Socrates special selection - No. 1. After churning out stories, thoughts, and philosophies from the weird and wild world of sport I thought it was time to dig out some of my favourites. If I were to create a top ten from Sportsocratic, this would be in there somewhere. Not because it's a brilliant piece of writing. I'm a philosopher...not a writer. I've, most likely, never … [Read more...]
In sport – what’s more important? Fairness or money.
Who deserves the harshest consequences for unsporting behaviour? A serial offending ludicrously wealthy professional athlete or a homeless teenager with a lot of tough stuff going on in her life? That's what I asked myself as I was pondering the following questions. What is the primary role of sport? What is its most important function in the world? Is it a business? … [Read more...]
So Easy To Make Hasty Judgements – Angel Reese vs Catilin Clark
How easy is it to be racist? Maybe it’s easier than you think! This is going back a few months, but my hasty judginess still stings. The first indication I had that the 2022-2023 NCAA Women’s basketball season had concluded, was a video-clip on Twitter showing LSU player Angel Reese mocking Iowa star player Caitlin Clark with a series of hand gestures at the conclusion … [Read more...]
To smash or be skillful? Can good defense be coached or are accidents like the Latrell Mitchell and Joey Manu incident inevitable?
My soccer playing eight-year-old daughter walked up to her (elite rugby player) seventeen-year-old cousin and asked… “Hey Haz? What do you do when you play rugby?” “I smash people,” responded Haz. While I figured that there was probably a bit more to Haz’s defensive responsibilities (at the top end of schools representative rugby) than his brief description provided, … [Read more...]
Exercise is always good – but especially during Covid!
Warning. The following is not an anti-lockdown story! According to scientists and health experts lockdowns (and masks and vaccines) play a critical role in the management of the pandemic we are currently experiencing. This story does, however, highlight some of the potential health consequences of the lockdown when used as a tool to protect our communities well-being. … [Read more...]