Jonah Cowan

Columns

The Intangibles: Magic to machinery — growing up as a fan

By Jonah Cowan | March 6

We were all once fans, captivated by what we believed to be magic. The mark of childhood is devotion to the magician — the athlete’s transformation into an idol, a deity, a hero to be defended unceasingly against criticism. This was me. Kobe Bryant was my hero. I named our German Shepherd puppy after him. The moment I learned that Kobe couldn’t be my idol marked the end of my childhood.

Columns

The Intangibles: The dying spectacle of the NBA Dunk Contest

By Jonah Cowan | February 19

The NBA Dunk Contest used to be a special showcase of the pinnacles of basketball athleticism: Michael Jordan’s free-throw line dunk in 1987 and Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine’s legendary duel in 2016 are the most famous examples.

Sports

Tufts men’s basketball faces a weekend of loss and redemption

By Jonah Cowan | February 5

Last weekend, Tufts men’s basketball played their most consequential pair of games yet. Entering a back-to-back against two formidable NESCAC opponents: No. 19 Wesleyan and No.2 Trinity, the Jumbos brought with them a commanding 16-game win streak and an undefeated record in conference play.

Columns

The Intangibles: Luka Dončić and the murky world of foul-baiting

By Jonah Cowan | January 22

Luka Dončić is the master of the most abominable art form in the game of basketball. He worms his way into the mid-range, tricks his defender into jumping into his shot fake, jumps upwards into them, hears the ref’s whistle, hangs in the air and, on the descent, drains the shot for an ‘and-one.’

Columns

The Intangibles: Selling the Integrity of the Sport

By Jonah Cowan | November 21

In 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver advocated for the legalization of sports betting in a New York Times op-ed. His main argument was one similar to one made for cannabis legalization: “Sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.” In that same op-ed, Silver stated, “one of my biggest responsibilities [as commissioner] is to protect the integrity of professional basketball.” It is clear Silver views his role as juggling the ideals of maximum profit and total sporting integrity.

Columns

The Intangibles: The historic and transcendent experience of watching Victor Wembanyama

By Jonah Cowan | November 7

Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama is changing the way I view basketball.

Columns

The Intangibles: LaVar Ball and a parent’s ambition

By Jonah Cowan | October 23

LaVar Ball deserves credit for painstakingly molding his three sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo, into elite basketball players and celebrities from their earliest years. The three brothers became a sensation in 2016 at Chino Hills High School, and now two of them are established NBA players. The middle child is a rapper. But what happens when the manufacturing of children into elite athletes fails?

Columns

The Intangibles: Kyrie Irving, rightfully misunderstood

By Jonah Cowan | October 8

Who is Kyrie Irving? My intention here is not to absolve Irving of responsibility, but rather to understand what led him towards anti-vaxxing and conspiratorial ideologies, and how he has evolved since then. I would like understand him as a person first, then analyze him specifically as a person desiring influence.

Columns

The Intangibles: Jonathan Kuminga is unaware, uncoachable and unwilling to look in the mirror

By Jonah Cowan | September 26

There are certainly times when a sapling tree with great potential is snuffed out by a vast canopy, where bigger trees prohibit growth. In these situations, the sapling can righteously throw up its little branches and blame the forest.

News

The Intangibles: What Ben Simmons can teach us

By Jonah Cowan | September 12

Ben Simmons was one of the most talented basketball players of his generation. He was so talented that he sleepwalked to the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft off raw talent alone. He was so talented that he was an All-NBA Third Team Player in 2020. He was a genuinely elite NBA player.

The Intangibles: Magic to machinery — growing up as a fan

The Intangibles: The dying spectacle of the NBA Dunk Contest

Tufts men’s basketball faces a weekend of loss and redemption

The Intangibles: Luka Dončić and the murky world of foul-baiting

The Intangibles: Selling the Integrity of the Sport

The Intangibles: The historic and transcendent experience of watching Victor Wembanyama

The Intangibles: LaVar Ball and a parent’s ambition

The Intangibles: Kyrie Irving, rightfully misunderstood

The Intangibles: Jonathan Kuminga is unaware, uncoachable and unwilling to look in the mirror

The Intangibles: What Ben Simmons can teach us

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