ROCKVILLE, Maryland — Thirty years ago this summer, Dominique Dawes beamed atop an Olympic podium in Atlanta, clutching a bouquet and waving to the crowd that had packed inside the Georgia Dome. Minutes later, she placed a hand over her heart as the national anthem played. She was celebrating a first: The 19-year-old from Maryland […]
Sports
Posted inExtreme Weather, Sports
The World Cup’s Biggest Opponent This Summer Might Be Extreme Heat
On a Saturday morning in August 2020, when the temperature was climbing toward 111 degrees, John and Valerie Thomas watched their son Shane finish soccer practice from a shaded area near the field. He looked fine. He was joking with his coaches. Then he didn’t come back. His teammates found him unresponsive near the batting […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
HBCUs Say They Stand to Lose Out if College Athlete Pay Rules Don’t Change
When Trayvean Scott was a college basketball player at Southern University in the 2000s, he says, he was never asked to throw a game in return for a payout. But more than 20 years later, he worries that the lack of a uniform policy about student athletes getting paid for their name, image or likeness […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
After Breaking Barriers, Fisk Is Ending Its Gymnastics Program
When Liberty Mora stepped into the gym at the Super 16 gymnastics meet in Las Vegas with her Fisk University teammates to compete for the first time in 2023, the crowd rose to its feet before they even began. For a moment, the significance hit all at once: They weren’t just competing — they were […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
Howard’s Men’s Basketball’s March Madness Run Ends as HBCUs Make History
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The day after Howard University’s men’s basketball team had its first-ever NCAA tournament win, students on the campus were hoping for more. But the Bison’s dreams came to an abrupt end on March 19, as the team lost to the University of Michigan 101-80. Howard kept the game close, trailing by just […]
Posted inCulture, HBCUs, Sports
At Howard, Athletes Must Stand for the Anthem or Stay in the Locker Room
For years, Howard University’s women’s basketball team has been taking a knee to protest the mistreatment and brutalization of Black Americans by law enforcement. But on Wednesday night, at a game between Howard and South Carolina State University, that tradition – which had been a source of pride for many players and students – came […]
Posted inSports
Your Guide to ‘Rooting for Everybody Black’ at the 2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics is in high gear in Italy, and a small contingent of Black athletes are competing on behalf of Team USA. The Winter Games are a space where representation of Black American athletes has been far less than in summer sports. Several of this year’s competitors are Olympic veterans, while others will […]
Posted inHBCUs, Sports
HBCUs Are Keeping Black Baseball’s Legacy Alive With Limited Resources
Cydney Cooper has been playing softball since she was 5 years old. Playing the sport in South Carolina came with being the only Black girl on the team, or one of a few Black players. As a shy, dark-skinned girl, Cooper said people often thought she had an attitude, but she was just quiet and […]
Posted inClimate Change, Culture, Social Welfare, Sports
Black Kids Are 2x More Likely To Drown. This Organization is Offering Free Swim Lessons.
Across the country, Black children and youth are twice as likely as the general population to die by drowning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And this crisis is compounded by the fact that their parents are 20% more likely to be non-swimmers, creating a cycle that perpetuates the problem across generations, […]
Posted inLGBTQ, Partner Content, Sports
Brittney Griner’s Return to the School That Didn’t Always Embrace Her
Originally published by The 19th When basketball star Brittney Griner left Baylor University in 2013, she was one of the most decorated student-athletes in the school’s history, with accolades that included NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. But Griner had a complicated relationship with her Baptist […]