E. M. Swift

Cognoscenti contributor

E. M. Swift wrote for Sports Illustrated between 1978 and 2010, covering a wide range of sports but specializing in the Olympics. He is now a freelance writer living in Carlisle, Mass.

Recently published

A foot of gymnast Gabriela Sasnal of Poland on the balance beam during the Artistic Gymnastics Podium Training at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 22, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

From Sarajevo To Athens, I've Covered 15 Olympic Games. Here's What We'll Miss In Tokyo

During his career with Sports Illustrated, E.M. Swift covered 15 Olympic Games. Most of the pleasantries of years past won't be present in Tokyo this summer, he writes.

Cognoscenti

Jul 23, 2021

Travis Roy greets supporters at the Travis Roy Foundation Whiffle Ball Tournament held at Little Fenway, August 9, 2013. (Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Once His Attitude About His Future Changed, Travis Roy Never Looked Back

Despite all he had suffered, Travis felt lucky and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the less fortunate. That was his nature, writes E. M. Swift.

Cognoscenti

Oct 31, 2020

The joint Korean women's ice hockey players train prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The 2018 Winter Olympics: Here's What Not To Miss

E.M. Swift has covered 16 Olympic Games. So when he puts out a must-see list, we take note.

Cognoscenti

Feb 8, 2018

Dr. Larry Nassar appears during a video arraignment in Mason, Mich., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics team doctor, admitted molesting some of the nation's top gymnasts for years was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison.
(David Eggert/AP)

Larry Nassar Didn't Abuse In Isolation — Fallout From This Scandal Will Go On For Years

Nassar’s conviction is an early chapter in an unraveling of dirty secrets in a sport that, in its quest for gold medals and sponsorship dollars, went off the rails, writes...

Cognoscenti

Jan 26, 2018

People walk at the building of the Russian Olympic Committee is seen through a gate decorated with the Olympic rings in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The International Olympic Committee has barred the Russian team from competing in Pyeongchang in February over widespread doping at the last edition of the Winter Games in 2014. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Will Russia's Olympic Ban Help Root Out Doping?

While the IOC’s was not exactly a timely decision, it marked a new and long overdue willingness by that organization to call out cheaters -- even powerful one, writes E.M....

Cognoscenti

Dec 7, 2017

A Chicago Cubs fan celebrates during the eighth inning of Game 7 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Cleveland. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

The Cubs Break The Curse — And Maybe Only Red Sox Fans Know How Sweet That Feels

Chicago Cubs fans can now expire in peace, writes E.M. Swift. God does not hate us, after all.

Cognoscenti

Nov 3, 2016

Arnold Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as "The King," died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87. He is pictured here in 1970. (AP)

In Golf As In Life, Arnold Palmer Changed The Game

A King who truly was a man of the people, E.M. Swift writes, we shall not see his like again.

Cognoscenti

Sep 28, 2016

Brazilian fans watch activities on the 18th green during the first round of the men's golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. (Chris Carlson/AP)

The Glory Of Struggle: An Early Appraisal Of The Rio Olympics

Although it’s too soon to declare the Rio Olympics a complete success, writes E.M. Swift, it’s not too early to say that the International Olympic Committee has been vindicated.

Cognoscenti

Aug 12, 2016

Competitors in the women's U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials put chalk on their hands for the uneven bars in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, July 10, 2016. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Children First: A Look At The Shocking Sexual Abuse Allegations Facing USA Gymnastics

It may, or may not, be a legal obligation for sports organizations to report each and every allegation of child abuse they receive, writes E.M. Swift, but without question it...

Cognoscenti

Aug 5, 2016

The Christ the Redeemer statue stands above Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. The Summer Olympics start Aug. 5. (Felipe Dana/AP)

Rio 2016: An Olympic-Size Public Relations Disaster

The Rio Games won’t look like the idealized renderings that helped the city win its Olympic bid. But contrary to all the negative press, the things that matter are in...

Cognoscenti

Aug 2, 2016