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Articles by Fred Bowen
Baseball's Record Books Now Honor Negro Leagues
The stars of America’s favorite pastime have a new set of heroes to chase. In addition to familiar icons like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, Major League Baseball’s record books have added the names of less well-known legends such as sluggers Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. Gibson and Leonard are among the 2,300 Negro League players whose records Major League Baseball has added to its record books, elevating stars who didn’t get their due during baseball’s decades of segregation.
Sports columnist Fred Bowen offers parting words of advice
My first KidsPost column appeared April 14, 2000. Legendary quarterback Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots on April 16, 2000. That means I have been writing my weekly kids' sports column longer than Brady has been part of the National Football League. It also means I have been thinking about kids and sports for almost 23 years. Longer really. I had written nine of my 27 kids' sports books before I started the column and coached more than 30 kids' sports teams.
NBA scores are going up, thanks to the three-pointer
The busiest people in sports these days are the folks keeping score in National Basketball Association (NBA) games. NBA players are putting points on the board in record numbers. After Tuesday night's games, 28 of the 30 NBA teams are averaging 110 or more points a game. The surprising Sacramento Kings lead the league averaging 120 points each game. Only the stuck-in-the-mud Houston Rockets and Miami Heat are scoring less than 110 points a game.
Skier Mikaela Shiffrin could set new mark for World Cup wins
A couple weeks ago I wrote about sports records that could be broken soon. I overlooked one sport: skiing. American skier Mikaela Shiffrin recently tied the mark for the most wins in the Alpine Ski World Cup by a woman when she won her 82nd race. The mark is also held by another great American skier, Lindsey Vonn, who retired in 2019. Most sports fans do not pay much attention to skiing except every four years when the races are featured in the Winter Olympics.
Damar Hamlin's injury raises issues about other football dangers
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs begin this weekend, but some fans are wondering if they should watch the games. In a recent Monday Night Football game, Damar Hamlin, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, collapsed after making a tackle. His heart had stopped. Quick medical assistance revived him, and Hamlin was taken to a hospital. It was a scary moment for the players and everyone watching on television.
Alex Ovechkin isn't the only pro athlete looking to break a record
Damar Hamlin’s family ‘frustrated’ by backlash against Cincinnati Bengals player he tackled before collapse Damar Hamlin’s family is “frustrated” by backlash against the Cincinnati Bengals player he tackled before collapsing and going into cardiac arrest during a game.Wide receiver Tee Higgins was the player tacked by the Buffalo Bills safety before he suffered the shocking medical emergency during the game on Monday night.Hamlin, 24, remains in critical condition at the University of...
Alex Ovechkin isn't the only pro athlete looking to break a record
Sports records are broken all the time. Let's look at some important professional marks that may fall in the not-too-distant future. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1989) is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with 38,387 points. LeBron James is not far behind, with 37,903 points, before Wednesday night's game. James is still putting numbers on the board. He is scoring 29 points a game this season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Top NBA awards will be a hat tip to some of league's greatest players
The National Basketball Association's most valuable player award is now called the Michael Jordan Trophy, to honor the Chicago Bulls' legendary Jordan, shown in 1992. (John Swart/AP) The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced this month that it is renaming some of its awards. For example, the NBA's Most Valuable Player award (MVP) will be the Michael Jordan Trophy. Other trophies will also be named after former NBA players.
In college basketball, more players on are the move
University of Maryland guard Brinae Alexander shoots a three-pointer against Connecticut on Sunday. Alexander played for the Vanderbilt Commodores before transferring to Maryland as a senior. (Terrance Williams/AP) The college basketball season is underway, and things are changing in the game. One big change is lots of players are moving from school to school.
What are the most popular sports with kids?
Here are the five favorite competitive sports among kids ages 6 to 12: 1. Basketball 2. Baseball 3. Soccer 4. Tennis 5. Football, if you combine tackle and flag. (Bike riding is still kids' favorite activity.) The big surprise on the list is tennis. There was a 29 percent growth of kids who played tennis on a regular basis between 2019 and 2021. It makes sense that kids might want to play tennis during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pickleball is a hit with kids, but interest in team sports drops
Fifteen-year-old Anna Leigh Waters plays in a September women's pro singles match against Anna Bright during a Professional Pickleball Association tournament in Mason, Ohio. (Arden S. Barnes for The Washington Post) The Aspen Institute recently issued its annual report on kids' sports called " State of Play 2022." The Aspen Institute is an organization that studies lots of important issues, including kids' sports.
