Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
@zbigalke.bsky.social
Husband
Puppy papa
Former pro cook
Unapologetically profane sport historian
Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor
Penn State Kinesiology
Secretary
Society for American Soccer History
Book Review Editor
Sport History Review
NSHOF voter
Puppy papa
Former pro cook
Unapologetically profane sport historian
Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor
Penn State Kinesiology
Secretary
Society for American Soccer History
Book Review Editor
Sport History Review
NSHOF voter
Pinned
So I dusted this off this week and set it up for the 2025 season.
Here's how things rank out after last weekend's games. The ranking uses game results from all games between Division I teams, dropping any games against D-II, D-III, and NAIA competition.
More details in this thread...
🧵 1/x
Here's how things rank out after last weekend's games. The ranking uses game results from all games between Division I teams, dropping any games against D-II, D-III, and NAIA competition.
More details in this thread...
🧵 1/x
I am publishing the full rankings of all 265 Division I teams here each week, if you wish to see where everyone ranks (and give me shit about where your favorite team landed this week): sites.psu.edu/zbigalke/col...
I'll be updating the rankings each Sunday through the regular season.
I'll be updating the rankings each Sunday through the regular season.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
You’ll never find a better distillation of how technology and capitalism fit together in the 21st century.
During the height of the pandemic, Tyson used Palantir to predict Covid-19 infections among meatpacking workers down to a nearly exactly figure. But rather than using this data to increase worker protections, Tyson used it plan for labor shortages + plant closures
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:41 PM
You’ll never find a better distillation of how technology and capitalism fit together in the 21st century.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
Bouie isn't defending the NYT, and thus isn't getting yelled at.
Opinion writers should probably avoid jumping in to defend the News side's decisions over the past two decades unless they want to catch strays. It's a big place. You don't need to defend the company you work for.
Opinion writers should probably avoid jumping in to defend the News side's decisions over the past two decades unless they want to catch strays. It's a big place. You don't need to defend the company you work for.
November 13, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Bouie isn't defending the NYT, and thus isn't getting yelled at.
Opinion writers should probably avoid jumping in to defend the News side's decisions over the past two decades unless they want to catch strays. It's a big place. You don't need to defend the company you work for.
Opinion writers should probably avoid jumping in to defend the News side's decisions over the past two decades unless they want to catch strays. It's a big place. You don't need to defend the company you work for.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
I think less of you as a person if I hear you spouting off some transphobic bullshit about “biological males” or “fairness in sports” or bathroom bans or anything else JK Rowling has already mentioned before 9 am
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 12:08 PM
I think less of you as a person if I hear you spouting off some transphobic bullshit about “biological males” or “fairness in sports” or bathroom bans or anything else JK Rowling has already mentioned before 9 am
I need to snap out of my funk.
I knew it was a longshot... but getting these ballot results & learning how close it was for Keith certainly wasn't a pleasant way to start my day.
Alas, we move on & fight again next year. May the Veterans Committee have the wisdom to do what we couldn't get done.
I knew it was a longshot... but getting these ballot results & learning how close it was for Keith certainly wasn't a pleasant way to start my day.
Alas, we move on & fight again next year. May the Veterans Committee have the wisdom to do what we couldn't get done.
Congrats to the six inductees who did make the cut this year, but damn... five votes short.
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
soccerhof.imgix.net
November 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
I need to snap out of my funk.
I knew it was a longshot... but getting these ballot results & learning how close it was for Keith certainly wasn't a pleasant way to start my day.
Alas, we move on & fight again next year. May the Veterans Committee have the wisdom to do what we couldn't get done.
I knew it was a longshot... but getting these ballot results & learning how close it was for Keith certainly wasn't a pleasant way to start my day.
Alas, we move on & fight again next year. May the Veterans Committee have the wisdom to do what we couldn't get done.
Congrats to the six inductees who did make the cut this year, but damn... five votes short.
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
soccerhof.imgix.net
November 14, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Congrats to the six inductees who did make the cut this year, but damn... five votes short.
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
*sigh*
soccerhof.imgix.net/hall-of-fame...
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
Let me fix that for you:
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
November 13, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Let me fix that for you:
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
This is academic censorship, full stop.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 13, 2025 at 11:27 PM
This is academic censorship, full stop.
