Pull up a chair and let's discuss sport.
About Prof. Cairney's Corner
Welcome to my little corner of the sports world - where curiosity runs wild and there’s always something worth cheering about. I’m endlessly fascinated by every corner, code, and quirky detail of sport, and if you’re up for a good chat, you’re absolutely in the right place. Let’s dive in!
You don't have to love sport to appreciate what it can do. Sport can bring people together, boost health and happiness, and spark waves of innovation and economic energy. It builds bridges across borders, helps cities dream bigger with new infrastructure and lasting legacies, and creates those cultural moments that get whole communities cheering, debating, and connecting. From diplomacy to identity, inclusion to inspiration, I love how sport has a way of making life more exciting - and a little more united.
I like to think of sport as a global superhero - powered by shiny new tech, smarter sustainability, and athletes who are basically everywhere these days. It lifts lives, gets people off the couch (sometimes kicking and screaming), and leaves a trail of positive social, economic, and environmental impact that stretches way beyond the field. I hope you enjoy one or two of the articles below - and feel free to reach out if you’re up for a chat, a debate, or just some good old-fashioned sport banter.
Extended musings from a baseball tragic
IMMACULATE - A History of Perfect Innings in Baseball
Field of Magic - Baseball's Superstitions, Curses and Taboos
Field of Magic - Baseball's Superstitions, Curses and Taboos
Getting 3 batters out in order on nine pitches is one of the most remarkable feats in baseball. Since the late 1800s, only 71 pitchers have been able to do it. Using immaculate innings as benchmarks, the book provides an engaging and entertaining journey through the history of professional baseball that will delight both the serious stu
Getting 3 batters out in order on nine pitches is one of the most remarkable feats in baseball. Since the late 1800s, only 71 pitchers have been able to do it. Using immaculate innings as benchmarks, the book provides an engaging and entertaining journey through the history of professional baseball that will delight both the serious student of the game, as well as the fan who enjoys reading about the game.
Field of Magic - Baseball's Superstitions, Curses and Taboos
Field of Magic - Baseball's Superstitions, Curses and Taboos
Field of Magic - Baseball's Superstitions, Curses and Taboos
Superstition has been a part of baseball from the beginning. From good luck charms to human mascots to ritual statues of Babe Ruth to the curse of Colonel Sanders, there may be almost as many superstitions as players (or fans). Drawing on social science, religious studies and SABRmetrics, this book explores the rich history of supernatur
Superstition has been a part of baseball from the beginning. From good luck charms to human mascots to ritual statues of Babe Ruth to the curse of Colonel Sanders, there may be almost as many superstitions as players (or fans). Drawing on social science, religious studies and SABRmetrics, this book explores the rich history of supernatural belief in the game and documents a wide variety of rituals, fetishes, taboos and jinxes.