged to specialize in one sport from a young age. In reality, early specialization makes athletes more prone to injury and burnout, while hindering their overall athletic development. Playing multiple sports can even help a young athlete enhance skills in the sport they ultimately choose. Estimated … Read more
Key Points: Viewership of professional sports and enrollment in youth sports is on the decline. By contrast, esports are growing in popularity and financial strength. This makes sense, because esports undeniably have greater accessibility and a much faster “skill improvement curve” than traditional sports. Estimated reading time: 7-14 minutes Listen to this article on Spotify! … Read more
Key Points: Soccer is notoriously resistant to change. Advances in technology and analytics have highlighted key problems with the sport that hurt it as a spectacle. Accordingly, I discuss potential solutions for key issues like quarter-inch offsides decisions, time-wasting, and diving. Estimated reading time: 10-20 minutes Listen to this article on Spotify! As I’ve mentioned … Read more