9th April 2020

The Best Thing About NASCAR’s Virtual Races Might Be the Real Competition

When Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota sped across the finish line at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida last month, the victory was unlike any he had experienced. Trailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the race’s final lap, Hamlin, the 2006 NASCAR Cup Series rookie of the year, made a final push coming out of Turn 4 and surged past Earnhardt to win a race he had led for only 14 of the 150 laps. Why so unusual? He was driving barefoot, for one, and was competing from a race simulator at his home outside Ch

9th January 2020

How Cassius Winston Greets His Late Brother Before Every Michigan State Game

Time and his teammates have helped him heal. The process requires daily attention. Winston has learned to direct his sadness toward something positive. Some days are easier than others, but the process has allowed him to look at his life, basketball and his relationship with his late brother in a completely new way. And in the moments when he needs reminding that he isn’t alone, Winston, who graduated from Michigan State in three years with a bachelor’s degree in advertising management and is pu

Forbes • 22nd August 2019

Sister Jean Turns 100: The Secret to Loving Life Is Living With Joy

Bill Behrns’ official title at Loyola University-Chicago may be the assistant athletic director for communications, but for the past two years, he has been one of a few people charged with officially keeping track of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. While Sister Jean has been the men’s basketball chaplain at Loyola since 1994, she has held the title of international celebrity for the past 1 ½ years after she – then at age 98 – became the face of the Ramblers program that made a shocking run to the

Forbes • 21st June 2019

How U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland Became The "Best.Friend.Ever" To Special Olympian Amy Bockerstette

The 20-year-old golfer that Joe Bockerstette sees on a daily basis isn’t much different than the confident girl who starred in a viral 2 ½ minute video and, in turn, wound up establishing an unmistakable bond with U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. She’s still Amy, Joe says of his daughter following a whirlwind week that included Woodland’s victory at Pebble Beach on Father’s Day, which was followed up by a surprise reunion between Amy Bockerstette and Woodland on NBC’s Today Show two days later

Forbes • 30th March 2019

Despite Violating Antitrust Law, NCAA Continues To Justify The Unjustifiable, Analyst Jay Bilas Says

No matter how the NCAA classified him, former Duke basketball star Jay Bilas never considered himself a student-athlete. In his mind, Bilas was a student when he was in the classroom and an athlete when he took the floor for the Blue Devils. But he was never both at the same time. Now, 33 years after his playing career ended, Bilas remains perplexed by the notion that the NCAA continues to prohibit college athletes from fully benefitting financially from the value that their talents bring to t

Forbes • 30th March 2019

While Nike Is Being Mocked For Zion Williamson's Shoe Blowout, Don't Expect Long-Term Damage To Brand

When he reprised his big-screen Mars Blackmon character in a made-for-television role, Spike Lee birthed the phrase that became synonymous with sneaker greatness. The five words became marketing gold in 1988, thanks to a series of popular Nike-branded commercials starring Lee and the company's most famous pitchman, Michael Jordan. But nearly 30 years after the advertising campaign launched, and after it was brought back to life by the athletic shoe giant in 2017, Nike found itself in the cross

30th March 2019

At Michigan State, Young Point Guard Is in the Driver’s Seat

Michigan State’s basketball coach, Tom Izzo, prefers honesty in its rawest and most brutal form. When Izzo rates talent, especially among his own ranks, he has never been one for hyperbole. So it is notable that when others point to the return of swingman Miles Bridges for a second season at Michigan State as the key to the Spartans’ chances of capturing the N.C.A.A. championship, Izzo shifts the conversation to Cassius Winston, his sophomore point guard. It is Winston, after all, who Izzo bel

15th November 2018

For Daniel Carcillo, the Fight Against the N.H.L. Goes On

CHICAGO — Daniel Carcillo was known as Car Bomb during his N.H.L. career because he played — and lived — with reckless abandon. In nine seasons with five N.H.L. teams, he accumulated nine suspensions, about 100 fights, 1,233 penalty minutes and myriad fines. He won two Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also had seven diagnosed concussions, according to his doctor. He seemed to be more of a cautionary tale than a change agent. But he has become one of the loudest critics of the N.H.L

8th August 2018

Aaron Judge Stays Focused and Consistent for the Yankees

Fowler was to be inserted into Thursday night’s lineup against Chicago in right field with Judge moving to designated hitter. Girardi said on Thursday that he could keep Judge in that role this weekend against the Houston Astros. Regardless of position, Judge’s mentality remains the same. “It’s just about taking care of your job,” Judge said. He added: “With the lineup we’ve got, people are being productive, they’re getting the job done, they’re hitting the ball well. For me, I’ve just got to

14th March 2018

The Nun in Loyola-Chicago’s Huddle Has a Few Things to Say

The connection between Sister Jean and Moser, 49, dates to 2011, when Moser, a career assistant, was hired to revitalize Loyola’s program. On his first day, he arrived at his new office and found a manila folder on his desk. Inside it was a scouting report, compiled by Sister Jean, detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each player he had inherited. The scouting reports haven’t stopped. Day after day, season after season, Sister Jean pores over box scores of Loyola’s upcoming opponents, weig

