Declining NFL Ratings

https://www.si.com/tech-media/2018/01/04/nfl-tv-ratings-decline-ten-percent-colin-kaepernick-thursday-night-football

1. What do you believe is the main reason behind the decline in the NFL’s ratings?
2. Are there any factors not mentioned in the article that might be responsible for the decrease in viewership?
3. What steps can the NFL take to get viewership back to where it once was?

Rise in Concussions

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22603654/nfl-doctor-says-rising-concussion-numbers-sparks-call-action

Questions:

1. How do you think the NFL should respond to the increase in concussions?
2. How many concussions are too many for an athlete?
3. Do concussions make high school athletes not want to play contact sports.

Transgender Athletes in Professional Sports

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/world/americas/brazil-transgender-volleyball-tifanny-abreu.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

1. Should transgender athletes be allowed to compete in professional sports?

2. How regularly should hormone altering be enforced?

3. Should hormone levels be the only factor in deciding eligibility?

Shut up And Dribble

Discussion Questions: Shut up And Dribble

Article link:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/19/587097707/laura-ingraham-told-lebron-james-to-shutup-and-dribble-he-went-to-the-hoop

Do athletes say have meaning in our society?

Are athletes appropriate spokespeople for current issues?


Do athletes have a responsibility to speak out on current topics?

Markelle Fultz and the Pressure of NBA Play

Article Link:

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/09/sports/basketball/markelle-fultz-philadelphia-76ers.html

"Markelle Fultz Lost His Shot. Will He Ever Find It Again?" 
By Kurt Streeter 
March 9, 2018

The New York Times reported of Markelle Fultz, the top draft pick for the Sixers, and how he has lost his jump shot.  There is a great deal of speculation about how and why he is struggling with the team. This is a big question for all teams because they are all at one time or another looking to draft the next young superstar: Why has such a hyped player lost his shot?

Questions: 

Please choose 3 questions to answer from the list below to help you prepare for our discussion:

1. The writer mentions Fultz’s youth many times? why?

1. Do you believe he is injured?

1. What do you think best explains his struggles? His age? NBA pressures? Team conflict?

1. Are the 76ers the right place for Fultz? What can explain Fultz’s “ghost-like” behaviors?

1. Should the NBA abandon the one-and-done rule?

1. Why won’t the 76ers let Fultz talk to the press?