Sports Perspectives

Army's Jeff Monken: Football coach and family man

Army coach Jeff Monken.<br>Stars and Stripes

Football coaching – whether it be the NFL, major colleges and even high schools – is often a thankless, 24/7 job, requiring many lost weekends, cold dinners and missed school functions. The demands are plentiful and often unavoidable. So when the opportunity arises, enjoy the free time.

Former Indiana University coach Bobby Knight makes his first public appearance at IU's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in years, during a game between the IU Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers, at IU, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020.<br>TNS

PERSPECTIVE

20 years after Bob Knight's Indiana basketball coaching career came to a fiery end, a look at how it happened

An institution of higher learning that had, to that point, existed for 180 years, and surely intends to keep on going for another 180 or more, may never again know a more fractious day.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes directs his offense during Super Bowl 54 against the San Francisco 49ers.<br>Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star/TNS

PERSPECTIVE

The new rule of NFL roster construction: Build a team that can beat Patrick Mahomes

The rest of the NFL chases the defending Super Bowl champion every year, but the Chiefs' first championship since 1970 provided the league's other 31 teams a more urgent mandate.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins (82) eyes down a pass during practice at the NFL team's training facility, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, in Berea, Ohio.<br>TNS

PERSPECTIVE

NFL football during a pandemic promises to look sort of similar and yet radically different

It will be football, but it will occur in a bizarre environment — sort of the same and yet radically different, like a vivid dream with enough twisted details to remind you something is off.

The Baltimore Ravens trimmed their maximum stadium capacity to 7,500 fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.<br>Ulysses Munoz, The Baltimore Sun/TNS

PERSPECTIVE

History shows the NFL is determined to play, regardless of the obstacles

While playing pro football during a pandemic is new, navigating a national crisis isn’t. In its first century, the NFL has weathered the Great Depression, World War II, the assassination of President Kennedy, 9-11, Hurricane Katrina and the Great Recession.

The Milwaukee Bucks bench remains empty after the scheduled start of game five against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs on August 26, 2020 at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.<br>Ashley Landis, Pool/Getty Images/TNS

PERSPECTIVE

Athletes find the power of their collective voice in Jacob Blake protests

Athletes united in large enough numbers to shield themselves against reprisal, and they had another, unexpected advantage.

The court and bench are empty at the scheduled start time of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed.<br>Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP

PERSPECTIVE

'Strike?' 'Boycott?' What to call it when athletes won't play, and why it matters

There's no simple way to label what the players are doing. In interviews with eight labor lawyers and academics on Thursday, only two said "strike," traditional or wildcat, was the best way to describe the athletes' protest.