Student-athlete Salma Gonzalez is the first CSU student to win the MEAC’s 2021 Woman of the Year Award in seven years. (Photo courtesy of Coppin State University) By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO The noteworthy contributions of a local HBCU student-athlete have not gone unnoticed. Salma Gonzalez, a Coppin State University volleyball player, has […]
Category: !Front Page Sports
#WordinBlack: Why I’ll be cheering extra hard during these Olympics
(Photo by Charles Deluvio/Unsplash) by Larry Lee Publisher, Sacramento Observer I absolutely love the Summer Olympics. Growing up, I ran, jumped and played, emulating some of my favorite American Olympians of the era such as Carl Lewis, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Michael Jordan, Edwin Moses and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. For those reasons alone, I am glued to the […]
Denied ticket over COVID, Guinean Olympian clings to dream
Guinean wrestler Fatoumata Yarie Camara poses for a portrait at the end of her morning training session at the Ostia’s Olympic training center, near Rome, Monday, July 5, 2021. A West African wrestler’s dream of competing in the Olympics has come down to a plane ticket. Fatoumata Yarie Camara is the only Guinean athlete to […]
#AFROCoversOlympics: USA basketball clinches bounce-back win, boxer Duke Regan aims to erase 20-year drought
United States’ Damian Lillard (6) shoots over Iran’s Mohammadsina Vahedi (3) during a men’s basketball preliminary round game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (Charlie Neibergall/Pool Photo via AP) By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO The United States men’s basketball team rebounded from an upset loss to France […]
Team USA falls to France in opening round of Olympic games
France’s Vincent Poirier tries to block a shot by United States’ Jrue Holiday (12) during a men’s basketball preliminary round game at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 25 in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO For the first time in 17 years, the United States Olympic men’s basketball […]
‘This can be me’: Black participation rising in gymnastics
In this Aug. 9, 2016, file photo, U.S. gymnasts and gold medallists, Simone Biles, left and Gabrielle Douglas celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women’s team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The success of Olympic gymnastics champions Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles has created […]
Ravens include the community in their business
Huddle For 100 around downtown Baltimore on September 23, 2019. Lamar Jackson and Willie Snead IV at Webster Kendrick Boys & Girls Club. Chris Moore at St. Vincent De Paul Society. Our Daily Bread with Mark Ingram and Marshal Yanda. Maryland Center for Veterans with Brandon Williams and Chris Wormley. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore […]
Sarah Thomas, first female NFL official
Sarah Thomas made history after being hired by Austin by becoming the first female to officiate a college football game, as part of the Memphis/Jacksonville game crew. This was the first of several firsts to come as a female official including capping her sixth NFL season by becoming the first female to officiate the Super […]
Mental health in sports: how the new generation is changing the game
After prioritizing her own sanity, Naomi Osaka is one of the athletes helping to bring mental health to the forefront of athletic and health conversations (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File) By Malcolm Lemmons Special to the AFRO There are no “ifs, ands or buts about it:” 23 year-old Naomi Osaka is a once-in-a-generation tennis star. The […]
Olympics & the NFL: Games turn from contests to justice conversations
Above: Extending gloved hands skyward in racial protest, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos stare downward during the playing of the national anthem after Smith received the gold and Carlos the bronze for the 200 meter run at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City on. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman is at […]
Venus Williams fought for equal pay for women in tennis
Venus Williams of the US arrives on court for the women’s singles second round match against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur on day three of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday June 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) By Micha Green D.C. and Digital Editor mgreen@afro.com While African-American women nationwide are said to make 63 cents for […]
Simone Biles is ‘killing it,’ making history every day
It is no coincidence that Simone Biles, the Texas native and “4-foot-8 giant,” has become one of the most dominatingathletes in the world of sports. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) By Demetrius Dillard Special to the AFRO A number of athletes are the subject of considerable publicity at the moment, but none have garnered as much global […]