Sports all have flaws, but kids can still find ones that are good matches
The United States and England compete during the World Cup in Qatar on Friday. The game ended with a score of 0-0. That's not too exciting for soccer fans. But no sport is perfect. (Abbie Parr/AP) Like many sports fans, I have been watching the World Cup soccer matches. With so many upsets and star players, the tournament has been fun and exciting. Still, soccer is too low-scoring for me.
For some athletes, sports runs in the family
Nelly Korda, left, and sister Jessica Korda, both of Team United States, celebrate after Nelly secured the gold medal on the 18th green during the final round of the Women's Individual Stroke Play on Day 15 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) It's Thanksgiving, a day when many families gather to share a big meal and good times. So that has me thinking of sports families. What's a sports family? The Kordas for example.
Who will win World Cup 2022? Rising stars or legends could be key.
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups. The teams play three matches within their group. Teams are awarded 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie. The two teams with the most points in each group move on to the knockout rounds, where the winners move on and the losers go home. So which team will win the World Cup? France is the defending champion and has plenty of talented players, such as midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni and forward Kylian Mbappé. But it is tough to repeat.
Who will win World Cup 2022? Rising stars or legends could be key.
Neymar, one of Brazil's stars, shown during a game against Colombia last year. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters) The men's World Cup soccer tournament starts in the small Middle East country of Qatar on Sunday. Teams from 32 countries will compete to see who will win the World Cup trophy. FIFA, the international soccer organization that runs the World Cup, estimates that 5 billion (!) people will watch some part of the tournament on television, according to its president, Gianni Infantino.
World Cup grew in popularity with an assist from Pelé, other stars
France scores against Brazil with a header at the 1998 FIFA World Cup final. The tournament, among the most-watched sporting events on earth, begins this month in Qatar. (Sven Simon/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP) The FIFA World Cup, one of the most-watched sporting event on earth, begins next week in Qatar. To understand some of why it's so popular, let's look at World Cup history. The first World Cup was played in 1930 in the small South American country of Uruguay.
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke's twisting career path offers lessons
But Heinicke is not just an NFL quarterback and fan favorite. He offers great lessons for kids and especially kids who like sports. First lesson: Don't give up. I know you've heard that one before, but Heinicke shows why it is true. Heinicke played college football at Old Dominion University (2011 to 2014). He threw for 132 touchdowns and ran for 22 more but was not drafted by any NFL team. Heinicke bounced around the NFL for years but could not stick with any one team (he was released five times).
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke's twisting career path offers lessons
After a slow start, I thought I would not write about the Washington Commanders for the rest of the National Football League (NFL) season. I changed my mind because of Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke was the backup quarterback for the Commanders. He became the Number 1 guy after the team's starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, hurt his throwing hand. Heinicke has led the Commanders to close wins over the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.
World Series night games can be a shutout for kids
The World Series starts tomorrow night. The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies face off in a seven-game series to see who will be the champion of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Big money in college football pays for coaching and not coaching
College football is getting a bit wacky these days. I don't mean because James Madison University in Virginia has made it into the Top 25 teams during its first year as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school. The FBS teams are the 131 schools, such as Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson, that play college football at the highest level. No, I think college football is wacky for another reason.
MLB playoffs expansion aims for fairness without killing the fun
The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs begin Friday. The top six teams in the American and National leagues will play for the next few weeks to see which two teams will compete in the 2022 World Series. The playoffs are different this year. First, the playoffs have expanded from five teams in each league to six, including three "wild card" teams, or teams with the best records that didn't win a division.
The NFL has only 3 Black head coaches. That needs to change. Original
On Sunday, there was a long article on the front page of The Washington Post on an important issue in sports - the lack of African American head coaches in the National Football League (NFL). Most kids don't read front-page articles, so it's worth writing about for KidsPost. First, the numbers. Despite that about 60 percent of the players in the NFL are African American, only 3 of the current 32 head coaches (9 percent) are African American. It has been like this for a while.
Aaron Judge closes in on the real home run record: Roger Maris's.
Aaron Judge, the 6-foot, 7-inch slugger for the New York Yankees, is closing in on Major League Baseball's record for home runs in a single season. Judge has 60 homers with 15 games to play after Tuesday night's games. But wait, I can hear kids who love baseball asking, "Isn't the record for most home runs hit in a single season 73? Set by Barry Bonds in 2001." Judge is terrific, but he probably won't hit 13 home runs in 15 games.
Playing competitive sports doesn't have to mean travel
To travel or not to travel? That is the question lots of kids and families are asking as another youth sports season begins. Travel teams, some of which start as early as first grade, usually cost more money and involve weekend tournaments and more time in the car going to faraway games. Travel teams are not for everyone. That's what Jason Targoff, an engineer in Cambridge, Mass., thought 10 years ago when his son, Lou, was 8 years old.
