The Lingering Effects of Concussions

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the long-term neurologic consequences caused by repetitive concussive and subconcussive blows to the brain (Omalu et al. 2010). “99% of the National Football League (NFL) players’ brains showed signs of neurodegenerative disease when autopsied” (Smith 2021: pg 3492). This deadly disease was first discovered in 2002 in the brain of […]

When Did Football Stop Being Fun?

For many sports fans around the world, football is a way of life. A recent FIFA report published in 2019 found that there are five billion football fans around the globe, with more and more people supporting clubs everyday. Many young kids have dreams of playing football for the biggest clubs in the world and […]

Finish on Empty: Unrealistic Patterns in Female Distance Runners

The sport of distance running is inherently structured around quantifiable measures. Running times, personal records, hours, mileage, and days – these records, quantify and come to govern runners’ lives. When this repetition, organization, and these performance measures feed into athletes’ lifestyles beyond running, the intensive expectations and culture of distance running can perpetuate a culture […]

Liminal Comfort in a Liminal World

In recent years the future has started to look grim. The fate of humanity is more uncertain with the presence of climate change, loss of biodiversity, fear of AI, and other existential threats (BBC News: 2019). Alongside the rise in existential threats is the rise of nostalgia. Nostalgic movies and shows from people’s childhood and […]

Unwrapping the Gift of Gender Bias

When I was in fifth grade, my gifted class had about twenty boys and three girls. “Gifted” enrichment programs are supposed to give students with academic “superior performance” a separate curriculum to prepare them for future success (Shaunessy-Dedrick and Foley-Nicpon 2018:3). Often instituted in elementary and middle schools, they have long been criticized for prioritizing […]