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NIL numbers adding up (too) quickly

By Bill Contz For the Mirror Having made a previous living knowing that the precise length of a holding penalty represents 45 precious feet of hard-to-occupy NFL turf, I tend to be a bit of a numbers geek. As such two recent, sit-up-and-take-notice NIL items had my full attention. Firstly, during Big Ten media days Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork revealed that “around $20 million” was allocated from collectives and brand affiliates to Buckeye football players in 2023. Quick math tells me that the 100 scholarship and non-scholarship gridders in Columbus each ...

Steelers’ schedule will require fast start

By Bill Contz For the Mirror War historians recognize the widespread devastation caused when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima that effectively ended the World War II. Pittsburgh fans may bear witness to similar carnage thanks to Roger Goodell and his schedule makers who have evidently piloted their own Enola Gay with the steel city dead in their sights when they unveiled the 2024 NFL schedule. The battle for bulging holiday television ratings and ultimate viewing supremacy will rage as the NFL faces competition from the NHL, the NBA, NCAA basketball and the expanded ...

Special coaches can make a difference

Baseball legend Jackie Robinson once said, “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” When I heard about the recent passing of NBA star Bill Walton, that quote came to mind. Although a gifted athlete, Walton struggled with health issues. Yet, while doing so he remained an NBA standout. Despite facing 36 surgeries and chronic health challenges, Walton frequently asserted he was “the luckiest guy in the world.” So many athletes are recognized for their competitive achievements, but sometimes those we remember most do things that transcend ...

College sports not so travel friendly

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror The shifting landscape of college football is crimping the lifestyles of road-trippers. When Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, the forfeiture of independent status dramatically altered the football team’s road schedule. For Nittany Lion fans residing throughout Pennsylvania, an annual lineup of manageable excursions to the home venues of opponents such as Temple, Pitt, Maryland, West Virginia, Rutgers and Syracuse was replaced by lengthier trips to Midwest destinations. Three-plus decades later, the evolution of super-conferences is ...

Area support for Shackley appreciated

Over the past four years, our community has had the opportunity to witness the performance of arguably one of its greatest-ever athletes — swimmer Leah Shackley of Rainsburg. The incoming North Carolina State swimmer who earned a full athletic scholarship has a list of accomplishments that are too many to mention here, but a sampling includes six PIAA titles, including the fastest female high school swimmer in PA history in both the backstroke and butterfly. And most recently competing in her second USA Olympic Trials where her best finish included a finals appearance and a ...

Little League title memories endure

In a world so divided, so wrapped up in electronics, so polarized by our lack of face-to-face communication, sports still bring us together. Fifty years ago, a group of kids were brought together to play baseball. We were coached by three men who loved the game so much they stole time away from their own families to invest it in 16 of us 10-12 year-old boys. I was fortunate enough to be one of those 16. Now I am 62 years old, and 50 years have passed since that winning season. We played for Ward Trucking in the then named Recreation Little League. Our games were played at ...