Of course every authority figure sided with the little criminal pervert over the victim.
Her father, though? That abject fuck-up's deplorable mentality is why we live in a society that time and time again proves that it'll protect sexual abusers and blame victims.
Her father, though? That abject fuck-up's deplorable mentality is why we live in a society that time and time again proves that it'll protect sexual abusers and blame victims.
A middle school boy created deepfake AI CSAM of his fellow classmate, a 13 year old girl. The girl pleaded with the school but they did nothing and instead put her on a bus with the perpetrator. She ended up hitting him and was expelled but nothing happened to the boy.
www.wsaw.com/2025/11/12/g...
www.wsaw.com/2025/11/12/g...
Girl, 13, expelled for hitting classmate who made a deepfake porn image of her, lawyers say
A 13-year-old student was expelled from a Louisiana middle school after hitting a male classmate who she said created and shared a deepfake pornographic image of her, according to her family’s lawyers...
www.wsaw.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Of course every authority figure sided with the little criminal pervert over the victim.
Her father, though? That abject fuck-up's deplorable mentality is why we live in a society that time and time again proves that it'll protect sexual abusers and blame victims.
Her father, though? That abject fuck-up's deplorable mentality is why we live in a society that time and time again proves that it'll protect sexual abusers and blame victims.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
"Jiang submitted the study last month to AI Agents for Science, the first conference where all the submitted studies were written and reviewed exclusively by AI."
It is bizarre for real people to proudly put their names on this brazen professional misconduct. This is a counterfeiting ring.
It is bizarre for real people to proudly put their names on this brazen professional misconduct. This is a counterfeiting ring.
November 13, 2025 at 8:42 PM
"Jiang submitted the study last month to AI Agents for Science, the first conference where all the submitted studies were written and reviewed exclusively by AI."
It is bizarre for real people to proudly put their names on this brazen professional misconduct. This is a counterfeiting ring.
It is bizarre for real people to proudly put their names on this brazen professional misconduct. This is a counterfeiting ring.
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
Academic journals that use AI at any step in the editorial review process should be delisted from all major databases, and all university libraries should have a policy against subscribing to them. It's wild to me that this is a controversial statement.
Artificial intelligence peer reviewers recommend the acceptance of unsound papers created entirely by AI more than 80% of the time, a new study has found. cen.acs.org/research-int... #chemsky 🧪
AI peer reviewers are fine with AI-fabricated papers
Study finds artificial intelligence reviewers accept AI-generated scientific studies 4 out of 5 times
cen.acs.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Academic journals that use AI at any step in the editorial review process should be delisted from all major databases, and all university libraries should have a policy against subscribing to them. It's wild to me that this is a controversial statement.
It's only peer review if AI is reviewing AI work.
Otherwise, it's just a Mechanical Turk bastardizing human scholarship.
Otherwise, it's just a Mechanical Turk bastardizing human scholarship.
Artificial intelligence peer reviewers recommend the acceptance of unsound papers created entirely by AI more than 80% of the time, a new study has found. cen.acs.org/research-int... #chemsky 🧪
AI peer reviewers are fine with AI-fabricated papers
Study finds artificial intelligence reviewers accept AI-generated scientific studies 4 out of 5 times
cen.acs.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:29 PM
It's only peer review if AI is reviewing AI work.
Otherwise, it's just a Mechanical Turk bastardizing human scholarship.
Otherwise, it's just a Mechanical Turk bastardizing human scholarship.
"I don’t care about fairness in sports. More importantly, society—be it players, coaches, or fans—doesn’t care about fairness in sports.... That’s because sports aren’t actually about fairness. In fact, they’re about celebrating the absence of fairness."
This is a must read. Here's a gift link.
This is a must read. Here's a gift link.
What Does A Great Trans Athlete Deserve? | Defector
Once every week or two, I swim molasses-slow laps at the YMCA. I’ve been on something of a fitness journey this year, testing out different forms of exercise to see what sticks—what feels the least to...
defector.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
"I don’t care about fairness in sports. More importantly, society—be it players, coaches, or fans—doesn’t care about fairness in sports.... That’s because sports aren’t actually about fairness. In fact, they’re about celebrating the absence of fairness."
