Perry Warden, who graduated from Tabor College in 1993, recently decided to step away from officiating after 35 years. I had the privilege of officiating basketball with Warden some years ago, and he was one of the good guys. Warden gave me permission to share his letter, which should be of interest to anyone involved with sports. Here are some […]

It’s amusing to see how behavior evolves in sports. When the public address announcer introduced the starting lineups in basketball games in the 1970s, players would dutifully run to the free throw line or center court line and wait for the rest of the introductions to be made. Somewhere along the way in the last 20 years, players at both […]

Dear Joe, I found the Super Bowl less than satisfying. Boring Dear Boring, What’s the problem? What do you have against great defense and punting? Next time, change channels and watch the Puppy Bowl. Better yet, turn the TV off and do something constructive. ———- Dear Joe, I’m sick and tired of watching Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft […]

The NFL had to be pleased with the two conference championship games recently between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. It’s the first time both championship games required overtime. TV ratings were good, the games were highly entertaining, so all is well, right? Well, not so fast, my friend. […]

I don’t like losing … at anything. OK, maybe I’m a little too competitive. I hate to lose, whether it’s playing checkers, ping pong or any sport. Well, hate is a bit strong, I suppose, but losing irks me. When I was a kid growing up, my dad let me beat him from time-to-time when we played ping pong. Eventually […]

The new year seems like a perfect time to share a story about my friend Lynn Plett, who played basketball at Hillsboro High School and Tabor College in the 1970s. He’s currently head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In addition to being a coach, husband and father, Plett has actively lived […]

One day, my attention was captured by a story online. The story, by Laura Hale Brockway, was called “A handy guide to common sports metaphors.” Sports metaphors (or phrases or idioms) are used universally in the workplace. For those readers who have never played or followed sports, sports metaphors can be a headache. I’m going to tell you how Hale […]

At the beginning of the NFL season this year, it didn’t take long for players, coaches and fans to cause a minor uproar. What was so egregious? The competition committee made a “point of emphasis” concerning a 23-year-old rule that prohibits defenders from landing on a quarterback with their full body weight or driving him into the ground with excessive […]

So did that really happen? Just about the time you think you’ve seen it all in sports, something new happens. Kaylee Foster likely accomplished something for the first time in high school football history. In case you haven’t heard, she became the Ocean Springs (Mississippi) High School Greyhounds homecoming queen and star of the football team on the same night. […]

Sports is all about competition. But not everyone can play at the same time. And there’s the rub. Everyone wants to play. When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes as the No. 10 pick overall in the NFL draft two years ago, the writing was on the wall for Alex Smith, then the Chiefs’ top quarterback. Teams don’t draft […]