Brian Tompkins

About

Brian Tompkins is the former Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Services and former Head Coach of Men's Soccer at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

Recent Posts

Is Kneeling Still Appealing?

In the wake of widespread Black Lives Matter protests, have pre-game patriotic and social justice gestures begun to lose their impact?

What Took You So Long?

Does the global support for social justice create more questions than answers for people of color?

Racism Is Alive and Well in Soccer

Soccer is trying to clean up its act, but racism is still affecting the Beautiful Game.

U.S. Women's Soccer Wins Big but Loses Friends

Are ruthless winners required to be good sports?

Times of Change in College Athletics

When a veteran college coach becomes an administrator, the change in perspective bears similarities to that of a freshman athlete.

When a veteran college coach becomes an administrator, the change in perspective bears similarities to that of a freshman athlete.

Sportsmanship Is A Choice

How rare and refreshing it is in the world of sports to see somebody handle a potentially career-changing moment with grace and what a welcome respite for what passes as the norm at all levels of sports.

How rare and refreshing it is in the world of sports to see somebody handle a potentially career-changing moment with grace and what a welcome respite for what passes as the norm at all levels of sports.

Who Knows The Scoop? Reflections On My Open Door Policy

Why do coaches with open door policies see so few athletes crossing their office thresholds?

Why do coaches with open door policies see so few athletes crossing their office thresholds?

The Persecution Of Excellence

The Connecticut women's basketball team recently completed a much-ballyhooed run to its second consecutive national championship and the accomplishment was all the more remarkable because they did so by going undefeated over those two seasons, winning by an average of double digit point margins, and establishing a record winning streak of 78 games.

The Connecticut women's basketball team recently completed a much-ballyhooed run to its second consecutive national championship and the accomplishment was all the more remarkable because they did so by going undefeated over those two seasons, winning by an average of double digit point margins, and establishing a record winning streak of 78 games.

Beware Of Lefties - Teaching Fear Through Baseball

There are good reasons why a kid should not run with scissors, or touch a hot stove, or cross the street without looking, or talk to strangers, or eat without washing their hands but unmeasured parental fear is not something that we want them to inherit either. 

There are good reasons why a kid should not run with scissors, or touch a hot stove, or cross the street without looking, or talk to strangers, or eat without washing their hands but unmeasured parental fear is not something that we want them to inherit either. 

Awesome Is As Awesome Does

Encouraging successful athletes to think highly of themselves and their bona fide achievements is one thing but to allow or even encourage youngsters of limited ability who haven't accomplished anything to adopt a swaggering mindset is troubling because their perspective is not based in quantifiable reality.

Encouraging successful athletes to think highly of themselves and their bona fide achievements is one thing but to allow or even encourage youngsters of limited ability who haven't accomplished anything to adopt a swaggering mindset is troubling because their perspective is not based in quantifiable reality.