80-1 Longshot Rich Strike Wins 148th Kentucky Derby

On Saturday, May 7, the world watched as the 148th Kentucky Derby was run. After the fastest two minutes in sports, Rich Strike, an 80-1 longshot, took this year’s race, becoming the horse with the second-longest odds to ever win the Derby.

Despite Lawsuit Win, Equal Pay Fight Isn’t Over

After almost three years, the U.S. Women’s National Team settled their equal pay lawsuit with the governing body of American soccer. Managing Sports Editor Liza Katz ’24 explains the lawsuit and what it will mean for women’s soccer going forward.

A Hometown Fan's Ode to Tom Brady: Undisputed GOAT

A New England sports fan reflects on Tom Brady's retirement, describing his Patriots tenure as nothing short of a religious experience.

The Jack Eichel Chronicles: As Told by a Disgruntled Sabres Fan

Hockey fans thought Jack Eichel was fated to be the savior of the historically awful Buffalo Sabres. But the Eichel era has officially ended — and it was simply another 21st century failure for the doomed franchise, writes Alex Noga ’23.

Shockwaves Hit the NHL After Blackhawks Sexual Assault

A former Chicago Blackhawks player filed a lawsuit against the team alleging that he and a teammate were sexually assaulted by the team's video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010. The team initially dismissed the allegation, then sought loopholes out of the situation.

Buffalo Bills at the Forefront of Vaccine Skepticism After Cole Beasley’s Comments

Following the loosening of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) mask guidelines earlier this week in which fully vaccinated people “no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting” [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html] unless required by specific regulations, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley took to Twitter to voice his opinion on the matter. The thread began with Beasley responding to a CNN tweet that quoted president

Brentford Hope Third Time’s the Charm for Premier League Promotion

In late August of 2020, Bayern Munich’s French forward Kingsley Coman headed home to secure the German giants the UEFA Champions League trophy in a close 1-0 victory over Paris St. Germain. Not only did that lone goal secure the Bavarian club the title of European champions, but it also earned the club €19 million in prize money. Interestingly, the €19 million in prize money on the line does not make the Champions League the most valuable tournament in European soccer. Instead, that title goes

Short-Lived Super League Shows Power of Fans, But Challenges Still Remain

In his meditation on the beautiful game, Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano wrote that “the history of football [i.e. soccer] is a sad voyage from beauty to duty.” Last week’s announcement of the creation of the European Super League [https://amherststudent.com/article/footballing-shock-doctrine-the-covid-crisis-and-the-european-super-league] looked to be another step on that teleological journey towards duty. Players and fans alike opposed the move, and yet because wealthy owners supported it, t

Footballing Shock Doctrine: The Covid Crisis and the European Super League

In her 2007 book “Shock Doctrine,” Canadian author Naomi Klein writes about how wealthy nations and corporations exploit the aftermath of natural, political or economic disasters to implement radical, right-wing proposals that generate profit for a select elite. Klein cites events like the overhaul of the Chilean economy in 1973 after the ouster of Salvador Allende and the privatization of the New Orleans school district in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as examples of how the wealthy use

Following Andonovski: Where the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Roster Stands Today

With fewer than 100 days before the Tokyo Olympics, Vlatko Andonovski, the new head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT), faces a dilemma every coach dreams of: selecting an 18-player roster from one of the deepest talent pools ever. But with that abundance of talent, putting together the limited roster is a hefty and critical task, especially after the team’s surprisingly early exit in the Rio 2016 Olympic quarterfinals. To avoid the same errors that caused that early exit f

The New Look of the NBA

The makeup of the NBA completely changed at this year’s trade deadline, with players moving all across the league. And most of these trades haven’t followed the traditional structure of past years. Instead, they have relied on the buyout market. Buyouts [https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2021-nba-buyout-market-how-midseason-free-agency-works-and-who-could-be-available-after-the-trade-deadline/#:~:text=A%20buyout%20occurs%20when%20a,team%20as%20a%20free%20agent.] occur when a player forfeits a

In Razor-thin Finals, Stanford Women's Basketball Wins 2021 National Championship

