We already know sports facilities can bring in tourism dollars, and can even spur investment in communities, through the construction of hotels and restaurants. But what about the ways facilities increase home values, spur sales - and even cause new homes to be built, once an area has been seen as desirable? Here are case studies from around the country.

It's time for green beer, green beads - and consuming enough of the former to warrant doing all kinds of things to obtain the latter. In other words, St. Patrick's Day celebrations - and with them, St. Patrick's Day-themed sports events - have had enough of social distancing and are roaring back with a vengeance. Here are some of the best.

In a poll on the SDM website, nearly 70 percent of readers said they thought cryptocurrency, rather than becoming a viable option in sports payments, was a fad that would die out. They might be onto something. In the wake of the crash of a major sporting cryptocurrency-based fan platform, thousands of fans were left with tokens now deemed as worthless.

The growing problem of verbally and even physically abusive parents at youth sports is nothing new but the National Federation of State High School Associations has a novel approach: recruit those obnoxious parents (and maybe even student athletes who have finished high school) to be referees and umpires. It sounds radical but it just might work.

High school and college students are thinking more about spring break than summer vacation but that has not stopped municipalities and aquatics facilities from worrying whether the Great Lifeguard Shortage of 2021 will repeat itself this year. Nationwide, recruitment efforts are being launched with one goal: keep pools open and swim meets running.

Given the buzz generated by the Winter Olympics in Beijing (unfortunately, not all of it positive), it was easy to overlook another multi-week competition taking place at the same time. The Junior Native Youth Olympics (JNYO) showcase skills that historically have been critical to everyday life in the challenging Alaska environment. Seal hop, anyone?