Author: Don Yaeger

Qualifying for the US Open tennis tournament started this week, and more powerful than the storyline of what surprising talent might be in is when the men’s sides most transcendent talent will be out. Though he’s currently number three in the world rankings and seeking his sixth major title in New York, everyone wants to know “Is this Roger Federer’s last Open?”

For the past few days, it’s been quite fashionable to bag on the Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown. After all, we’ve learned that his foot problem is possible frostbite from a cryogenic therapy gone wrong (because he didn’t wear socks as advised) and his favorite helmet is now officially outlawed by the NFL—prompting Brown to declare that he won’t play without his preferred head gear.

Here’s a leadership truism: you reproduce what you are. I’ve been around enough Great coaches and leaders in the sports world to know that the character of the coach is always reflected in the character of the team. John Wooden’s UCLA teams played selfless, precise basketball. Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke teams play with passion and discipline. Bill Belichick’s Patriots play with a whole-hearted commitment to...

The single-most challenging job in the NFL right now involves a man who doesn’t look like he belongs in the NFL. A little stocky, a little country. His name is Freddie Kitchens. His job? To transform the Cleveland Browns into something great.

I recently went to the Pacific Northwest for a business trip, and during my time there I met two interesting and successful athletes. The first one was still in college. Young, talented, and eager to take his career to the next level, he and I caught up after my talk to his football team. He shared his passion for his game, and how he was driven to succeed.

Sunday afternoon, my wife and children sat next to me, huddled anxiously around my cell phone. We were watching one of the most remarkable finals in Wimbledon history, the epic 4-hour-and-57-minute slugfest between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The biggest fireworks of the 4th of July didn’t officially happen on Thursday. Instead, they erupted late on Friday, July 5th, when Kawhi Leonard announced that he was signing a free-agent contract with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers. And he was bringing fellow LA native Paul George with him.

“I just felt like there’s been a weight on me.” Those were the words of Naomi Osaka after she lost in straight sets during the first week of the French Open. The loss dropped Osaka to number two in the world, a result that Osaka said, “was probably the best thing that could happen to me.”