On Saturday, Oct. 14, Washington University retired Shelby Jordan’s jersey number at a halftime ceremony during the Bears’ third home football game. Jordan — who passed away last year on Sept. 9 — played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He wore the number 78.

It’s better for sports when star players stay with their team for years. Fans build a deeper connection with these players, become more invested in storylines, and feel that their team has an identity.

This summer, Whitaker –a 2021  graduate of WashU– signed a professional contract with the NFL franchise Seattle Seahawks after spending some time playing for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Whitaker was waived/injured after suffering a knee injury at a mock game.

What happened to Tagovailoa is emblematic of the NFL — turning a blind eye to the real impacts of football while continuing to promote the glitz and glam of a violent game. All the rule changes and statements about player safety are just a ruse. A ruse to get people like me to keep watching.

Shelby Jordan, a Washington University alum who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 years, passed away on Sept. 9.

A British comedy television show can teach us lessons about how to better appreciate American sports.

Racial issues in sports span across the world and manifest themselves in different ways depending on where they take place. This brings us to American sports’ current number one hot button issue, still, after three years: Colin Kaepernick vs. the National Football League.

I’ve had the misfortune of watching two of my favorite teams—each an apparent juggernaut in their sport—suffer unexpected losses this season. In the moments after these losses, I felt the urge to overreact, but as time went on, I felt something I hadn’t expected: relief.

Football, by the nature of its reluctance to change, has become a snapshot of a larger cultural problem related to the stereotypes of black people.

The NFL national anthem protests have now reached the tuft fields of America’s college football teams.