By Kyle Hightower and Rob MaaddiAP Sports Writers FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jerod Mayo spent his entire professional football career learning from Bill Belichick, first as a player and then as an assistant. He’ll now have the weighty task of succeeding the future Hall of Famer and leading a New England Patriots team as its […]
Category: National Sports
Black leadership at head coach, QB to be more visible than ever during NFL playoffs
By Cliff Brunt AP Sports Writer This year’s NFL playoffs will feature a record number of Black men who have thrived in leadership positions they rarely had the opportunity to hold in previous generations. Three Black head coaches have reached the playoffs — Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles and Houston’s DeMeco Ryans. Miami coach […]
FAMU takes 2023 Celebration Bowl title
Southwestern Athletic Conference emerges victorious By Mekhi Abbott Special to the AFROmabbott@afro.com The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Rattlers defeated the Howard Bison in the Cricket Football Celebration Bowl on Dec. 16. Delivering a final score of 30-26, the Rattlers left Atlanta with their first ever Celebration Bowl victory. The Bowl, also known as the […]
Wizards, Capitals would move to Virginia in proposed deal, Mystics would stay in D.C.
By Sarah Rankin and Matthew BarakatAssociated Press Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)has reached a tentative agreement with the parent company of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to move those teams from the District of Columbia to what he called a new “visionary sports and entertainment venue” in northern Virginia. The proposal, which […]
Top Sports Moments of 2023
From the gym to the track: Top 10 sports moments of 2023 As 2023 comes to a close, the AFRO takes a look at the Black athletes who gave it their all on the basketball court, the football field, in the gym, on the track and beyond. The Georgia State Bulldogs crushed the TCU Horned […]
Ravens v. Dolphins Dec. 31 matchup: huge playoff implications in battle for the No. 1 seed
By AFRO Staff Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8), left, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) will lead their respective teams in a clash that will determine the AFC’s No. 1 seed on Dec. 31 in Baltimore. (AP Photos) The Miami Dolphins (11-4) and Baltimore Ravens (12-3) will duel New Year’s Eve in Baltimore […]
The NBA’s annual Christmas slate awaits. Teams insist it’s special to be picked
By Tim ReynoldsAP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra was part of 12 Christmas games as a staff member, assistant coach or head coach in his first 20 seasons with the Miami Heat. And in the eight seasons that followed, the Heat played on Christmas only once. Here’s what he realized: For an NBA […]
Gymnastics star Simone Biles named AP Female Athlete of the Year a third time after dazzling return
By Will GravesAP National Writer There were jitters, of course. Considering all that happened, how could there not be? When Simone Biles walked onto the floor at a suburban Chicago arena in late July for her first gymnastics competition in two years, she knew plenty of people were wondering how it was going to go. […]
Sports player contracts are a bigger deal thanks to Curt Flood
By Ralph E. Moore Jr The latest sports news is that baseball pitcher and hitter, Shohei Ohtani, recently signed a $700,000,000 contract for ten years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wow, that’s a big one! Ohtani became a free agent on Nov. 2 of this year. Just for the record, a free agent in professional […]
PRESS ROOM: Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl Career Fair student registration now open
(Black PR Wire) NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl announced today (Dec. 16) that student registration is now open for the 2024 Career Fair, to be held on February 22nd and 23rd at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. “The Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl is about opportunity, both on […]
Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates advance to semifinal stage for Pro Football Hall of Fame
By Josh Dubow, Associated Press Three-time All-Pros Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates were chosen as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2024 in their first year of eligibility. Peppers and Gates headline a group of 25 modern day semifinalists announced Tuesday by the Hall of Fame from a group of 173 […]
City of Dallas debuts ‘Sha’Carri Richardson Day’ in honor of native track star
By Aria Brent, AFRO Staff Writer, abrent@afro.com The fastest woman in the world, Sha’Carri Richardson, was honored in her hometown earlier this month. The 23-year-old track star’s legacy was cemented into the City of Dallas with Nov.10 being officially named “Sha’Carri Richardson Day.” Richardson was officially named the fastest woman in the world earlier this […]

