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Jonah Cowan

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Basketball

The Intangibles: The visceral experience of rivalry

By Jonah Cowan | March 25

On the eve of the Lakers-Celtics game, I decided to go to TD Garden even though I had no tickets. I wore a yellow Lakers beanie and an army jacket with a private’s patch long since removed. As tip off approached, I decided to interact with some fans outside the arena, as I resisted intrusive thoughts to sneak into the game and watch. I wanted to experience the famed rivalry firsthand through the crowd — to witness the best rivalry in basketball.

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Columns

The Intangibles: On Victor Wembanyama’s health

By Jonah Cowan | February 24

We know that Victor Wembanyama will be one of the greatest basketball players of all time — if he stays healthy. This is the statement that defines his career. Now, Wembanyama is out for the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis and a blood clot in his shoulder which, according to Dr. Brian Sutterer, “could have traveled to his lungs and killed him.”

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Football

The big game isn’t football

By Jonah Cowan | February 12

The spectacle is great, yes, but exhausting. Only the NFL can justify their dependence on commercials by making them a part of the product. Why are we accepting the overreach of advertising into places that should resist it, like sports? The Olympics understands this better –– its lack of any advertisements deeply changes the way we engage with sports for two brief weeks every two years.

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Columns

The Intangibles: The NBA trade of the century

By Jonah Cowan | February 3

Late last night, ESPN reporter Shams Charania broke the news that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Dončić (along with two other players) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.

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Sports

The Intangibles: The Celtics are perfectly insufferable

By Jonah Cowan | November 22

I have an admission to make. Last March, on my WMFO show “AirBall,” I made it quite clear that I did not believe in the Boston Celtics.I argued they were chokers and that their style of basketball wasn’t conducive to crunch-time decision-making. I spat on Jayson Tatum as a leader and clowned Joe Mazzulla’s coaching. I confidently said Kristaps Porziņģis’ injury proneness would leave them with a gaping hole in the center of their roster come playoff time. Every time I watch this godforsaken team, I cannot help but hear these rotten takes ricochet around in my head.

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Sports

The Intangibles: JJ Redick will save the Lakers’ front office from themselves

By Jonah Cowan | November 12

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed JJ Redick as their new head coach, many decried the signing, pointing to his lack of NBA coaching experience as an indicator of his coming ineptitude. Although head coaching experience is usually a pretty good criterion for a new head coaching hire, the Lakers’ front office was hiring amidst a fiasco of their own creation. The Lakers’ head coaching job has become a bucking bronco that seemingly throws its riders into the mud. However, I think Redick is capable of taming this incompetent beast.

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Sports

The Intangibles: Load management is not Joel Embiid’s fault

By Jonah Cowan | October 28

The NBA recently announced an investigation into the Philadelphia 76ers for load-managing superstar center Joel Embiid, who revealed last week his intention to “never play back-to-back [games] for the rest of my career.” Load management is the practice of resting players for certain games in order to decrease stress on their bodies and keep them from injury.

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Sports

Bronny James — a prince or a jester?

By Jonah Cowan | October 17

Two years ago, on a rainy night deep in the San Fernando Valley, I went to watch Bronny James play. That year’s Sierra Canyon team was notably worse than those of years prior. Bronny was the only all-American on the team and the only upperclassman with real NBA potential. In previous years, he could hide behind his NBA caliber teammates, but not that year — this was his team. That night, Bronny threw down a powerful between-the-legs dunk in game — his most famous highlight to date. While throwing an eastbay in-game is not a guarantee of basketball excellence, I would argue that it does show a brilliant flash of raw talent. A talent which, given Bronny’s 6-foot-2 frame, was truly remarkable.

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Sports

The Intangibles: ESPN hits new ‘Lowe’

By Jonah Cowan | October 7

Last week, ESPN laid off Zach Lowe, their best basketball journalist. Lowe’s firing serves as a confirmation of a decades-long shift in corporate media strategy level: from the 20th-century sports writer to prioritize talking heads in their stead. 

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