Playing competitive sports doesn't have to mean travel
Travel teams, some of which start as early as first grade, usually cost more money and involve weekend tournaments and more time in the car going to faraway games. Travel teams are not for everyone. That's what Jason Targoff, an engineer in Cambridge, Mass., thought 10 years ago when his son, Lou, was 8 years old. "My wife and I definitely didn't want to do travel." Targoff stepped in and ran Lou's in-town third- and fourth-grade soccer league instead.
Playing competitive sports doesn't have to mean travel
To travel or not to travel? That is the question lots of kids and families are asking as another youth sports season begins. Travel teams, some of which start as early as first grade, usually cost more money and involve weekend tournaments and more time in the car going to faraway games. Travel teams are not for everyone. That's what Jason Targoff, an engineer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thought 10 years ago when his son, Lou, was 8 years old.
Hardcourt: 75 Years of Basketball with Fred Bowen and James E. Ransome
Celebrate 75 years of the NBA with us! “Hardcourt External,” by author Fred Bowen and illustrator James E. Ransome, is the story of the biggest league for one of the nation’s most loved sports. Follow the evolution of basketball and learn everything from the groups that paved the way for desegregated teams to the legendary players you love. Moderated by Tajay Ashmeade.
Serena Williams to retire as greatest women's tennis player of all time
The greatest player in the history of women's tennis will probably take her final bow at the United States Open next week. Serena Williams's status as the best ever is rock solid. I know that Margaret Court won 24 major singles titles and that Williams has won only 23 ( Wimbledon and the Australian, French and United States opens are the four major tennis championships). But this is where knowing sports history helps.
European champion Lionesses get England fired up about women's soccer
Watch out America, the Lionesses are coming. The Lionesses are England's national women's soccer team. They won the Women's Euro Championship this week in high style. The Lionesses roared through the group matches and then came back in dramatic fashion on a long-distance blast in extra time to beat a strong Spanish team, 2-1, in the tournament quarterfinals.
Young talent like Juan Soto are key to Nationals' return to winning
When a pro team is not very good, the most important question it must ask is: Which players on its roster will still be on the team when it starts winning again? The Washington Nationals are not very good. Their record is 31-63 (31 wins, 63 losses), the worst in the major leagues. So the Nats have to ask that important question. Especially as the trade deadline (August 2) approaches. First, the team has to realize it can't count on older players such as Yadiel Hernandez and Nelson Cruz.
The Yankees are red-hot, but will their season be legendary?
A big story going into next week's Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star break is the New York Yankees' chance to finish the regular season winning more than 70 percent of their games. Led by slugger Aaron Judge and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, the Bronx Bombers have a record of [TK-TK] after Tuesday's game. That means the Yankees have won [TK] percent of their games. Not many teams have played .700 ball or better for a full season. The last team to play .700 ball was the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers.
College football is more and more about the money
When I started writing my column for KidsPost, I promised myself I would not talk about money in sports. I thought kids were more interested in great athletes such as Lionel Messi, LeBron James and Serena Williams than in how much money they made. A recent sports story, however, is making me break that promise.
Summer swim teams let kids of all ages bond while competing
Placeholder while article actions load Summer is here. For most kids, that means no school, going to camps and long evenings playing outside among the fireflies. For some kids, summer also means going to the pool and swimming for a summer swim team. There are hundreds of teams in the Washington, D.C., area that have thousands of young swimmers.
Without Title IX, athletes and sports fans would have missed out
Placeholder while article actions load In American sports history, one of the biggest changes came about because of 37 words. Fifty years ago Thursday, President Richard Nixon signed into law Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. What's Title IX (or nine in Roman numerals)? It's the law that says - in one long, fancy worded sentence - girls must receive the same educational opportunities as boys, including sports. That wasn't true 50 years ago.
3-pointer rules basketball, but kids should work up to the long ball
Placeholder while article actions load Watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs makes any fan realize that basketball is a shooter's game. In the playoffs, the four remaining teams are taking more than 40 percent of their shots from behind the three-point line. The Dallas Mavericks have heaved well over 50 percent of their shots from long range. Maybe that is why they are losing to Golden State.
Celtics have my support, but any of final 4 NBA teams could be champs
Placeholder while article actions load The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are getting serious. The competition has been fierce up to now. Superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Ja Morant and their teams were eliminated in the early rounds. Even the Phoenix Suns, who had the best record during the regular season of 64-18 (64 wins, 18 losses), were bounced from the tournament in a seven-game series. Now there are four teams fighting for the championship.
