For Every Question You Were Afraid to Ask
You know that moment when you’re watching a game with friends and someone mentions “turnover,” “cut block,” or “soccer ID camp,” and you nod along like you know exactly what they’re talking about? I’ve been there. And if you’ve ever thought, “I wish someone would just explain this without making me feel clueless” well, that’s exactly why Hornets Central exists.
I’m Anthony Whitley, a lifelong athlete and basketball trainer by trade. I’ve spent years on the court, but I’ve also coached kids, talked shop with pros, and heard every kind of question from “Why do rich people play golf?” to “Is baseball steak even a thing?” What I realized? People aren’t lacking curiosity they’re lacking a safe space to ask.
Originally, Hornets Central started as a fan site during the New Orleans Hornets’ brief move to Oklahoma City. It was raw, grassroots, and run by fans like me who just loved the game. But once the team moved back, the platform felt too good to abandon. So we rebuilt it – not around a team, but around a shared love for all things sports.
Today, Hornets Central is a space where no question is too small, too “obvious,” or too late to ask. Whether it’s basketball, football, tennis, or the oddly fascinating overlap between food and sport we dig into it. We break things down, explain the ‘why’ behind the rules, explore where sports culture meets everyday life, and make sense of jargon that even the die-hards sometimes forget to explain.
We write as “we” because this site is a team effort. But you’ll feel my voice in there too in the parts where we pause to say, “Here’s how I learned it” or “This confused me once too.” That balance keeps things clear and real.
Hornets Central isn’t about being the loudest voice in the arena. It’s about being the voice that helps someone finally understand what’s going on. That, to me, is real fandom.
Welcome in. Ask away.
Anthony Whitley – Behind the Name, On and Off the Court
You could say most of what I know about sports didn’t come from textbooks or commentaries it came from being in gyms, on benches, and alongside people who live and breathe the game. I’ve worked as a basketball trainer for over a decade, guiding players from different walks of life high school hopefuls trying to make varsity, adults looking to reconnect with the sport, and the occasional standout who took it to the next level. My focus has always been technique, awareness, and helping people build a relationship with the game that’s deeper than just wins or stats.
But over time, I realized something: the things people were most curious about weren’t always about form or footwork. They were the smaller questions. “What even is a turnover?” “Why do tennis scores start at 15?” “Why do rich people play golf?” Some of these questions came from new players, some from parents in the stands, and others from folks who just felt too embarrassed to ask.
That’s where the shift happened. I started paying more attention to the things people didn’t know but wanted to. The honest, sometimes funny, sometimes confusing parts of sports that don’t always get explained in plain language. That curiosity is what drove me to reimagine Hornets Central.
The site originally started as a fan forum during the Hornets’ temporary relocation to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina. It was a space built around shared passion. Years later, I saw that same energy could be repurposed not just for fans of one team, but for anyone interested in understanding sports a little better.
Now, Hornets Central is about giving people the confidence to ask what they’ve always wondered without feeling judged or left behind. It’s not here to break news or chase trends. It’s here to answer the quiet questions. The ones you whisper to a friend or Google when no one’s looking. Because I believe understanding the game makes loving it even better. And everyone deserves that chance.