Feldman's Faves: September 30, 2024

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

I hope you all enjoyed our summer party last week. I will never be able to “unsee” David’s and David’s outfits.  Nevertheless, it was really fun and our students did a great job on their skit (notwithstanding the VERY LIMITED talent they had to work with this year).

Also, I wanted to thank those of you who attended our event celebrating Browning West’s unprecedented victory at Gildan Activewear. We had over 200 people sign up and the discussion was amazing as were the many conversations I have had over the last week or so. That fight was a really special experience and yet another illustration of the incredible team we have at Goodmans that included Brenda, Jay, Julie, Peter, Dan, Monica, Luke and many, many others. Also very big thanks to Lindsay, Sandy and the rest of the marketing crew who did a spectacular job in putting it all together.

I want to wish our good friend Randy a very happy birthday this week. I think this year he will finally try to get himself into shape….

Finally, just a reminder that our holiday party is now set for December 12 – Noa and Jeffreen are in charge -  no pressure to be excellent at all….

In light of the prospect of a Yankees / Dodgers World Series, this week is dedicated to and about sports fans.

GOT YOUR ANSWERS – THE 100 GREATEST SPORTS ARGUMENTS SETTLED By: Mike Greenberg –  This week’s book is not high brow and it will not be up for the Pulitzer or the Booker. But it is really fun and asks and then answers some very fundamental and important questions. For example, who is the GOAT, is it MJ or LeBron? Or is it Wilt or Bill Russell? Who is the greatest prodigy of all time, Gretzky, Tiger or Serena?  What is the most clutch hit in MLB History – The Kirk Gibson Homerun, the Joe Carter Home Run, the Flip, or something else? These are the types of questions that sports fans can discuss and debate FOREVER. Well, ESPN personality and all around great guy, Mike Greenberg (aka Greeny) has the FINAL answers to all of these debates. Whether you agree or vehemently disagree is what makes this book so much fun to read. I’m not sure Greeny has ended the conversation but he has certainly tried. One very important question he asks is what is the number one sports event (or as he puts it, over what weekend are there more vasectomies performed over any other)?  To find out the answer to this question, you will need to keep reading. But in any event this book is fun and a must read for any true sports fan. As one reviewer notes, “Sports fandom can bring us together like almost nothing else in today’s world. Still, that doesn’t mean everyone has to agree. In fact, nothing is better than a healthy debate about any and every element of sports with friends, family, coworkers, nemeses, or even strangers at your favorite hangout. Armed with a wealth of knowledge and fandom experience, Greeny and Hembo tackle the 100 most-debated questions in the sports-talk world and provide 100 lists that will tell you who is the best of the best in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, and more. What is the most coveted trophy in all of sports? Who is the most clutch in Game 7? Which ballpark has the most bizarre concessions? And why is Rocky without a doubt the best sports movie of all time? Greeny and Hembo have got your answers. They’re correct across the board, of course, but pick up the book and let never-ending argumentation commence.  Also don’t miss the 100 Sneaky Hembo trivia questions designed to confound and delight!” Btw, the answer to the question of the top event is neither the Super Bowl nor Masters Sunday but actually the first Thursday of Final Four tournament.  So keep your eyes open for sick days in March… Here’s a good review from Start Spreading the News-  https://www.startspreadingthenews.blog/post/got-your-answers-a-fun-new-sports-book

AGAINST THE RULES WITH MICHAEL LEWIS: What’s Wrong with Eric? – Why do we love sports? Why do otherwise rational people take on superstitions (lucky hats, lucky shirts, lucky underwear….) that they believe will determine the outcome of their favourite team’s fortune.  What do you need to make a friend (or enemy) from across the aisle (see what happens if you wear a Jays hat to Yankee stadium).  Behaviour around sports is derived from some deep seeded aspects of the human brain, which is what Lewis tries to understand in the series that is part of this PODCAST. As he always does, Lewis looks at something we all know about it, but in a very different way. Here’s an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Sports fans experience incredible highs and lows, and spend loads of money on a product over which they have no control. But for a long time, no one bothered to study the minds or impulses of fans. Michael Lewis finds out how that's changing as writers and academics learn more about the powerful psychology of fandom. Just in time for technology to exploit fandom more than ever. For further reading:  Eric Simons’ book The Secret Lives of Sports Fans Research by Murray State University psychology professor Daniel Wann on fandom”: https://murraystate.academia.edu/DanielWann The Henry Tajfel Experiments  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon