Sports Law • Risk Management

katharine's blog

July 14, 2010: Remember George Steinbrenner

“Who else could be a memorable character on a television show without actually appearing on the show? You felt George even though he wasn’t there. That’s how huge a force of personality he was.” ----Jerry Seinfeld

The day after George Steinbrenner past away, an old Seinfeld episode aired, in which he thought that George Costanza was a communist and so Steinbrenner sent him to Cuba to recruit a player. In one show, Steinbrenner actually directed George Costanza to give a speech on risk management. The scene was as follows:

July 13, 2010: Bicycle Helmets: Safety or Fashion Statement?

As a certified triathlon official and triathlon safety director, I never cease to be amazed and appalled at the practice of athletes wearing bicycle helmets as hats. The USA Triathlon Competitive Rules (as well as ITU rules) require that the chin strap of the helmet be buckled. The athletes generally comply by buckling their chin straps, but for some reason the strap is so loose that it dangles somewhere around their neck waddle (if they are in my age group or older). The chin strap swings with their movements as they mount their bikes.

July 12, 2010: Thoughts on the Uganda Blast

Our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of the terrorist attacks that killed and injured fans watching the World Cup final in Uganda on Sunday. It is my understanding that the al-Quaida aligned group, al-Shabab, took responsibility for the killings that occurred at gatherings that took place at a restaurant and a rugby field.

July 11, 2010: Lance Armstrong Inspires Preparation for Safety Challenges in Sport?

Today, Lance Armstrong’s hopes of winning an eighth Tour de France victory were destroyed after being involved in 3 crashes that delayed his climb up to the Morzine Avoriz ski resort. Fortunately, Team Radio Shack still has Levi Leipheimer in the mix. Lance can now support his teammate in his effort to win.

What risk management lessons can we learn from Lance’s bad luck? Certainly, Lance could not control the field and the crashes that blocked his way. He has proven himself as one of the most talented cyclist in the history of the sport and so it would not be reasonable to criticize his bike handling skills.