Before the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final kicked off on Sept. 27, Canada and England’s women’s rugby squads had already etched their names into the history books. When they walked onto the pitch at Twickenham Stadium in the London suburbs, a sold-out crowd of nearly 82,000 rugby fanatics greeted them[Read More…]
Behind the Bench
Dynasty in demise: Kansas City in trouble
The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a slow start, having just picked up their first win of the season against the New York Giants. Only 10.1 per cent of teams who start 0–2 have ever made the playoffs. However, never before has an 0–2 team had Patrick Mahomes, so[Read More…]
The politics of remembrance: The Yankees’ selective tribute to Charlie Kirk
On Sept. 10, American right-wing activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot by Tyler Robinson on the Utah Valley University campus. Kirk’s death has sparked significant debate over the appropriateness of mourning him, given his bigoted political views. Professional athletes’ reactions have ranged from Instagram[Read More…]
The odds stacked against athletes: The darker side of sports betting
The past decade has seen sports betting morph from a shadowy practice into a multibillion-dollar industry embedded in the heart of professional sports. With states across the U.S. legalizing gambling and Canada following suit in 2021, betting odds now flash across live broadcasts, podcasts casually reference parlays, and ESPN even[Read More…]
Remembering Ken Dryden: Canadiens legend and McGill alum
Ken Dryden, the towering goaltender who backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cups and became the calm heart of a dynasty, died on Sept. 5 at 78 following a battle with cancer. More than a hockey player, Dryden was a symbol of Montreal’s golden age. An athlete, intellectual, and[Read More…]
The NFL’s creepy new AI ad is proof the league is out of touch
Fans of the National Football League (NFL) watching the season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 may have been surprised to see a giant AI-generated baby staring back at them during a commercial break. More shocking, though, is the fact that it was an official[Read More…]
Beyond the court: The Ostapenko-Townsend dispute
On Aug. 27, tennis players Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend got into a verbal altercation after the second round of the 2025 US Open. After an intense matchup where Townsend defeated the Latvian in straight sets 7-5, 6-1, Ostapenko initiated a heated conversation that ended in her saying that Townsend[Read More…]
Alexander Isak’s choice: The controversy swirling around one of football’s brightest lights
Amid a summer transfer window like no other, football’s biggest stars made even bigger moves. But one story especially captivated football fans this year. Alexander Isak, a 25-year-old Swedish footballer, had 27 goals in all competitions last season for his former club, Newcastle United. His time with the team came[Read More…]
Anti-trans sentiment strips swimmer Lia Thomas of her Division I titles
On March 17, 2022, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) swimmer Lia Thomas hit the water in one of her last collegiate races, making a splash in 2SLGBTQ+ sporting history. She became the first transgender woman athlete to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championship, in the 500-yard freestyle.[Read More…]
Hockey Canada on thin ice as it continually fails survivors of sexual violence
Content warning: Sexual violence On July 24, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found five Hockey Canada players not guilty of alleged simultaneous sexual assaults of 20-year-old E.M. Though disappointing, Carroccia’s verdict is not surprising: It is one in a long line of Hockey Canada-related failures to protect sexual violence[Read More…]
