The Sports Column

Ravi Mandapaka: Snooker, you say? Then you say Shaun Murphy. thesportscol.com/2026/05/in-sno… #snooker (cover photo courtesy World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, WPBSA)

Arjun Patel: Expect another great season from the #NewEnglandPatriots. thesportscol.com/2026/05/theres… #NFL (cover graphic courtesy ClutchPoints)

The Sports Column: Frank Fear's new book on college basketball is biography and social history wrapped into one. thesportscol.com/2026/05/new-bo… #TruePrue #PalmettoPublishing #highschoolbasketball #collegebasketball #WestVirginiaMountaineers

Leslie Monteiro: I'm not rooting for the #AnaheimDucks in the #NHLplayoffs. And that call has nothing to do with sports. thesportscol.com/2026/05/its-a-… #NHL

Matthew Paris: Surreal is the only way to describe the 2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. More importantly, lives were saved. thesportscol.com/2026/05/how-pl… #SECbasketball #realitystrangerthanfiction (cover photo courtesy Mississippi Today

Jon Hart: If you've never watched the D-1 Men's Lacrosse Championship, do yourself a favor and watch this year. Action gets underway later this week, and the selection show is on ESPNU tonight (Sun May 3). Details to follow. thesportscol.com/2026/05/may-ma… #collegelacrosse is GREAT!

Brian Henry: What stands out this #NFL offseason isn’t just the volume of change, but what’s behind it: the quality of moves being made in the uber-competitive NFL. Here's what's happening. thesportscol.com/2026/05/how-nf… #NFLoffseason2026 (cover graphic courtesy FOX Sports)

Anthony R. Mainville: Every #MLB fan knows Wade Boggs was a great hitter. But too few evaluate him as one of baseball's best ever. Folks, the numbers don't lie. Take a gander. thesportscol.com/2026/05/legacy… #WadeBoggs #BostonRedSox (cover photo courtesy NESN)

Jon Hart: Will the sequel be better than the original? The #TomBradyRoast (2024) was hilarious, and host Kevin Hart helped make it so. How will the upcoming Hart Roast fare? It's coming May 10 on #Netflix. thesportscol.com/2026/05/what-t… (cover graphic from Hart's Netflix trailer)

Arthur Solomon: What would I do if I were strategizing a sponsoring brand’s publicity outreach for the upcoming #FIFAWorldCup? Here's my answer. thesportscol.com/2026/05/world-… #sportspublicity (cover graphic courtesy Adweek)

B.M. Ryan: Deconstructing a seemingly simple sports ritual ... "the playoff beard." thesportscol.com/2026/05/ode-to… #NHL #NHLplayoffs (cover photo from WNYorker's Facebook page)

Leslie Monteiro: Great #NFLDraft2026 NY Jets! But the really big one will happen next year. Here's why. thesportscol.com/2026/04/hurry-… #NFLDraft2027 (cover graphic courtesy ESPN)

Michael Bruner: America loves sports, pro sports especially. But that shouldn't require huge public subsidies to pay for stadium constrution. Enough! thesportscol.com/2026/04/relief… #subsidizingsports (cover courtesy Syracuse.com

Jon Hart: Unexpected. Definitely not scripted. It emerged organically. Attention college basketball coaches: It's "The Headbutt!" thesportscol.com/2026/04/next-b… #collegebasketball #coachingtricks (cover photo courtesy Sports Illustrated)

Jon Hart: I've written about Doug Hakey's NFL exploits, and here is another great story about him as an #MLB #ballhawker extraordinare. thesportscol.com/2026/04/doug-a… (cover photo courtesy Washington Post)

Leslie Monteiro: Brunson is the difference between #NYKnicks advancing to Round 2 and another season ending in disappointment. thesportscol.com/2026/04/brunso… #NBAplayoffs (photo from Game 4, courtesy CluthPoints, Brunson guarded by Hawks' Dyson Daniels)

Ryan Frawley: "I'll enjoy every pitch and every swing of this baseball season. The "Good Ole' Days are now!" thesportscol.com/2026/04/when-t… #MLB #baseball #PittsburghPirates (cover graphic courtesy ar.inspiredpencil)

Jon Hart: "Hulk Hogan: Real American," the new #Netflix doc, left me wanting more, a lot more – and that is a good thing." thesportscol.com/2026/04/five-t… (cover photo courtesy Hollywood Reporter)

Christopher Brunozzi: It's hard to think of another pro who had a championship impact on three different franchises. #NHL's Glenn Hall certainly did -- #DetroitRedWings #ChicagoBlackhawks #StLouisBlues. thesportscol.com/2026/04/rememb…(photo of Hall as a Blackhawk courtesy WGN Radio)

Jon Hart: Portal dee and portal dum. This one's the latter. thesportscol.com/2026/04/this-c… #transferportal #collegesports (cover photo makes it look like life is normal in major college sports)