MODERN TIMES John Bird’s Big Issue John Bird, who grew up homeless and made it into the House of Lords the unfashionable way, on running the London street newspaper The Big Issue BY ADRIAN BRUNE DECEMBER 25, 2021 READING TIME: 6 MINUTE No British institution does pomp better than Buckingham Palace, but the House…

CLOSE-UP Kate Moennig The actress’s pandemic podcast with The L Word co-star Leisha Hailey has become the new gay go-to BY ADRIAN BRUNE AUGUST 28, 2021 READING TIME: 3 MINUTES Kate Moennig is a Philly girl through and through. While everything about her may point to Hollywood — daughter of a showbiz…

THE AMERICAN STORY The Fight for Tulsa’s Soul A Jewish billionaire, a Southern preacher, and the side of Tulsa no one is talking about BY ADRIAN BRUNE MAY 29, 2021 READING TIME: 8 MINUTES Sometimes it’s hard to know whom to believe: the philanthropist or the preacher, the Good Samaritan or the man of God…

A new exhibit highlights the association that helped make Arthur and Althea household names Adrian Brune, Feb 23, 2022 A group of ATA players at the Springfield (Massachusetts)Tennis Club in 1922 (right) and the ATA’s seal (left). Black History Month didn’t begin in the last 20 years or even in the last 45, when U.S. President Gerald Ford signed it into law in the…

In a country coming back from a brutal war, tennis is becoming competitive again Adrian Brune, Jan 6 2022 Three “brothers” practice in Dohuk, Iraq in late November 2021. They were preparing for a tournament in Baghdad, which took place in early December. All eyes during the “Australian Summer Season” are currently on Novak Djokovic and his visa/vaccine situation. And rightly so. In the…

As both a successful player and student, what happens if the streak ends? Adrian Brune Oct 8, 2021 The British Women’s №1 banner at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in October 2021 (left) and in late May 2021 (right) — before the 2021 season’s fortunes. Dan Evan’s British Men’s №1 banner remains intact. There she was, on a warm(ish) Tuesday night, retreating from…

Could sports betting, sales tactics and the seeming access of social media actual cause the mental anguish behind their screens? Lebanese-German tennis player, Benjamin Hassan, 25, regularly gets called a “terrorist” on tour. The ATP №420-ranked player no longer checks his phone after matches. “F**king Muslim terrorist; I’m gonna kill you; f**k you, you die of cancer; I hope you die in an accident.” …

Long relegated to the backcourts and tournaments’ ends, other-abled athletes take center stage at Tokyo’s Paralympics While Novak Djokovic’s Golden Slam hopes were dashed, those of Dutch player Diedre de Groot, kissing the 2021 Wimbledon trophy, remain alive and well at the Tokyo Paralympics starting on 24 August. The obstacles to a clean forehand in tennis are many: knees bent, ball in front, sweet-spot placement, and…

The young Tunisian tennis pro is gunning for a Grand Slam and paving the way for more of Africa’s rising stars