Sports Then and Now

With the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers about to meet for the NBA’s Eastern Conference title, NBA fans are excited for the latest installment of a legendary rivalry that captivated fans during the 1990s.

In the pantheon of great NBA rivalries, few matchups were as intense, dramatic, and personal as the New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers during the 1990s. From 1993 to 2000, these two Eastern Conference foes clashed in the playoffs six times, creating unforgettable moments, unforgettable villains and heroes, and a storyline that embodied the gritty, physical nature of 1990s basketball.

At the center of the storm was Reggie Miller, the Pacers’ sharpshooting provocateur, and the Madison Square Garden faithful, who loved to hate him. On the other side were the bruising Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing and a cast of enforcers. Every meeting between these teams was a war, often decided by physicality, willpower, and late-game heroics.

The Origins: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round

The rivalry’s spark came in the 1993 Eastern Conference First Round, when the second-seeded Knicks met the seventh-seeded Pacers. At the time, the Knicks were considered legitimate title contenders, while the Pacers were still trying to establish themselves as a postseason threat.

New York, led by head coach Pat Riley, played a bruising, physical style centered on Ewing, Charles Oakley, and John Starks. They swept the Pacers in three games, but the intensity was unmistakable. Though the series was one-sided, it planted the seeds of hatred and set the tone for what would follow.

1994: The Rivalry Erupts

The rivalry exploded into full bloom during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks were again contenders, while the Pacers, now coached by Larry Brown, had developed into a dangerous team built around Reggie Miller, Dale and Antonio Davis, and veteran point guard Mark Jackson.

The series went the full seven games, but it was Game 5 at Madison Square Garden that defined the rivalry. Reggie Miller scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, raining down three-pointers and engaging in a memorable, animated exchange with Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Miller’s theatrical taunts and the iconic “choke” sign aimed at Lee became part of NBA lore.

With the announcement last week by Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred that time on baseball’s permanently ineligible list would end upon the death of the individual, speculation is now rampant that the two most prominent names on that list, Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, could soon be headed to Cooperstown.

For more than a century, Jackson has been one of baseball’s most captivating and controversial figures. A man whose bat spoke louder than his words, Jackson’s legacy is a blend of dazzling talent, Southern humility, and a shadow cast by one of the sport’s darkest scandals. More than 70 years after his death and 100 years after his last official game, the debate continues: should greatness on the field redeem a transgression off it?

A Natural Talent from the Cotton Mills

Joseph Jefferson Jackson was born on July 16, 1887, in Pickens County, South Carolina, and raised in the mill town of Greenville. One of eight children, Jackson began working in a textile mill as a young boy to support his family. His education ended early, but his affinity for baseball became evident almost immediately. He played for mill teams as a teenager and quickly earned a reputation as a prodigious hitter.

Jackson’s nickname, “Shoeless Joe,” came from an instance during a mill game in which he removed a pair of blister-causing spikes and played barefoot. A reporter latched onto the image, and the name stuck for life.

Rising Star in the Big Leagues

Jackson’s professional baseball journey began when he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. However, his introduction to Major League Baseball was rocky. Jackson, a shy and uneducated young man unaccustomed to big-city life, struggled to adjust and was traded to the Cleveland Naps (later known as the Indians). It was in Cleveland that Jackson blossomed.

By 1911, Jackson emerged as one of the league’s top hitters, batting .408 in his first full season—a mark that still stands as the highest batting average ever by a rookie. He finished second in the American League behind Ty Cobb, who hit .420 that year. Jackson’s swing was considered one of the most graceful and effective in the history of the game, inspiring future legends like Babe Ruth.

Taking up a sport can be a pretty good choice in life. In the modern day, we all tend to live pretty sedentary lives – and much more so than we used to around 20 to 30 years ago. 

No matter how old you are, no matter your current fitness level, it’s perfectly fine and more than good for you to take up a sport if you want to. If you haven’t played since you were a kid, or you’ve never really had an interest in sports before, it simply does not matter. If you think you’d find a certain sport fun, please do give it a go! 

Of course, there’ll be a bit of a learning curve to adapt to, and you may want to gentle yourself in to get used to it. But that should be easy enough to do as well, especially if you make use of the tips in the list we’ve made below. 

If you’re concerned you won’t be able to keep up with any other players, or that you won’t be able to find a club that’ll accept you (which simply wouldn’t happen anyway, we promise!), these tips are definitely the ones to follow. 

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Try a Bit of Practice at Home

Practicing at home is always going to be the safest way to try out a new sport. No one else is around, you can spend as much time on it as you like, and no one is going to see the ‘silly’ mistakes you make when you end up falling over or hitting your shin on something!

All in all, if you have the space at home to practice your sport of choice, it’s going to feel safer to take part in it. And there’s no shame in not wanting to head out, join a club, and give it your all. That’s something you can think about later, if you even want to. 

