Riding the Wave: A Spectacular Resurgence in Women’s Sports

The past year has seen a dramatic uptick in women’s sports viewership. Even in 2019, excitement and passion around the women’s world cup was only at around 34% globally. In just four years, this number jumped to 41% of the global population being excited about the game. These numbers increase even more when looking at 2024. The rise is partly due to the exciting NCAA women's basketball season that just wrapped up.

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Your guide to the MLB postseason

At the beginning of October, the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season wrapped up and moved on to postseason games. The MLB postseason is a high stakes series of playoff games spanning the month of October to determine which teams will compete in the World Series. This October so far has been a postseason of ups and downs with unexpected teams taking the top spots. If you haven’t been paying attention, fear not. This is a comprehensive and rather simple guide to the postseason, so you can jump right on the bandwagon when the World Series rolls around at the end of the month.  

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Resilience and Culture Drive Historic Season for Skidmore Women’s Basketball

For the first time since the 2017-2018 season, the Thoroughbreds took home the Liberty League title with an impressive 54-52 win on the road at #1-seed Ithaca College on February 26. The team ended the season with a 22-5 record, marking the program record for most wins in a season. The team then celebrated Skidmore women’s basketball’s first-ever NCAA tournament win, defeating Johns Hopkins University 62-59 with an incredible comeback in the fourth quarter. Though the historic playoff run was cut short by a 59-50 loss to Tufts University the next day, there is no doubt that this Thoroughbreds team was dynamic, energetic, and committed.

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Jakub Jankto and the Importance of Gay Male Athletes

On Monday, February 13, Czech Republic’s Jakub Jankto came out via an earnest video posted to his social media accounts. The third active male soccer player, and some claim the highest-profile one, to come out, ever. Jankto is currently playing for the Czech Republic’s AC Sparta Prague club, on loan from Spanish club Getafe, where he will return next season. He has been a part of the Czech national team since 2017 and has made 45 appearances for them at the international level. 

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The Importance of "Betting on Yourself": USMNT Rising Star John Tolkin

New York Red Bulls and U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) defender John Tolkin is only 20 years old, but has matured into a world-class professional soccer player. I was lucky to have the chance to discuss many topics with him, including the importance of “betting on yourself,” being process oriented, and recognizing mental health. As impressive as his performances on the field are, the elite mentality of the rising star is equally inspiring.

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2022 World Cup - A Look into the History and Current Controversies of the Stadiums

The long awaited 2022 FIFA World Cup is now here and being hosted in Qatar from November 20th to December 18th. Games will be played across eight stadiums, all within a 22 mile radius of Doha, the capital city. Qatar won the right to host after a controversial bidding process in which several FIFA members were accused of bribery, amongst other corrupt practices. Not only was the bidding process problematic, but Qatar's suitability to host has repeatedly been called into question for a number of reasons, including the hot climate and more concerningly, their human rights record.

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Tua Tagovailoa's Head Injuries Raise Questions about the Ethics of the NFL

Tua Tagovailoa rejoined the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, 10/23, following a two-week absence due to multiple head injuries. The quarterback was brutally sacked in a game during Week 3 of the National Football League (NFL) season against the Buffalo Bills, where his head was hit with immense force on the turf and he struggled to walk after. The team’s medical staff, however, cleared Tagovailoa to play for the rest of the game. The next week, the 24-year-old suffered a concussion in Cincinnati during a game, this time with much more serious consequences. After an intense hit, he was seen lying on the field unmoving with his fingers clenched in stiff, unnatural positions.

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Fall 2022 Skidmore Sports Midseason Update

Skidmore 2022 Fall Sports are off to an incredible start, with many teams exceeding expectations and thriving as the midway point of the season approaches. On behalf of Skidmore News, we wanted to give an update on the fall sports teams, as well as sharing an interview with an athlete from each team to give some insight into how our student athletes are approaching the season. We hope you enjoy it!

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The Sports Bans Continue: Oklahoma and Arizona

On March 30, the states of Oklahoma and Arizona joined the growing list of states which prohibit transgender women and girls from playing in female sports divisions. Both laws are rooted in the claim that trans athletes have an unfair advantage due to higher levels of testosterone before transition, and that this makes sporting competitions unfair. The vast majority of the individuals leading this charge against trans sport participation have no past history of caring about women’s sports or women’s rights in general. These are not unrelated, but part of a reaction to the last few decades of progress on LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights.

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Top Teams So Far: A Recap of the First MLB Games Back from Lockout

After a late start due to a lockout, Major League Baseball is back. Coming out of a major strike, the players organization recently agreed to a deal with the league, in which the MLB agreed to raise the bonus pool – the pool of money that funds the league’s bonuses and awards – from $40 million to $50 million. Despite the first two weeks of the season being canceled, the teams are back to their regularly scheduled programming. Here is a look at the top teams in each league right now.

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This Is Bigger Than Sports: Trans Rights and Athletics

Over the last few decades, the LGBTQ+ community has made tremendous progress in the United States and some other countries. However, there is still a long way to go in most of the world towards liberation, and unfortunately we are in the midst of a backlash which focuses on a particularly vulnerable subset: transgender people. How did we get here, and what does this mean for the future?

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A Long Awaited Day for USWNT Fans: The Induction of Hope Solo and Shannon Boxx into the National Soccer Hall of Fame

On January 30, 2022, the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced that they would be inducting two heavy hitters from the United State’s Women’s National Team (USWNT): Shannon Boxx and Hope Solo. Clint Dempsey of the male’s national team was elected to the Hall of Fame as well. For any fan of the United States Women’s National Team, Boxx and Solo are household names. Both women have had wildly successful careers in soccer, and each deserve their own spotlight.

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