Recent Sports Commentaries

Featured image for “Dear Cam, What Happened on Sunday?”
Dear Cam, What Happened on Sunday?
What does it take to get to the Super Bowl, Cam? A lot of hard work, time, sacrifice and… something else. However, during the post-game media interview following last Sunday’s Super Bowl, you were beyond stoic. You sat, for all of 7 minutes, with a hoodie pulled tight around your head, no eye contact, head down at times, barely answering...
Read More
February 10, 2016
Featured image for “Even Tennis?”
Even Tennis?
Yup! Even the great sport of tennis has been affected by sports gambling (as if gambling were a sport). The BBC reports (Jan. 18), “Over the last decade, 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches. “All of the players, including winners of...
Read More
January 25, 2016
Featured image for “Deflategate Redux”
Deflategate Redux
Since the ignominy of Richard Nixon’s attempt to bug Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel in 1972, the media likes to christen any high-profile scandal with the suffix “gate.” The simple fact is that the deflation of footballs can’t compare to the pervasive illegality of President Nixon’s actions that led to his resignation. Nevertheless, Steve Ambra’s ethics class was tasked...
Read More
June 17, 2015
Featured image for “The Three Amigos”
The Three Amigos
Spoiler Alert: This probably won’t win me any fans in New Hampshire. Despite the fact that America has long been perceived as the home of the brave, and land of free enterprise, there have always been three classes: the rich, the elite and the rest of us. While the rest of us watch the game at home or in a...
Read More
May 13, 2015
Featured image for “Ooohhhhh, Tom!”
Ooohhhhh, Tom!
“I have never used steroids. Period.” – Rafael Palmeiro “As long as I live, I will deny it.” – Lance Armstrong “Never knowingly did I take performance enhancing drugs.” – Marion Jones “I would never do anything to break the rules.” – Tom Brady, Jan. 22, 2015 “I don’t have, really any reaction [to a report finding: ‘it is more...
Read More
May 8, 2015
Featured image for “Character Counts”
Character Counts
Character Counts! is the name of the character education program established by The Josephson Institute of Ethics utilized by schools and communities nationwide. While character in professional athletes can appear to be lacking, more organizations are waking up to the reality that reputation matters, and if a player has behavior issues it reflects directly on the organization for which they...
Read More
May 6, 2015
Featured image for “Right Call?”
Right Call?
What could be better? You’re at the ballpark of your team. A beeee-u-tiful Spring day. You’re on your 4th dog with beverage of your choice. “Take me out to the ballgame,” National Anthem, then PLAY BALL! Ever wonder what it might be like to have the stadium all to yourself? No one getting up every five minutes for another beer....
Read More
May 1, 2015
Featured image for “I Don’t Want to Hear About It!”
I Don’t Want to Hear About It!
Having dinner at my favorite local restaurant recently, I’m scanning the menu when a server recognizes me as a fellow Boston fan. She approaches the table and shouts, “Go Patriots!” She then remembers what I do and quickly adds, “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!” Completely nonplussed, I ask, “Hear about what?” “The deflated balls,” she says. “I don’t...
Read More
January 30, 2015
Featured image for “Four Who Made a Difference in 2014”
Four Who Made a Difference in 2014
While everybody is posting their own end-of-the-year list, here’s my selection of ethical stand-outs. Mike Carey – Carey is the first African-American to referee the Super Bowl and has been honored as one of the best in the game in 2008. While honesty and fairness are critical to his job, so is respect. So, in 2006 Carey quietly requested that...
Read More
December 31, 2014
Featured image for “End of the Road”
End of the Road
What’s disturbing about Lance Armstrong is not just that he used banned drugs to unfairly compete. What’s disturbing is how effortlessly, how compulsively he lied, and how ruthless he became in protecting that lie. And, in a sense, we were all complicit. “There are these two, completely opposite narratives,” Armstrong tells documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney. “The only person who can...
Read More
November 21, 2014