Sports Archives - Granite Grok

Sports

Sales Taxes and Stadia

Oklahoma City voters approved a proposal for a new sales tax to fund a $1 billion downtown arena that will keep the NBA’s Thunder in that city through 2050.  Interesting. I’m sure Oklahomans who don’t care for basketball or sales taxes are less than pleased.

Traditions, Troops, and Hoops

I recently received a text from an old Marine Corps buddy who now teaches history at Clemson University. “What’s up with the Celtics floor at the Garden? No more parquet?”

chess queen king checkmate

Chess, Trans Athletes, and Free Markets in Sports

Transgender athletes are becoming increasingly more common in athletic competitions, and this has spurred a great deal of criticism from the right side of the political aisle. Their argument is simple: men have a distinct advantage when it comes to sports.

Biden, Belichick, and Fastballs

In our sports vernacular, the expression “losing your fastball” is a euphemism for no longer being able to perform to previous standards. After fireball-throwing Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton lost his fastball in the 1960s, he threw knuckleballs to extend his career.

Will now Lia Thomas Facebook before transition

Why Aren’t Women Screaming

I am sickened on many levels as Lia Thomas continues to mock women’s sport. Thomas is destroying collegiate swimming, but how long will it take before this dilemma hits the Olympics, professional, or even high school athletics?

Coach K screen grab from Coach K dot com

Is Coach K the End of the Road?

Sports used to be so much more important in my life than today. We emulated our sports heroes because they were bigger than life. We would be at the ball field in summer hitting balls like Yaz, and in the winter, we would be on frozen ponds stickhandling like Bobby.

Tiger Woords Pixaby license

A Night Away From The Real World

I am suffering from news overload. I have been sleeping little and watching war too much. Ukraine is like a car crash you cannot avert your eyes from. I have been glued to the reports of Benjamin Hall, Trey Yingst, and Mike Tobin. These three men are not human.