Maryland lacrosse has a shot at 2 national championships
Placeholder while article actions load If you are a lacrosse fan, the next few weeks should be fun. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men and women's tournaments are being played, and some Washington, D.C.-area schools are in the mix for a national championship. In addition, several tournament games will be played in the Baltimore-Washington area. Let's look at the women's tournament first.
Wimbledon's player ban isn't fair, but it's the right move
Placeholder while article actions load Organizers of the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament in England announced last week that players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play in the 2022 championships. Matches will start June 27.
Playing college sports is about life lessons more than championships
Most American sports fans are watching the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournaments to see which teams will win the men’s and women’s championships. The March Madness games, along with college football, are the biggest and most popular college sports events. But college sports are more than these TV spectaculars. Here are some of the numbers: More than 2,000 colleges, from huge universities such as Ohio State to small schools such as Saint Peter’s, sponsor varsity sports.
Playing college sports is about life lessons more than championships
Duke University's Paolo Banchero is just a freshman, but already there is talk of him playing in the National Basketball Association. Of the nearly 500,000 college students who play sports, he's one of the few who are likely to play as a professional. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Most American sports fans are watching the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournaments to see which teams will win the men's and women's championships.
Father and son turn their passion for sports into podcast
Lots of kids like to talk about sports, but Joseph D’Avirro gets to talk about sports like a professional commentator. The 9-year-old from Newington, Conn., is the co-host of a podcast titled “Sliders & Curveballs.” Joseph has been broadcasting the show – which is about baseball, basketball and other sports – with his dad, Mike D’Avirro, since September 2019. They started the podcast after two of Mike’s former college roommates died.
For the U.S. Men's National Team, it's a rough road to the World Cup
Christian Pulisic of United States takes a corner kick against Canada during a World Cup qualifying match in September in Nashville, Tennessee. The U.S. Men's National Team has three tough games coming up that will affect their chance of earning a spot in this year's World Cup. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) The next week will be a nervous time for American soccer fans.
First NCAA men's basketball tournament wasn't exactly 'madness'
Loyola University Chicago basketball players celebrate March 6 after winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The win earned them a spot in the NCAA tournament, known as March Madness. When the NCAA held its first tournament, in 1939, only eight teams participated and a few teams turned down an invitation to play. (Jeff Roberson/AP) March Madness, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's basketball tournament, is underway. The tournament is a huge sporting event.
Father and son turn their passion for sports into podcast
By Fred Bowen Special to the Washington Post Lots of kids like to talk about sports, but Joseph D’Avirro gets to talk about sports like a professional commentator. The 9-year-old from Newington, Conn., is the co-host of a podcast titled “Sliders & Curveballs.” Joseph has been broadcasting the show – which is about baseball, basketball and other sports – with his dad, Mike D’Avirro, since September 2019. They started the podcast after two of Mike’s former college roommates died.
The focus on Olympic medals minimizes years of accomplishments
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA, seen here in the downhill event at the Beijing Olympics, was unable to finish runs in the slalom and super G, two of her best events. For one of the best skiers in the world, it was a disappointing performance. But Shiffrin has won more than 70 World Cup races, three Olympic medals and six world championships in her career.
By the numbers, Bengals and Rams look like a perfect match
Ja'Marr Chase, left, is the Cincinnati Bengals' superstar receiver. He scored 13 touchdowns on 81 catches this season. But Super Bowl opponent Los Angeles Rams have their own star receiver: Cooper Kupp, who caught a near-record 145 passes. The two teams also score the same number of points this season. (Ed Zurga/AP) The Super Bowl is a big deal. Football is full of statistics, so here are a few to prove my point. Twenty-eight of the 30 most-watched television broadcasts are Super Bowls.
Australian Open isn't just about vaccine drama. It's about rising stars.
Novak Djokovic practices before the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on January 13. Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against the coronavirus, was unable to compete in the tournament because he broke Australia's coronavirus rules. (Mark Baker/AP) Most of the talk surrounding this year's Australian Open tennis tournament has been about someone who will not be playing.
NFL playoffs offer too much to watch, so take a pass on some of the action
Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals makes a catch for a touchdown over Charvarius Ward of the Kansas City Chiefs on January 2. Chase will be one of the exciting players to watch in the Bengals playoff game Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) If you like watching pro football, you will love this weekend. There are six National Football League (NFL) playoff games played over three days. The winners move on, and the losers go home.
For young figure skaters, it's difficult work and smiles
By Fred Bowen Special to the Washington Post The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are being held this week in Nashville, Tenn. The top male and female skaters will move on to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, next month. World-class figure skaters such as defending U.S. champions Nathan Chen and Bradie Tennell do not just happen. They work for years to get to the medal platform.
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