Dear Mr. Charles Barkley:
I write you out of love. I write you out of profound pain. I write you out of deep concern. I hope you accept this letter in the spirit that I write.
Mr. Barkley, I understand that you said, in so many words, that slavery was not so bad and that you were tired of people bringing up slavery. I was shocked by both statements. Then I was mad. Then I was terribly disappointed. Finally, I was just in deep hurt and great pain. Now, I am trying to help you and all those who may think like you.
Mr. Barkley, allow me to tell you why slavery was “not so bad,” but very, very bad. First, African people were snatched from their families, their villages, their communities, their tribes, their continent, their freedom. African people were made to walk hundreds of miles...
Sport
Dear Fans
Coming off a season in which we saw Kevin Harvick claim the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crown after a thrilling debut for the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format, Chase Elliott burst on to the scene with a championship of his own and Matt Crafton repeat as champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it's easy to see why many say 2014 was one of the all-time best for NASCAR.
However, I think the best is still to come.
As we embark on 2015, we are excited to start a new 10-year agreement with our great partners at FOX Sports and to welcome NBC Sports back to NASCAR. With FOX and NBC we have two world-class media companies committed to bringing NASCAR excitement to our great fans in bigger and better ways.
We could not be more thrilled to welcome Comcast's...
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Dear Michel,
I refuse to talk down to you, because I know that you understand what it means to hold that torch. You looked a little awkward when the camera lingered on you while you had it, but we know that you know the importance of holding it high, and what this team means to the city, the province, and the people around the world who cheer for it.
Last year when 24CH premiered, the camera followed you on your route to the Montreal Canadiens' practice facility in Brossard, and you talked about how special you knew it was to get a second chance here, that you knew it wasn't something that happened often, and that it was your dream job.
You also know what it looks like when things fall apart, like they did for you with Montreal before, and like they did in Pittsburgh. Well Michel...
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Dear Dez,
I'm sure you've never heard of me. I'm a former sports agent who has some experience with NFL contracts. I took either a lead or secondary role in contract negotiations for several wide receivers, including Drew Bennett, Troy Brown, Curtis Conway, Michael Jackson, Shawn Jefferson, Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith. A couple of those negotiations were acrimonious and resulted in lengthy player holdouts.
Your performance has justified a contract near the top of the wide receiver market, which Calvin Johnson sets with the seven-year, $113.45 million extension he received from the Detroit Lions in 2012. $53.25 million of Johnson's extension was fully guaranteed at signing if the $4.5 million roster bonus from his rookie contract, which was payable on the same day the new deal...
3,125
Dear future stars,
You don’t know me, but I’m Helen Wyman. I’ve been a professional cyclocross racer for 9 years now and at the weekend I had the pleasure of racing in front of many of you at the World Cup race in Milton Keynes.
I’m sure you’ve heard stories of Olympic events and seen superstars zooming around the velodrome on TV. Well I want to tell you there’s another amazing, exciting and exhilarating sport that can be your future.
I left the UK many many years ago in a Peugeot 205. It cost £100, was a kind of faded red colour, and was donated to me by my local bike shop as I set off to start my big bike adventure. I drove to Belgium and there it began. I was hooked on the sport from the very beginning. The crowds, the atmosphere, the spectacular courses; I...
4,088
Dear Parents of Fencers,
You have made a wonderful choice in financially supporting your child/children in learning the Olympic sport of fencing. Fencing is a sport that teaches unparalleled discipline, personal accountability, how to overcome adversity, and is a sport that (mostly) attracts an assortment of wonderful characters. I began fencing when I was 9 years old, and it has largely defined who I am today.
Participants in the sport would likely identify fencing as a “niche sport.” It will never reach the glamor and popularity of say, the NFL, the NHL, or the MLB, but the fencing community is rip-roariously passionate about the sport and most fencers love it with all their being.
Throughout my years of fencing/coaching, I have seen many friends come and go. Some get jobs that...
3,189
Dear fellow supporters of Women's Chess!
Since being appointed Co-Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women's Chess at the recent FIDE Presidential Board in Istanbul, I have studied in detail the current situation of women's chess around the world.
While there has undoubtedly been great progress in women's chess in the past few years, evidenced by the larger number of women participating in chess tournaments, as well as the general increase of women's ratings, I believe there is much we can do to improve the situation further. We have to work on all levels, so that chess is perceived as a game equally suited to girls as to boys, beneficial to their development, in school and later on in life. This will lead to more girls starting to play chess, becoming members of their national chess...
3,626
Dear Jason Collins:
Let me preface this by saying you have no obligation to listen to me. We both know that. I am a lowly editor of a local sports site that happens to cover the team that helped you make history a few months ago. You are a professional athlete, a sports icon, and perhaps most importantly, an adult with agency. Your pursuits are your decision.
You’ve taken time this summer to roam the speaking circuit, using your voice at the Inforum Convention, holding a public forum with out ESPN editor Kevin Arnovitz, and attending various other events around the country, after becoming the first openly gay male athlete in one of the four major professional US sports.
It also appears that, at 35 years old, you’re legitimately torn about whether you’d like to keep playing next...
3,947
Mr. Ross,
I wanted to take the time to write you about my favorite team for the past 34 years (as I am 34 years old). I wanted to thank you for spending any amount of money you feel needed to give us a chance to be competitive. I like how you have given our GM and Head Coach the green light to spend whatever is needed to make our team competitive. I also understand you have brought in several great advisers to our team (I love the move to get Dan Marino back in the fold).
Watching the game yesterday, I saw a team that was prepared to play. Squeezed every drop of potential from their players and would have done anything to win for their coach. Unfortunately, it was the Jets. On our side I saw guys either quit or get pulled because they quit playing hard. I saw a locker room in a mess...
3,438
Dear AFL world,
We play a full-body contact sport, and wear basically no protective equipment at all.
We train to run as fast as we can for as long as we can. We have to jump and land, twist and turn, run backwards into oncoming traffic.
We as players know the risks, we as players accept the risks. We as players accept that accidents happen.
If there were any great concerns about the mentioned situations, then players would voice them. From time to time, we do.
In light of the Viney incident and the injury report the AFL released this week, there is no need for hysteria. The game does not need to be changed to try to prevent injury or collision.
Yours sincerely,
Drew Petrie
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