This is a must read. Here's a gift link.
This is a must read. Here's a gift link.
I think too many people forget that someone isn't necessarily your friend just because they share the same enemy with you...
November 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I think too many people forget that someone isn't necessarily your friend just because they share the same enemy with you...
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
Hi! I wrote a thing about swimming and trans athletes and [*checks notes*] Santana for @defector.com, would mean a lot if you give it a read
What Does A Great Trans Athlete Deserve? | Defector
Once every week or two, I swim molasses-slow laps at the YMCA. I’ve been on something of a fitness journey this year, testing out different forms of exercise to see what sticks—what feels the least to...
defector.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Hi! I wrote a thing about swimming and trans athletes and [*checks notes*] Santana for @defector.com, would mean a lot if you give it a read
Nothing is more on the nose for a College Republicans group than to be led by a president who loves tattling to ICE... despite himself being a foreign national on a student visa.
November 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Nothing is more on the nose for a College Republicans group than to be led by a president who loves tattling to ICE... despite himself being a foreign national on a student visa.
It's only inconceivable until you realize all these sick fucks wanted what he was selling...
"Convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein" is a phrase that first appeared in newspapers in March 2011 and appeared regularly from that point onward. it is INCONCEIVABLE to me that this many people were still associating with him!!
November 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
It's only inconceivable until you realize all these sick fucks wanted what he was selling...
Tell me you don't have a fucking clue about what a city is actually for without telling me you don't have a fucking clue about what a city is actually for...
if you cant go in to the office 3 days a week then you really can't complain when cities are hollowed out. cities are places where ppl work and network. getting rid of that makes cities useless
And it's usually something like "but that's not what the literal DNC does!" as if I don't know, as someone who has worked on Dem campaigns, sometimes in conjunction with the DNC what they do. So I'm going to be very specific here: this is the DNC being shitty: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 13, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Tell me you don't have a fucking clue about what a city is actually for without telling me you don't have a fucking clue about what a city is actually for...
I'm so fucking sick of goddamn Copilot buttons on all my Office programs.
November 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I'm so fucking sick of goddamn Copilot buttons on all my Office programs.
So my internet is working, but apparently my Microsoft Office suite programs are not working so well.
Good times.
At least IT told me this is a campus-wide issue and they're working to resolve it all as fast as possible.
Good times.
At least IT told me this is a campus-wide issue and they're working to resolve it all as fast as possible.
November 13, 2025 at 3:56 PM
So my internet is working, but apparently my Microsoft Office suite programs are not working so well.
Good times.
At least IT told me this is a campus-wide issue and they're working to resolve it all as fast as possible.
Good times.
At least IT told me this is a campus-wide issue and they're working to resolve it all as fast as possible.
Oh yay, my work laptop won't log into the wi-fi... if IT doesn't respond soon, my next 3 hours of office hours will be interesting since I can't get anything done that I was planning to do while waiting for students.
November 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Oh yay, my work laptop won't log into the wi-fi... if IT doesn't respond soon, my next 3 hours of office hours will be interesting since I can't get anything done that I was planning to do while waiting for students.
Funny enough, in terms of his two races with the most positions gained, both occurred in countries that prohibit hormone-treated beef...
🤔
🤔
Ollie Bearman typically has better race results in countries that allow hormone-treated beef.
Credit to u/_StarDust_0 on Reddit
Credit to u/_StarDust_0 on Reddit
November 13, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Funny enough, in terms of his two races with the most positions gained, both occurred in countries that prohibit hormone-treated beef...
🤔
🤔
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Reposted by Zach Bigalke (he/him/his)
The ghouls at the head of this regime want everyone to suffer maximum pain.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 13, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The ghouls at the head of this regime want everyone to suffer maximum pain.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
The ghouls at the head of this regime want everyone to suffer maximum pain.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 13, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The ghouls at the head of this regime want everyone to suffer maximum pain.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.
That's why they rant about everything from acetaminophen to ibuprofen to cannabis to opiods.
If they had their way, nobody would ever be permitted any pain relief in any way, shape, or form.