Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
By Ashleigh Sargent
One foot might not seem like a major difference – unless it’s on a basketball court. And unless it’s the three-point line you’re talking about.
Last year, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel decided to move the traditional women’s three-point arc before the start of the season. In a (literal) ...
Posted in Basketball, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 2nd, 2012
By Ashleigh Sargent and Mariah Philips
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish took down perennial powerhouse UConn in overtime to advance to the National Championship for the second year in a row. Behind the leadership of Skylar Diggins, who finished the night with 19 points, Notre Dame forced the game into overtime ...
Posted in Basketball, The Athletes | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
By Laura Pappano
Sports are political. This year’s March Madness tournament has made that point even more clearly than usual as President Barack Obama’s campaign announced the “Obama Bracket Challenge:” Out pick the President and your name appears on the campaign website.
While initial reports suggested a catch -- that the contest only applied to ...
Posted in Basketball, Money, Power & Politics, The Data | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
By Ashleigh Sargent
The 2011-2012 NCAA basketball season has just kicked off, which means thousands of women are making their debut at the college level.
Even the most talented recruits, however, need more than raw skill to make an impact.
College presents new obstacles: increased intensity, expectations, and pace. Players must figure out ...
Posted in Basketball, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 24th, 2011
By Ashleigh Sargent
Think of it as one step – literally a 12” stride – toward gender equity. This year for the first time, women and men will shoot from the same 20’9” three-point line.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel decided to move the women’s three-point arc from 19’9” after tracking ...
Posted in Basketball, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
By Laura Pappano
The international track federation’s (IAAF) decision to nullify women’s marathon records from mixed-sex events reflects a crude double standard: Men can have rabbits; women can’t.
The use of pacesetters is common in running, from short track distances to marathons. Boston and New York no longer allow pacesetters, but many ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Running, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
By Sarah Odell
When the NCAA decided late in 2010 to cut squash from the emerging sport list, most people didn’t notice the decision, let alone realize the profound impact on the sport moving forward. But this decision is like hitting the serve out at nine-all in the fifth.
Some background: 14 ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Squash | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
By Laura Pappano
It may look like an excuse for college students to gather in a festival atmosphere. And on the surface, Quidditch, the Harry-Potter-inspired sport in which players ride on brooms (ok, run with them between their legs), is a reach.
But, then, basketball probably looked odd to those who first ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, The Q&A | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
By Sarah Odell
Women’s squash is at a crossroads. I have written in this blog about huge strides that we have made with women’s doubles in the last year, but the women’s game as a whole -- singles and doubles, professionals and amateurs -- is in crisis. Women are being denied ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Squash, The Athletes | 3 Comments »
Friday, April 15th, 2011
By Laura Pappano
Last week after Wheelock College freshman Claire O'Donoghue, a member of the Men's Tennis Team (yes, you read that correctly), earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory in singles and an 8-6 win in doubles with her male partner (plus narrowly lost another match in the third set), she was ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
