Sea(t) change
We need to do more to let everybody into the game, but even more to keep them there
We observed Thanksgiving this past week and it reminded me of large family gatherings (remember those?) where there would be an adult table and a kid table. In my house, the kid tables were our mahjong tables with a tablecloth draped over them. The chairs were some variety of uncomfortable folding seat with a flimsy back and no cushion; we never got to sit in the sturdy mahogany chairs that were part of the dining room set that my 嫲嫲 gifted us when we moved back to Canada.
Over the years, Dave and I have had numerous conversations about inclusivity (which, to me is more about inclusion-mindedness than practicing actual inclusion). We have talked about wanting a seat at the table. Sadly, for marginalized people, the seat is often a crappy folding chair and the table is the kid table.
The findings of the Yates Report tells us that there’s a lot more work to be done here. There’s no doubt that the United States has one of the best infrastructures in place for growing the game of football for girls and women. The door is open for them to enter, but what are they getting into? And what is being done to keep them in the sport? A system that condones abuse fails to do this, especially when people are held back or quit the sport because of it. Inclusion must be thought of as an ongoing practice, not just a one-time event on a timeline.
In the past week, NWSL owners have stepped down from decision-making roles and coaches have been terminated over their roles in overseeing, perpetrating, or covering up abuses in their clubs. That’s great as a first step, but it’s not a fulsome solution; Chicago Red Stars head coach Rory Dames was dismissed from his post, but he still owns and operates a local girls club. Cleansing the league of bad actors is necessary, but I’m wondering if the NWSL is just pushing them to other corners of the sport and making them somebody else’s problem?
Players have acknowledged that this isn’t specifically a professional league issue; that it’s a women’s football issue. Abuse is prevalent at the collegiate level all the way down to grassroots clubs. I wouldn’t call the recent resignations and firings (in and of themselves) a sea change, but hopefully this is the beginning of something that has a ripple effect throughout all levels of the sport.
— JY
#quizchandler
Today is October 12, i.e., 10/12, so all today’s questions will have something to do with 10s and 12s, 2010, 2012, the span between 2010 and 2012, and so on. Enjoy! (Or don’t, we’re not your dads!)
How many NFL quarterbacks who primarily wear/wore #10 or #12 are in the all-time top ten for career passing yards?
The three shortest active NBA players to have averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds per game over the course of a full season are an interesting bunch. One of the three has an MVP but not a championship. One of the three has a championship but not an MVP. Two of the three have won Most Improved Player. Two of the three played college ball together. Only one of the three has made an All-Star team in the last two years. Name all three players.
Who was the last NHL player to lead the league in assists while wearing #10 or #12?
The last time the American League triples leader had double-digit three-baggers, three teammates tied for the lead with 10. All three are still active. All three were primarily infielders at the time. Two of the three are still teammates on that same team. The one who isn’t is the only one of the three to make an All-Star team, and is the only one of the three to have played in the 2022 postseason — although his team has been eliminated. Name all three players.
Answers from last week’s issue
Of the 20 NFL players who scored (not passed for) 105+ total touchdowns, only seven played their entire careers with one franchise. Name five of them.
Marvin Harrison (Colts), Jim Brown (Browns), Walter Payton (Bears), Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Lenny Moore (Colts), Barry Sanders (Lions), and Don Hutson (Packers) are the droids we were looking for.
Only two NHL players have had +/- of over 105 in a single season. Both players were born in the same province, both accomplished the feat in the same decade, and are both in the Hall of Fame. Who are they?
Parry Sound, Ontario’s Bobby Orr (+124, 1970-71) and Winchester, Ontario’s Larry Robinson (+120, 1976-77) are the only players to do this. Brantford, Ontario’s Wayne Gretzky (+100, 1984-85) is the only other player to have ever achieved a +100 or higher.
As of the writing of this question (i.e., when he still had 61 homers), presumptive AL MVP Aaron Judge had 10.5 bWAR, tops among position players. What former MVP is the only active position player to have achieved a higher bWAR?
Aaron Judge finished with a bWAR of 10.6, just short of Mookie Betts’s mark of 10.7 that he reached during his 2018 MVP season.
Six NBA players have averaged 10.5+ assists/game in 4+ seasons, name the two players on that list who are not in the Hall of Fame.
Both players to do this are not in the Hall of Fame because they’re not yet eligible. Chris Paul is a lock for the HOF, while Rajon Rondo is firmly entrenched in the Hall of Very Good (even though Basketball Reference suggests he has a 60% chance of making the cut).
#postscript
Many thanks to Chris Chandler for being named his name and to you for being named your name, unless your name is Iker Casillas, who perpetuated the idea that coming out can be considered material for a cheap joke in the days leading up to National Coming Out Day.
Until next week, be the Ezequiel Carrera you wish to see in the world.
— DJ/JY