Sports

So You Think You Know Ball?—What Exactly is an Edge Rusher?

Richard Grau September 18, 2026

What is the most important position in football outside of quarterback? That is a question that doesn’t necessarily have a single right answer. But if you ask most serious football followers, edge rusher would be high on that list. NFL decision makers would seemingly agree. Green Bay Packers’ edge rusher Micah Parsons was traded for two first round draft picks and franchise staple Kenny Clark, and was subsequently awarded a four year, $186 million contract. Parsons is one of seven edge rushers among the top 10 highest paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL. Now that we have established that they are so highly valued, let’s explain what an edge rusher actually is and why they are so important: The edge rusher is the player rushing the quarterback who is lined up

Resting for October: Inside the Red Sox’ Post-Streak Strategy

Leo Avidon September 18, 2026

Since June 24, The Boston Red Sox have completely turned around their season. After losing two out of three games to the Colorado Rockies, one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, and sitting at the bottom of the

So you think you know ball—Explaining the NBA Playoff Format

Richard Grau April 17, 2026

Intro: With the NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs getting underway this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to explain the format all the way from the initial play-in round to the finals. Background: The NBA is divided into two

A glance at Brandeis’ spring sports teams’ practice

Liam Gurevitch April 17, 2026

To anyone that knows me, you know that I am incredibly unathletic and don’t typically pay attention to sports. Why, then, would I of all people be writing for the sports section? I am doing it for the same reason

So You Think You Know Ball?: What is OPS+? Understanding One of the Best Ways to Evaluate Hitters in Baseball.

Chances are, if you are reading this, you go to Brandeis. And if you go to Brandeis, well, let’s just say you may not know a lot about sports. The stereotypical Deisian isn’t exactly a rabid sports fan. And that’s fine! To attend Brandeis, you obviously don’t need to be

Richard Grau March 13, 2026

Everyone Should be Watching Women’s Hockey Right Now

Women’s Hockey, represented officially by the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), has caught a lot of media attention after Team USA’s recent Olympic gold medal win. The team managed to win all seven of their tournament games with a combined score of 33-2. Now, many Brandeisians, like myself, will not

Chloe Ballew March 13, 2026

So You Think You Know Ball?—What is a Fastball?

Richard Grau February 27, 2026

How is Bill Belichick not a Hall of Famer?

I don’t expect that a lot of Hoot readers are huge sports fans. After all, this school doesn’t even have a football team. Those of you who do pay attention to the National Football League (NFL) are probably focused on Super Bowl LX (Go Pats!). So many of you may

James Carven February 6, 2026

Lacrosse is coming to Brandeis and other sports updates

Brandeis will be introducing a new varsity sport to the roster for the first time in more than forty years. Soon, Brandeis women will be able to compete on the new lacrosse team. The addition will be the 20th varsity sports team and the 11th women’s team offered by Brandeis.

Chloe Ballew November 17, 2025

Bring these sports to Brandeis

Brandeis doesn’t have a football team, gymnastics team or marching band. There are no massive Game Days where the entire student body gathers in a stadium to watch men jump on each other. Depending on your personal relationship with sports, this is a non-issue. However, as a former marching band

Chloe Ballew October 24, 2025

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