Dr. Jack Taunton was not only an accomplished runner and one of the finest sport physicians in B.C., but he was a true builder of sport locally
Bulls of the week
Steve Ballmer would have preferred a win in the first home game for the Los Angeles Clippers at their new basketball palace, the US$2-billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Yet that doesn’t take away from the fact that he has proven himself to be one of the most fan-centred owners in all of professional sport. He deserves so much credit for privately financing and building what is arguably the most high-tech sports arena in the world. He has transformed the Clippers from being a joke and an afterthought under previous ownership to being a big-time piece of the landscape in the second-largest media market in North America.
His leadership in moving the Clippers from Crypto.com Arena — where they were always second-best as tenants in the shadows of the iconic L.A. Lakers — to part of the inspired renewal of Inglewood as a leading sports and entertainment hub. It’s true that the Lakers, L.A. Kings and L.A. Sparks left Inglewood. It’s also true, however, that Inglewood is back to relevance as home of the Clippers, L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers, with the two most-expensive stadium districts in the U.S. (both of which were privately funded).
Yet there is no bigger winner in the business of sport this week than Major League Baseball and the World Series. The Fall Classic matchup between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers since 1981 is a dream for the commissioner’s office, corporate sponsors and advertisers, merchandisers, and, most of all, media rights-holders. It delivers the two largest TV markets in the U.S. and two heritage brands that command multi-generational, national followings, not to mention arguably the most star-studded World Series in history. For the first time, the Fall Classic will feature five MVPs (with 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton and 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge representing the pinstripes and 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts, 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman and 2021 and 2023 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani bleeding Dodger blue). And that doesn’t even include 25-year-old superstar Juan Soto, who is projected to become a $500-million man this off-season.
Bears of the Week
The passing of Dr. Jack Taunton of Tsawwassen represents a huge and sad loss, not only for the sport medicine and exercise science family, but for the larger sport community. He was not only an accomplished runner and one of the finest sport physicians in B.C., but he was a true builder of sport locally, provincially and nationally. His impact was felt internationally, including 14 years ago when he led the medical services team at Vancouver 2010 — a sport medicine and science team that was widely recognized as the best (and most organized and athlete-centred) in Olympics history.
Strongly backed by his wife Cheryl and often working in tandem with Dr. Doug Clement and Diane Clement of Vancouver, Dr. Jack loved building things, especially in the world of sport and active living. He is a co-founder of the Vancouver Sun Run, arguably the best 10K run in North America, if not the world. He worked with Dr. Clement to establish SportMedBC in 1982, creating the best provincial network of sport medical and paramedical practitioners in Canada. He was also the director and co-founder of the highly touted Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre. The list goes on.
He is not only an Honoured Member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, he is beloved and revered across so many different constellations of sport medicine and sport itself. Dr. Jack is professor emeritus in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, member of the B.C. Athletics Hall of Fame, the Simon Fraser University Sports Hall of Fame, and the Richmond Wall of Fame — just to name a few.
Yet more than anything, he will always be remembered as one of the reasons B.C. is a leading hotbed for sport and athlete development in Canada and as one of the most enthusiastic, caring and kindest people on the planet. He was an inspiration.