Robert Hay

About a year ago, I attended a convention in downtown Detroit. This meeting of about 5,000 professionals took place at various sites throughout the city and was designed to show that Detroit was back. A city of great history, musical tradition, and sporting prowess was being revitalized by aggressive private sector investment and smart government […]

Writing a children’s book is difficult. You have a delicate balancing act when you are writing it to appeal to the right age of children, and stick to that age range throughout. Not only do you have to appeal to kids, but you have to make it interesting, which is extra hard for an adult. And, […]

Soccer is an outlier in the landscape of American sports in that the major debates shaping the sport are about the leagues themselves. In the other sports leagues, the debates are about the rules of the game or how players are perceived, but only among American soccer fans are the major debates about the competence […]

In recruiting and signing manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea has hired the one man that can single-handedly bring the club back to the heights Jose Mourinho 2.0 aspired. At only 46 years old, Conte has the resume, coaching acumen, and man-management style that fits Chelsea’s goals as a top club internationally. This offseason was one of […]

The United States Men's National Team loss to Guatemala in World Cup qualifying was a disaster. The lack of cohesive play, the poor coaching choices and the overall product on the field was an embarrassment to a nation that considers itself an elite in CONCACAF. Much is being written today about the consequences, short- and […]

While perusing The Guardian sports webpage this morning, something struck me as amazing. Of the three most viewed stories, two involved the NCAA tournament and the number of upsets that had occurred on St. Patrick's Day. While my digital signature likely showed that I was viewing the website from the United States, I doubt many […]

Sports and science have often intersected over the years in memorable ways. Whether it's a player or team hiring a therapist to overcome a mental block, a beverage being refined to maximize physical recovery, or new medical techniques to speed up healing, we as sports fans have become accustomed to getting regular science lessons as we follow […]

The beginning of January is probably the most hated time of the year for Premier League clubs. Unlike their continental counterparts, they do not have a winter break to recharge and ready themselves for a busy spring and summer. For some, the three-week period sees an increase in the number of games because of the Boxing […]

During the past month, there has been a scramble by three American football franchises to move from their current locations to the U.S.'s second largest city, Los Angeles. For those unfamiliar, LA has been without an NFL franchise since the Rams and Raiders left in 1995; however, with a few franchises seemingly not as lucrative […]

Why would anyone want to be the manager of Manchester United? A few years ago, if you asked that to a soccer fan, you'd be greeted with a dumbfound stare and probably a quick exit from the conversation. The fame, prestige and glory of winning with a super club like Manchester United, Real Madrid, or […]

The other shoe has dropped and the formally regarded "Special One" has been let go; or, technically, mutually parted ways with. Speculation is already buzzing about his next position and without a doubt the man, despite being hard to work with, will have tons of currency thrown at him to be a manager at a […]

Some soccer fans claim that UEFA's European Championship, and not the World Cup, is soccer's most prestigious tournament. While any tournament without the South American powers cannot be elevated to such an exalted status, Saturday's group stage draw for Euro 2016 shows why the tournament is so highly regarded. For two nations recently ascended to […]

With the news that midfielder Santi Carzola has ligament damage in his knee, the Arsenal long-term injury list has a roster more likely to win the Premier League than the current starters. While injuries to the Gunners are as expected as snow in Maine, this year's seem particularly troubling to fans of the North London […]

Rarely in the book world does a tome come around that fundamentally alters the way we look at the subject for the better or worse. One such book is The Ugly Game by Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert, two members of The Sunday Times Insight Team. In the most important soccer book since the last exposé […]

If you can get away with it, writing a book on leadership lessons is the greatest gig ever. If your book isn't good or has bad advice, by default the reader is to blame because, well, the author was successful so the advice must work! In a sense, these kind of books are aggrandized autobiographies […]