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 1143 articles by Geoff Calkins :
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.
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.
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.
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.
Drew Hill and Geoff Calkins discuss the latest in the life of Ja Morant.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr. Jon McCullers thinks we'll have 5Ks before the year is out. He's OK with the beach (and the protests!) too.
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.
It’s good that Penny Hardaway released a statement in support of the protesters. But he didn't have to. This is why.
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway releases statement on the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
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.
The NBA is returning! And in a truly shocking development, the Memphis Grizzlies were not hosed by the back-to-basketball plan.
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.
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.
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.
Memphis forward Lance Thomas tweeted Wednesday that “I’m never pledging allegiance to the American Flag before any of my games or anywhere I’m at ever again." Thomas later took down the tweet, but his anger and disgust is understandable.
The experts are "optimistic and hopeful" about the trajectory of COVID-19 in Memphis. So you can be, too.
When Memphis football players start returning to campus for voluntary workouts on June 6, they'll be tested for COVID-19. There are no plans for regular, asymptomatic testing after that. Is that ideal? Maybe not. But, as a country, it's what we do.
Seventy-eight youth baseball teams are playing a tournament at GameDay in Cordova this weekend. It is scary beautiful.
In the wake of Wednesday's NCAA vote to allow football and men's and women's basketball players to return to campus starting June 1, Memphis president David Rudd says the athletic department has a plan for football players to return "in the near future."
You see it all the time when you're out shopping — people breaking the new norms around COVID-19. So what's to be done about it? Nothing at all.
There was a line of people waiting when Gibson's Donuts re-opened at 5 a.m. Friday. They weren't just there for the donuts. They were there for the joy.