I am a contributor to the Medium.com website. My articles can be found here or a handful are available by clicking the links below.
A Horrible History of Haircuts
I’ve inflicted more bizarre haircuts on myself since first deciding the skinhead look was the one for me as a 12-year-old aspiring bovver boy back in 1979. I thought I’d share a few of those ill-advised choices, while punctuating my excuse for each one with photographic evidence of my string of fashion faux pas. (Yes, that’s me, in the middle.)
My wife thinks I’m a little crazy. My Dad wants to know why obscure packages from UK sellers on eBay land on his doorstep from time to time addressed to me, even though I live three thousand miles away. I concede that my collection of a game I first played as a soccer-obsessed youngster in England in the 1970s might suggest I am indeed a little eccentric. But, by the same token, there’s a sub-culture of people out there — numbering in the hundreds of thousands — who will appreciate my obsession completely. They understand.
Accused of Funding Terrorism to the Tune of £150
Imagine being woken in the early hours of the morning to a frantic banging on your front door. Moments later, you’re handcuffed on the floor of your own home, multiple guns trained at your head. Before long, you’re detained at an anti-terrorism unit and will remain there for three days.
That’s what happened to Paul Newey, 49, of Solihull in the West Midlands because he sent his eldest son £150 to tide him over for a few days until his next pay cheque came through.
In the early hours of Sunday 13 August 1995, a group of us attempted to break through a door that led to the rooftop of the 50-storey Frankfurt Marriott Hotel. A precarious perch overlooking Germany’s financial capital seemed the most logical place to continue the party and polish off the contents of several mini bars. After all, the Birmingham Bulls had just conquered Europe.
Bizarre Tales of Sports Glom From Jay Gruden and Betty Boop to Frisbee Dogs
I’ve collected some unusual memorabilia during a long career in sports communications. My office is home to some weird and quite frankly purposeless eclectic GLOM (Give Leeches Our Merchandise), but with time on my hands right now, I thought I’d explain the backstories behind the items, starting with collectibles (I use that term lightly) from the ill-fated United Football League. From Betty Boop the fantasy cheerleader to frisbee-catching dogs replacing rappers Flo Rida and B.o.B. as halftime entertainment.
Michael Preston 