Matt Waldman’s Reads Listens Views is back in a slightly new form. This post is devoted to recommended reads of the week.
Welcome
If you’re new to the Rookie Scouting Portfolio blog, welcome. For years, I used to post links to pieces that I’ve found personally compelling or to content I hope will eventually scratch that itch when I get around to reading it.
After a two-year break, Reads Listens Views returns. You may not like everything listed here, but you’re bound to like something.
The photo above was taken on Typing 14th of 2018 — a month most called “March.” I renamed it “Typing” because that’s all I after do between February and April….
Game Changer: The Art fo Sports Science by Dr. Fergus Connolly with Phill White
I’ve been referencing this publication for a few weeks. Essentially an academic textbook filled with practical applications, it’s not a breezy read, It is an important one. Connolly is a well-trained and respected person in the field with a lot of real-world experience. Connolly recently appeared on the Saturday2Sunday Summer Seminar Podcast Series and I look forward to hearing him speak. Here are some of the recent episodes:
- Movement Science & Skill Acquisition Part I
- Movement Science & Skill Acquisition Part II
- Fergus Connolly: Fundamental nature of “the game.”
I’ve been asked to appear on a recap of the series, so stay tuned for this as well.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race
It’s a provocative title of a book (inspired by a blog post), to be sure. Actress and activist Emma Watson said it was, “The most important book for me this year.” I bought the book last month while browsing a bookstore in Athens, Georgia. I bought it at the same time I purchased, This Will Be My Undoing, which I already read and recommended last week.
Although I haven’t read Eddo-Lodge’s book, but in scanning a variety of chapters at the store, the author’s choice of title isn’t nearly as exclusionary as it may seem to those who are unaware of the common dynamics that black people in America and much of Europe experience when talking about race with white people.
The book is about systemic racism, classism, feminism, American and British history. White privilege is a large topic of conversation. I’m looking forward to reading it. If you’re a coach, a recruiter, a scout, or a personnel manager of an athletic organization and you want to learn why NFL players and owners are at odds from the players’ point of view, this book and the one recommended last week will give you a fundamental understanding of an unfamiliar world (that’s often all around you).
Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James
I’ll let James tell you about it.
I also have a critique of this theory queued for later reading.