Geoff Calkins
Calkins: #MakeMemphisMadder — on a week the city best never forget
There is a single spot in Memphis where you can stand in all three congressional districts. It’s an absurdity, yes. And a cause for rage.
Geoff Calkins
Columnist
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. 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 1115 articles by Geoff Calkins :
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May 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: People warned these two Memphis graduates about the city. Then they fell in love with the place.
They’re a married couple — and two of the very best students graduating from the University of Memphis Saturday. But the best part of their story is the way they’ve embraced the city they now call home.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: On Election Day, the shameful work of erasing Memphis begins
“They’re killing an iconic American city,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who flew in to join Tuesday’s protest. “It’s a terrible day for Memphis and it’s a terrible day for Tennessee.”
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Anger, disbelief and solidarity: How Memphians in Nashville are reacting to proposed redistricting
Tennessee Legislature’s special session starts today. Here’s how it could go
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: If Memphis really matters, don’t carve it into thirds
“Memphis is in a corner. Memphis is its own place. To divide the 9th Congressional District into thirds would be ‘like putting the Black vote in the back of the bus.’”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The best young athlete in Memphis? Noah Schepman is an inspiration on wheels.
When Noah Schepman was one, his dad built him a tiny wheelchair. Now Schepman’s tennis coach calls him “the fastest kid — on feet or wheels — that I’ve ever seen.”
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April 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Yes, the Grizzlies might play games in Nashville. But that’s no reason to be terrified.
If you were an owner intent on keeping a profitable NBA team in Memphis, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to tap into the Nashville market? To bring some of those Nashville riches over here?
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City of MemphisCalkins: Remember the winter storm of 2026? It inspired a dog (and cat) story to warm your heart.
The great winter storm of 2026 — it was inconvenient for a lot of us humans. But it turned out to be the best thing ever for a lot of local dogs.
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SportsCalkins: Ted Butler is about to teach his 100,000th golf lesson. And he’s not about to stop.
Ted Butler didn’t want to teach golf lessons. That was nearly 100,000 lessons ago. The math is absolutely staggering. But the man is not about to stop.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The Grizzlies need some lottery luck. Maybe that will stop people from talking about Ja Morant.
Did the Grizzlies mistreat Ja Morant? No, of course not. But it’s telling (and unfortunate) that the question had to be asked.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Time to hold Musk and xAI to ‘the one promise they’ve made.’
“Will Elon Musk follow through on his promise to build a water-recycling facility? It’s up to Memphians to make sure he does.”
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Spirit of MemphisCalkins: After more than eight decades, a Memphis war hero will finally be awarded the diploma he earned
Memphis State student Arthur Allen was hailed as a war hero when he was killed in a bombing mission over Germany. More than 80 years later, Allen’s family will be presented with the diploma that Allen well and truly earned.
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Memphis GrizzliesCalkins: The Grizzlies have a problem. And it isn’t just basketball.
They fell in love with the Grizzlies on their first date. But after Monday’s game, they’re giving up their season tickets. And they’re not alone.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Iranians in Memphis say ‘It’s torture to even explain.’
The Daily Memphian asked local Iranians how they feel about the war. The prevailing sentiment? “The bombs do not scare us; what scares us is the war ending and the Islamic Republic still ruling Iran.”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Now LeBron James is trashing the city? What’s a Memphian to think?
“It was a disappointing cheap shot from a guy who grew up in Akron, Ohio, who should know something about hardscrabble towns.”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Hana Haden is going to save the Memphis women’s basketball program. But you don’t have to take my word for it.
“Women’s basketball is booming. Except in Memphis, where it’s been a drag. Hana Haden — the new coach of the Tigers — is going to change that.”
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March 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Trump came to Memphis. We’ll soon be ‘virtually crime free.’
President Donald Trump came to Memphis to declare victory over crime. Two Friday night shootings were a reminder that work still remains.
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Trump visits Memphis to talk Task Force
US to hold off striking Iranian power plants, Trump says in Memphis
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Justice Amy Coney Barrett is speaking at Rhodes. It’s more complicated than it should be.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett is returning to Rhodes College to speak Wednesday. Why isn’t Rhodes talking about it? That’s complicated.
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Memphis Tigers BasketballCalkins: Penny Hardaway is back. It will take real change — from him — to bring back Memphis basketball.
“Penny Hardaway is returning as Memphis coach. How can he fix things? He can start by accepting that the disaster that was this past season wasn’t some ‘one-off.’ ”
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Tigers will bring Penny Hardaway back for ninth season
Three Memphis assistant basketball coaches not returning next season
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Lionel Hollins has never left Memphis — or stopped working to make it a better place.
Lionel Hollins is the new board chair of Heal the Hood. Why has he stayed in Memphis for 23 years? Because our purpose is lift others up.
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Spirit of MemphisCalkins: The Medicine Man used to rally Memphis fans. Now his old friends are rallying to help him.
Sam Bielich was famous in Memphis as the Medicine Man. Now he’s recovering from triple bypass surgery — and his old friends from the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity are trying to help.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Could this be Penny Hardaway’s last game at FedExForum?
As questions again swirl about the future of Penny Hardaway, athletic director Ed Scott had every chance to address them Wednesday. He chose to stay silent. What could that mean?
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: It’s just what Memphis needed. A win for the city’s sports.
Professional tennis is returning to the city. That isn’t some accident. It’s because Memphis did something very, very well.
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Memphis GrizzliesCalkins: It’s the worst basketball season in Memphis history — times 2!
Ja Morant is on the way out. Penny Hardaway is teetering. It’s the worst basketball season in the city’s history, featuring the fall of two Memphis icons.
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February 2026
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High School SportsCalkins: The basketball manager at Houston High delivered a moment no one will soon forget
Henry Griffith is the basketball manager at Houston High. He had never played in a game before. But after he hit a buzzer-beater Friday night, he was carried off the court.
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Spirit of MemphisCalkins: He’s our Memphian at the Olympics — back for one last bobsled run
Garrett Hines was a football star at Bartlett High. Now he’s in Italy coaching bobsled for the last runs in what has been a remarkable Olympic career.
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