On Sunday, April 4, the Stanford Cardinal held off the Arizona Wildcats to win the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship by a score of 54-53. For the first time in tournament history, two teams from the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) Conference battled to cut down the nets. From the start, it was obvious that the national championship would be a choppy game, with elite defense from both sides stifling offensive flow and forcing numerous turnovers. Stanford, led by the tournament’s Most

Vanderbilt Aces Stay Hot

When it comes to college baseball, having a Friday night ace on your pitching staff for a three-game weekend series is critical in setting the tone. For top-ranked Vanderbilt University, pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter have established themselves as the strongest one-two punch in college baseball this season. In fact, they have both been so dominant that they could be the first two players off the board in the MLB draft this July. It would be the first time ever [https://www.baseballameric

March Madness Playing Field Narrows

Men’s Tournament Over the past four days, the playing field in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament narrowed from sixteen teams to the Final Four. On March 27, No. 1 seed Baylor University defeated No. 5 seed Villanova 62-51, before punching their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 1950 with an 81-72 victory against University of Arkansas. Gonzaga University, in pursuit of an undefeated season, overpowered No. 5 seed Creighton University 83-65 before beating University of Southern

There’s No “I” in Team, but Could There be a Union in Professional Tennis?

Over the past few months, unions have been a hot topic of discussion [https://amherststudent.com/article/seeing-double-you-need-a-union] throughout the United States. After news broke of Amazon workers in Alabama attempting to unionize, President Joe Biden affirmed his support for them. “There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda. No supervisor should confront employees about their union preferences. You know, every worker should have a free and fair choic

As Qatar 2022 Draws Nearer, Criticisms Grow Louder

It’s almost impressive how an organization as brazenly and institutionally corrupt as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) continues to outdo itself. Since the 1990s, it has been an open secret that the governing body of the world’s most popular sport is beholden to powerful, monied interests. This became undeniable in 2010, when, after the completion of a successful World Cup in South Africa that had been seen by some critics as a risky move, FIFA’s World Cup Host Selec

NCAA Tournament Weight Room Disparities Highlight Persisting Gender Inequities

In the world of sports, the month of March is perhaps best known for the annual NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments, commonly referred to as March Madness. After the tournaments were canceled last year [https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-cancels-mens-and-womens-basketball-championships-due] due to the emergence of Covid-19, excitement for this year’s March Madness has been incredibly high [https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/one-year-after-covid-19-cancele

Upsets Abound in First Two Rounds of March Madness

“It’s March, expect the unexpected!” exclaimed the CBS announcer as No. 15 seed Oral Roberts University upset No. 2 seed Ohio State in the first round of this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Commonly known as March Madness, the tournament is one of the most popular and exciting athletic events in the United States, with even non-sports fans tuning in to watch each year. Sixty-four of the country’s best teams vie for the chance to be crowned national champion. The bracket is

The Awe-Inspiring Excellence of Paige Bueckers

As the No. 1 high school basketball recruit in the nation from the class of 2020, Paige Bueckers entered her first season at UConn surrounded by sky-high expectations. As the regular season comes to a close and March Madness gets in full swing, one thing is certain: Bueckers lived up to every single one. On March 17, Bueckers earned a spot on The Associated Press women’s basketball All-American team and became only the third freshman to do so all-time, joining basketball legends Courtney Paris

The Atlanta Dream v. Kelly Loeffler

While the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol will be remembered as a day of infamy in the United States, it will also be known as the day that Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler in her campaign in Georgia. Perhaps the most interesting reason for her loss is that The Atlanta Dream — the WNBA team Loeffler partly owned — came out in vocal support of Warnock. A staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, Loeffler campaigned on a number of conservative issues such as illegal immigrat

March Madness Preview

The brackets for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments were finalized by their selection committees on March 14 and March 15, respectively. The single-elimination tournaments — colloquially known as “March Madness,” a testament to the high-energy play and surrounding media frenzy — whittle down the field of 64 teams (technically 68 teams for the men’s tournament due to the four play-in games) to a single NCAA champion. Teams that win their conference’s tournament are