Of course, make sure you clear the area and have a safe space around you to practice in. If you’re going to be using anything bigger than a tennis ball, try to take it outside. If you don’t have a garden to make use of, you can always take your equipment down the local park or book a space in the gym. 

Games have been in existence for a long time. Whether it’s a classic board game, games played in a school playground or more recently, online.

Despite some resistance towards playing games and a lot of negativity around spending too much time on games, especially where the online world is concerned, there are some great benefits to it.

Games are not only beneficial to your brain but for your body. There are a lot of different games out there that can be helpful for training and working both the mind and the physical body.

In this guide, you’ll learn ten ways in which games can benefit your brain and body in 2025. Hopefully, you’ll be able to incorporate more gameplay into your life.

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1. Increases brain activity

Brain activity is something that can benefit from playing more games in general. Playing games actually increases grey matter volume and connectivity between brain networks. It engages multiple functions within the brain that are essential to the brain’s performance in general.

This engagement can be great for stimulating those areas and keeping the brain nice and healthy. Many of us don’t think about the brain needing exercise, and a way to do this is by playing games on a daily basis.

From a game of Wordle every day to losing yourself in an open-world map game for an hour or two. There’s a dopamine release that you get from playing video games that helps bring you pleasure and motivation.

Your brain’s plasticity improves when playing games, meaning you’re more adaptable to change, and that improves long-term cognitive function too.

2. Improves cognitive skills

Talking of cognitive functionality, games are a great way to help challenge the mind, improve problem-solving, as well as a number of other cognitive skills. If you need an excuse to play games, then use the improvement of your cognitive skills as the excuse! Here are a few ways cognitive skills benefit from playing games:

You might wonder what athletes and online gamers have in common beyond a shared love of snacks. At first glance, one group is sprinting, jumping or kicking, while the other is tapping keys or swiping screens. Yet beneath the surface, both arenas demand focus, strategy and a healthy dose of tenacity. Gamers refine their skills through virtual challenges, and athletes face physical ones. By borrowing clever tricks from the gaming world, sportspeople can sharpen their mental game, build resilience and even accelerate recovery. Ready to press pause on old habits and press play on new insights Let’s explore eight surprising lessons athletes can learn from the colorful realm of online gaming.

1. Embrace the Grind: Level Up Incrementally

In many popular games progression is measured in levels or experience points. You rarely jump from novice to master overnight; instead you collect points through small victories, from slaying that first goblin to completing side-quests for extra loot. Athletes can adopt a similar mindset by setting micro-goals. Rather than fixating on winning the next match, focus on winning today’s training session. Maybe it’s shaving a fraction of a second off your sprint, improving your shooting form by a single percentage point, or adding a few extra metres to your throws. Over weeks and months, those seemingly minor gains compound into formidable performance boosts. Celebrating each level-up—no matter how small—keeps motivation high and prevents burnout.

Sports are often won before the whistle blows. Behind every memorable play and comeback win is a coach making countless unseen decisions, strategic, emotional, and tactical. These aren’t random choices. 

They come from hours of mental preparation, pattern recognition, and knowing when to strike and when to wait. It’s not unlike chess. Some even say chess is mental health for the masses, a reminder that thinking deeply and intentionally benefits us far beyond the board. That’s a message that resonates with coaching, too. 

Coaching is a game of foresight, flexibility, and staying one move ahead. And it turns out chess might be one of the best tools to sharpen that edge.

See the Whole Board: Strategic Thinking in Sports and Chess

Great coaches don’t just respond, they anticipate. Like a seasoned chess player, they learn to see the board as a whole, not just the piece in front of them. They read the flow of the game and assess risks quickly. Every substitution, timeout, or play call sets off a chain reaction. Much like moving a bishop can expose a queen, calling the wrong defense can leave a wide receiver wide open.

In chess, you don’t just play your plan, you play your opponent. You observe how they think, test their patience, and look for patterns in their choices. This is no different from scouting reports or game film. Coaches who study their rivals as chess players study opponents can exploit weaknesses and recognize traps before they’re sprung. A well-prepared coach, like a grandmaster, can think five steps ahead and still have a backup plan.

Mastering the Mental Game: Why Coaches Need a Calm Mind

If you’ve ever watched a tense chess match, you know how quiet intensity fills the room. No shouting, no panic, just focus. A player may be down in position but not defeated. The comeback starts with staying calm. Coaching requires that same inner stillness. When the score is tight and the pressure mounts, athletes take their cue from the sideline. If a coach unravels, so does the team.

Chess sharpens this mental discipline. It trains the brain to weigh options, resist emotional decisions, and delay gratification. These are qualities every great coach needs. The best coaching minds stay composed not because they ignore stress, but because they’ve trained for it. They’ve practiced pausing, breathing, and assessing under pressure.