Columnists

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Column: J.J. Watt’s actions off the field are bigger than his actions on it

Column: Flacco now among elite quarterbacks, whatever that means

With Baltimore’s Super Bowl win Sunday, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has officially earned the title, “Elite NFL quarterback.” The thing is, I’m not exactly sure what this means. As far as I know, the guy has to be included in every TV analyst, reporter and common fan’s discussion of the league’s top signal callers.

Column: Baltimore proves that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good

An old, old cliché in sports says that “it is better to be lucky than good.” As antiquated as that notion seems to be, perhaps no team embodied that idea more than the 2012 Baltimore Ravens.

Column: NFL doesn’t get it all right when it comes to handing out regular season awards

The top players in the National Football League were honored Saturday night at the NFL awards ceremony. That night, the world found out whether Adrian Peterson or Peyton Manning would nab the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award and which rookie sensation quarterback would walk away with the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Column: Even with Tiger back, PGA Tour damaging any credibility it has

Tiger Woods is back and, while the rise of young guns like Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley and Rory McIlroy certainly helped keep the game in the spotlight during his absence, golf continues to face off against the perception that it is a game for the elite, a perception that is golf’s greatest public relations challenge. Though Woods and his young successors have certainly made golf more “hip,” it is still considered a second-class citizen in the sports community.

Column: College coaches need discipline for leaving

When the Philadelphia Eagles announced Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly was taking his talents to the City of Brotherly Love, it did not come as a shock to me.

Column: Lockout plans have not had much impact on NHL season

In the midst of the now-forgotten NHL lockout, much was made about what player were and were not taking advantage of the time off by playing in other leagues. Those who played in the American Hockey League or Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League were expected to come in and set the score sheet ablaze, while those who hibernated over the 119-day lockout would need some time to re-adjust to game speed.

Column: Armstrong's PED use not as heinous as we think it is

In the world of professional sports, there will always be those stories that inspire and those stories that destroy a perception of who you thought someone was.

Lessons learned through football and journalism

The last week has provided more than enough material for sports writers around here. With Bret Bielema deciding to leave the head coaching job at UW for the same position at the University of Arkansas, think about all of the potential angles to the story.

Column: Bielema makes perplexing decision to leave for Arkansas

Saturday night in Indianapolis, Bret Bielema hoisted the Stagg Championship Trophy, his Badgers having just throttled Nebraska 70-31 to win their third-consecutive Big Ten title and claim their third-straight Rose Bowl appearance.

Column: Belcher a reminder of athletes’ humanity

There are certain events in this world that make sports seem very insignificant. The actions taken by Jovan Belcher this past weekend fall into that category.

Column: BCS system flawed in its limiting of conference representation

The Badgers have understandably received, and will continue to receive, jabs from college-football experts for “backing into” their current position: Despite a 4-4 Big Ten record, Wisconsin is just one win away from a third consecutive conference championship and Rose Bowl berth. The Badgers are in this situation, of course, because the Big Ten champion receives an automatic trip to Pasadena. Quite frankly, I don’t have an issue with the Bowl Championship Series’ rule that all six BCS “power conference” champions ensure themselves a spot in one of five BCS games. While a playoff setup would be preferable, I can respect a system that rewards teams in the postseason for winning their conference during the regular season.

Will the real William Shakespeare please stand up?

Who the hell was William Shakespeare? It’s a pertinent question, one that has its own body of scholarship and devotees.

Column: UW making mistake in cutting PE Activity classes

I want to take some time today and move away from the routine talk-about-something-that-happened-over-the-weekend column and discuss an issue on campus I believe is very important.This issue has the potential to affect everyone on campus, but for the most part has largely stayed out of discussing among students and faculty.

Thanks for good eats, great reads

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I imagine all of you fellow students out there are thankful for the break, even if Thanksgiving itself doesn’t jazz you. For instance, I’ve never been a huge fan of turkey, though this is the one time of year it’s actually good. Still, I’ll probably have the best Thanksgiving ever with just a plate of mashed potatoes and a tankard of cranberry sauce.

Column: Big Ten making the wrong decision to add Maryland, Rutgers

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Big Ten is expanding. Wait, didn’t it just add Nebraska to make an even 12-team conference, complete with two divisions and a championship game? If you thought that would be enough, it looks like you were sorely mistaken.

Column: Big upsets open up race to BCS Championship

When then-No. 1 ranked Alabama lost to Johnny Football and Texas A&M two weeks ago, I could not have been more excited for the BCS National Championship game.

On Weeknds: a letter to Abel

This is a disappointed letter to Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd, who released a series of R&B mixtapes in 2011 that skyrocketed to popularity and landed a deal with Universal Republic records. The label has rereleased the trio of mixtapes in a remastered set called Trilogy.

Column: Flawed Carrier Classic games deserve another chance

Three of the marquee games from college basketball’s opening weekend were scheduled outdoors on aircraft carriers. These games are scheduled right around Veterans Day and fittingly aim to honor the United States’ Armed Forces.

There's no place like home

Most writing has a geographic locus—unless you’re reading Samuel Beckett, in which case, have fun crawling through the mud or shutting yourself up in a funeral urn or some other abstraction of the human condition. And even if the author steadfastly refuses to name locations, a story that takes place in some huge metropolis or sleepy village will always have some bearing on a real- life location.