On Aug. 27, tennis players Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend got into a verbal altercation after the second round of the 2025 US Open. After an intense matchup where Townsend defeated the Latvian in straight sets 7-5, 6-1, Ostapenko initiated a heated conversation that ended in her saying that Townsend[Read More…]
Behind the Bench
Alexander Isak’s choice: The controversy swirling around one of football’s brightest lights
Amid a summer transfer window like no other, football’s biggest stars made even bigger moves. But one story especially captivated football fans this year. Alexander Isak, a 25-year-old Swedish footballer, had 27 goals in all competitions last season for his former club, Newcastle United. His time with the team came[Read More…]
Anti-trans sentiment strips swimmer Lia Thomas of her Division I titles
On March 17, 2022, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) swimmer Lia Thomas hit the water in one of her last collegiate races, making a splash in 2SLGBTQ+ sporting history. She became the first transgender woman athlete to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championship, in the 500-yard freestyle.[Read More…]
Hockey Canada on thin ice as it continually fails survivors of sexual violence
Content warning: Sexual violence On July 24, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found five Hockey Canada players not guilty of alleged simultaneous sexual assaults of 20-year-old E.M. Though disappointing, Carroccia’s verdict is not surprising: It is one in a long line of Hockey Canada-related failures to protect sexual violence[Read More…]
The blurry lines between poor sportsmanship and racism in women’s professional tennis
On June 7, American tennis star Coco Gauff fell to the ground in pure emotion upon winning the 2025 Roland-Garros (French Open) final. The 21-year-old shone in the match’s second and third sets to beat renowned Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka, currently ranked number one in the world by the Women’s[Read More…]
Protecting trans children’s right to sport is everyone’s responsibility
Since the start of Trump’s second term, the U.S. has seen a slew of executive orders, policies, and lawsuits attacking a fundamental right for transgender youth—the ability to play sports. Last week alone, the U.S. Department of Agriculture froze funds to educational programs in Maine due to the state’s support[Read More…]
Sports media’s duty to athletes and fans
Sports journalism is often seen as a “soft” area of the media, but it is a lot more complicated than it appears. In covering sports events and athletes, journalists must uphold key journalistic practices, ensuring they truthfully and fairly represent the stories they are telling. Oftentimes, however, journalists and media[Read More…]
Varsity Report Card: Winter 2025
Martlets Artistic Swimming: A Synchronized swimming had an outstanding season marked by dominance, consistency, and poise in the pool. The Martlets brought home 17 titles, culminating in a silver medal finish at the Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL) nationals in Victoria, B.C. They made waves at every invitational they[Read More…]
“We’re all human”: Refereeing blunders through the years
Referees are constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place. The call they make will be sure to anger at least half of the people watching the game. It’s a thankless job that takes an incredible amount of hard work to progress to the top level. Occasionally, referees make[Read More…]
Spain’s young sensation: Dominating the pitch and defying the doubters
By the end of this past European Championship, it became impossible not to know the name “Lamine Yamal” and the story of the young star the world celebrated all summer. On June 15, 2024, Yamal made history by becoming the youngest player featured in the tournament, making his debut against[Read More…]