ThePostGame.com • 31st December 1969

Patriarch Of Passion: How Jack Harbaugh Raised Two Of The Nation's Best Football Coaches

The two brothers, separated by only 15 months, sat in the back of their father's 1962 Chevy as it pulled up to an elementary school in Iowa City. John and Jim grew up in their father's football environment, starting when they were toddlers transported to practice in a stroller by their mother, Jackie. But at Iowa -- one of the 14 stops made during a coaching career that stretched from Ohio to California -- Jack's job title included chauffeuring his boys to school. Because his time was limited

ThePostGame • 25th February 2015

In Search Of Pete Hill, Greatest Baseball Player You Probably Never Heard Of

What is it like to chase after a ghost, uncertain where the journey will lead? What steps does one follow to string together the life of a baseball Hall of Famer who was born in Virginia, died at a bus stop in Buffalo, and who was buried in an unmarked grave outside of Chicago? What does having some closure mean to a family that, until only a handful of years ago, wasn’t even aware of the legacy left by an ancestor who impacted a game by pre-dating the game's biggest names? Ask anyone who has

13th February 2018

A German Soccer Star Orders Himself an Extra Helping of Chicago

CHICAGO — Bastian Schweinsteiger had only just settled in behind a small, circular table when his order of penne Bolognese arrived, accompanied by a glass of cranberry juice and delivered by a server who immediately recognized him as a regular. The waiter and Schweinsteiger, the German soccer star and World Cup winner, exchanged pleasantries before Schweinsteiger was left to his lunch, which had been delayed by unexpected traffic that had made him late. This qualified as a rare wrong step for t

13th February 2018

Handed Life’s Twists, Notre Dame Quarterback Turns It Around

That journey, now in its eighth month, has thrown Kizer and his girlfriend, Elli Thatcher, on a topsy-turvy ride they could not have imagined when they began dating in 2014, 10 months before the diagnosis. Like Kizer, Thatcher, a pre-med student at Ohio State, is in her second year of college and calls Toledo, Ohio, home. Although they went to different high schools, the quarterback and Thatcher began dating before heading to college, Kizer in South Bend and Thatcher in Columbus. For years, Th

16th February 2018

Club Team Thrives in the Shadow of the Frozen Four

BENSENVILLE, Ill. — At the Edge Ice Arena in this quiet suburb about 20 miles west of Chicago, the banners hang above the ice rink in orderly fashion, 12 on one side, six on the other. Each flag celebrates seasons gone by, showcasing achievement like any other successful college hockey program. The history lesson continues nearby inside a hallway trophy case situated not far from where vendors working the Jefferson Street Grille hawk hot dogs, nachos and other snacks. A collection of 19 tournam

13th February 2018

5-Foot-3, but He Skates Above His Level

The seven-round draft will be held 40 miles from Dhooghe’s hometown, Aurora, Ill., and has stayed in the back of his mind recently. Whether Dhooghe joins a fraternity of N.H.L. players who stand less than 6 feet tall and includes stars like the Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Cam Atkinson and the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane remains undetermined. But in an era when the N.H.L. has become dominated by speed, precision skating and a player’s ability to read and react and vi

13th February 2018

To Get to the Blackhawks’ Net, Jeff Glass Took the Long Way

Since making his inaugural appearance just 175 miles from his hometown, Calgary, Glass has registered a 3-2-1 record and a .910 save percentage while splitting time with his fellow backup Anton Forsberg. As so often happens in sports, Glass owes his good fortune to another player’s misfortune. The Blackhawks’ top goalie, the veteran All-Star Corey Crawford, remains sidelined and on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The Blackhawks have declined to comment on Crawford’s injury or a timet

ThePostGame • 31st October 2016

Lights, Traffic, Action: Inside The Competitive World Of Bike-Messenger Racing

Navigating one stretch of urban congestion after another – especially on two wheels – is, to be sure, an inexact science. But it is one that Nico Deportago-Cabrera has managed to master the past nine years through periods of trial and error, and cause and effect. Deportago-Cabrera accepted his first courier job more out of necessity than desire. Now he is hooked on this open-air office space being his world as he traverses the streets of downtown Chicago as one of the city's 300 bicycle messeng

ThePostGame • 18th October 2012

Five Years After Being Paralyzed, Brock Mealer Prepares To Walk The Aisle At His Wedding

The steps still come awkwardly for Brock Mealer, who, like anyone else, walks by putting one foot in front of the other. At times, the steps come faster, propelling him forward, forcing the rest of his body to keep up. But still, the steps come. These days, Mealer is bothered by how his arms flail almost uncontrollably, serving as the safety net a nearby wall once offered. But the arms, regardless of their motion, have never been the issue. The fact that Mealer's legs can step at all is what

6th March 2018

Behind the Scenes: Pat Curran takes Bellator title back

HAMMOND, Ind. – Pat Curran's body slumped against the wall of a cramped backstage dressing room, drained by 25 minutes of punishment. Curran's right eye almost was swollen shut, but the 26-year-old fighter finally was able to find a moment of quiet. A gold Bellator championship belt laid across Curran's stomach, showing that his mission was complete. This is what winning looks like in the world of mixed martial arts fighting. His face was left bloodied by Daniel Straus, but Curran had pulled o