The sports commentator’s new book tackles the power of protest in American sports. By Mark Gray, Zenger News ESPN national columnist and essay writer Robert “Scoop” Jackson began noticing how pro athletes—especially young NBA stars—started lifting their voices to address civil rights concern by using their platform in professional sports about four years ago, which was roughly the […]
Category: National Sports
Posted inBaltimore Community
Family, Friends Celebrate Life of `Binx’ Watts
By Sean Yoes AFRO Baltimore Editor syoes@afro.com Rodney “Binx” Watts, a beloved Baltimore golf legend, as well as an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, died on August 7, due to complications from COVID-19. He was 75. Watts, the son of pioneering legal figure, Judge Robert Watts, who worked with Thurgood Marshall, was the first Black […]
Posted inSports
Long-Running Oklahoma Black Rodeo Rides on Despite COVID-19
By SUE OGROCKI and KEN MILLER, Associated Press OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) — The oldest continuously held Black rodeo in the U.S. rode on in eastern Oklahoma despite months of uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic, though this year some cowboys wore face masks along with boots. The 65th annual Roy LeBlanc Invitational Rodeo took place […]
Posted inPOLITICS
NBA Activism Focuses on Voting
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer NBA players are building on the framework of Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem that helped raise awareness about police brutality, efforts that have permeated the league since it restarted its season in Florida last month amid the coronavirus pandemic. But where Kaepernick’s demonstrations raised awareness, NBA players […]
Posted inNEWS
NFL Opens Season With Black National Anthem
By Mark F. Gray AFRO Staff Writer mgray@afro.com Two years ago, Dr. Eugene Williams Sr. had a dream that was born from the technology that now speaks through Alexa. The popular device that controls electronics and appliances in homes offered him a chance to find a song that brings peace to the retired educator’s Prince […]
Posted inSports
Black Americans Star in Front of Hitler at Berlin Olympics
By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer The name of sprinter Mack Robinson may not be as well-known as Jesse Owens, the star of the 1936 Berlin Games. Robinson’s not even the most famous person in his own family, a distinction that goes to his younger brother, Jackie, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with […]
Posted inCoronavirus
NFL Chief Doctor Says Teams, Players Must Be Educated About Risks of COVID
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Following a disastrous re-opening by Major League Baseball, where as many as 17 Miami Marlins players and personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 forcing the postponement of several games, the National Football League remains cautiously optimistic as training camps open. “It’s about education and understanding,” NFL […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Mike Tyson Announces Return: ‘I. Am. Back.’Musical’
By Joseph Hammond Zenger News The most significant event in sports this year may be a boxing battle between two former champions in their 50s. Once described as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is returning to the ring at age 54. Tyson is planning to make a stunning return […]
Posted inSports
LeBron James Adds Weight to Effort to Help Ex-Felons Vote in Florida
By AFRO Staff NBA superstar LeBron James is continuing his social equality agenda, this time partnering with other athletes and entertainers to empower ex-felons to vote. “Because of everything that’s going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door,” James told The […]
Posted in!Front Page
AFRO Exclusive: Scoop Jackson’s Book Chronicles Black Athletes’ Contemporary Activism
By Mark F. Gray AFRO Staff Writer mgray@afro.com A rise in aggressive social activism from current and former pro athletes has added volume to the calls for reforms to the justice system around the country. Their unexpected impact has given more visibility to fatal interactions between African Americans and law enforcement- an unexpected turn after […]
Posted in!Front Page
D.C.’s NFL Team Succumbs To Pressure, Will Change Name
By Mark F. Gray AFRO Staff Writer mgray@afro.com After 87 years, the National Football League (NFL) franchise in Washington, D.C. will change its name. With sponsors threatening to end their relationships and a social movement against racism sweeping the nation, one of the NFL’s most visible franchises ends an era marked by a checkered past […]
Posted inCoronavirus
NFL, Oakley Come Up With Face Shields To Protect Players
By SIMMI BUTTAR, AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — With NFL training camps set to start at the end of the month, the league believes it is closer to one answer when it comes to player safety amid the coronavirus pandemic: face shields for the players’ helmets. The NFL and the players’ union […]