High school, college, and professional teams take an inconsistent approach in dealing with athletes who have off-the-field and off-the-court struggles. That isn’t surprising, considering the complexity of some situations that arise. Domestic violence and related incidents rank among the NFL’s biggest off-the-field problems. The only crime category with a larger number of arrests involving NFL players is DUI. Still, the […]

With football season rapidly approaching, it’s time to revisit the role of replay. We can debate to what extent replay should be used in football, but there’s little doubt it’s here to stay. Let’s start with the premise that the goal of replay is getting the proper call made on the field in a reasonable amount of time. In the […]

We know that Major League Baseball players make a boatload of money, right? Consider that at least 10 players are making $100 million or more because they can hit, pitch, or field a baseball. In the five months since free agency began last year, teams committed to around $4 billion in future salaries to players. Mike Trout is getting upward […]

Parents lost a son. Siblings lost a brother. Friends lost one of their own. Hillsboro lost a 16-year-old student, who also was known as an athlete and actor. The news that Demarius Cox died while attending a church camp last month in Colorado came as a shock and gave the community a real gut check. Many people commented on social […]

It’s hard to conceive that former Wichita State University basketball star Fred VanVleet outscored all-star Steph Curry in game 6 of the NBA finals to help the Toronto Raptors win the NBA championship. Some would say VanVleet was fortunate to even be on an NBA team, much less contribute significant minutes and points against Golden State. Unlike most NBA athletes, […]

The fall from the penthouse to the outhouse didn’t take all that long for the Kansas City Royals. After winning the World Series in 2015, the Royals lost more than 100 games three years later, a feat they may duplicate yet again this year. But don’t lose heart, Royals fans. This year’s team was called “the best bad team in […]

“I’ve been rich. I’ve been poor. Rich is better.” That was the wisdom according to the words on a poster. The masses generally agree with that sentiment. That’s why it may surprise you to learn that NBA commissioner Adam Silver is concerned about the mental health of the rich and famous NBA athletes. “When I meet with them, what surprises […]

Basketball officiating has always been challenging.I’ve always maintained that young kids playing Mid America Youth Basketball are the hardest to officiate because the quality of play is, uh, less than stellar. Often there’s no flow and the play is erratic at best, and there are vastly different skill levels on the court. As players move up to high school and […]

Sports leaders of all stripes tinker with how to make their particular sport more attractive to the general populace. The game of baseball has been around for a long time, and those in charge continually think about ways to increase interest in it. Major League Baseball (MLB) is unusual among the sports world in that it allows its two leagues […]

My agent I.M. Slick dropped by the other day and asked if he could take over my column this week. I told him, “That depends. What do you have in mind?” Here’s what followed. I.M. Slick: Have you heard of a game where you have to pick between two very difficult and sometimes bad alternatives? Joe: Yeah. Slick: Let’s try […]