Columnist
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
There are 983 articles by Geoff Calkins :
A lot of readers were upset about the suggestion that Memphis Tigers forward Lance Thomas might not stand for the national anthem. So it's time to answer their mail.
There's no right way to protest. But Tuesday in Memphis, several hundred protestors marched to Mason Temple and forged a moment of heartbreaking grace.
Penny Hardaway will have to hire a crack recruiter to replace Mike Miller. It's another in a long list of challenges facing Hardaway as he heads into his third year as Memphis coach.
The NBA is returning! And in a truly shocking development, the Memphis Grizzlies were not hosed by the back-to-basketball plan.
Apologies are necessary. Especially now. But it's what happens after the apology that matters. A story of two Memphis ministers and one simple request.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway releases statement on the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
It’s good that Penny Hardaway released a statement in support of the protesters. But he didn't have to. This is why.
The Liberty Bowl has long been mocked as "too big" for modern times. But in this strangest of college football seasons, it may be the perfect place to spread out.
Dr. Jon McCullers thinks we'll have 5Ks before the year is out. He's OK with the beach (and the protests!) too.
Dr. Jon McCullers, head of the task force to open the University of Tennessee, remains skeptical that there will be large fan gatherings at football games this fall.
Ja Morant wrote a letter to the judge executive in Murray, Kentucky, asking that a Confederate statue be taken down. Here's the story of how that letter happened — and what might come next.
The Memphis football team put together a massive march through campus Sunday morning. The fact that it felt almost routine — another football team marching for social justice — shows just how much the world has changed.
When the NBA season resumes in Orlando, the Grizzlies will be staying at the Grand Floridian. Just another sign that the team is moving up in the league.
Drew Hill and Geoff Calkins discuss the latest in the life of Ja Morant.
When the pandemic began, Memphis football had exactly one commit. Somehow, in the last two months, new coach Ryan Silverfield has put together the best recruiting class in the history of the school.
Pete Wickham should be taking his son, Matt, to a Redbirds game today. But Pete was diagnosed with a brain tumor and Matt — who is autistic and intellectually disabled — is locked down with COVID-19. Somehow, this very difficult Father's Day has become a reminder of what it's all about.
An "early termination" clause in the Grizzlies lease poses a real challenge for the city and county. But if you're worried about the Grizzlies relocating someday, that's not what you should be most worried about.
The Memphis Grizzlies have met with city and county officials to discuss a little-known "early termination" clause in the Grizzlies lease which could require the city and county to spend millions to make up for ticket shortfalls this season — or risk losing the team.
When the FedExForum deal was struck, some people worried that the city and county might not have the money to pay off the arena bonds. Instead, there's a $29 million surplus. And it might come in handy real soon.
Here's how the "early termination" section came to be in the Grizzlies lease — and why Memphians should still consider the lease to be an emphatic success.
The Ivy League was the first conference to cancel football this fall. It won't be the last. For that, you can blame those who didn't listen to people like Dr. Jon McCullers, who tried to tell you this is how it could go.
Fans won't be allowed at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational this year. But for the very best of reasons, Jack Sammons, the chair of the tournament, would still welcome Tiger Woods.
Ja Morant said Friday he's a "Ramen Noodles guy." That's just the kind of attitude NBA players will need to succeed in the Orlando bubble.
Sixteen bars have sued the Shelby County Health Department alleging that they were unfairly singled out for closure. And you know what? They're right. It's the kind of irrational regulation that undercuts the legitimacy of government when we need it most.
There are a lot of hard choices to make during this pandemic, but postponing high school football shouldn't be one of them. It's time to move the season to the spring.