African-American participation in baseball, at any level, is a deeply personal subject for me. Growing up, I was usually the only black player on the team. I had great teammates, but I always wondered why more blacks didn’t play America’s Pastime; I also wonder, as the percentage continues to decline, whether or not anything can be done to reverse the trend. Continue reading “S2, Ep. 3: Howard Bryant, Senior Writer ESPN/Columnist ESPN The Magazine”
In April of 2015 Greg Howard (who was writing for Deadspin at the time) wrote a piece revealing the issues surrounding ESPN’s then-yet-to-be-launched sports, race, and culture website, The Undefeated. Continue reading “S2, Ep. 2: Greg Howard, David Carr Fellow, The New York Times Magazine”
I struggled for a couple days before I sat down to write about Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the national anthem. In the end I still might not say everything right, but I’m not going to let that deter me from expressing my feelings about the situation. Continue reading “What Is America To You? Answering This Question Helps Us Understand Colin Kaepernick’s Decision”
Back in February after the Broncos defeated the Panthers in the Super Bowl there was controversy over the way the loss was handled, post-game, by Panthers star Quarterback Cam Newton. His responses were short, and his appearance even shorter after he exited the press conference prematurely. I didn’t see a problem with it, it was a tough loss and I don’t know what is expected as far as answers are concerned. Continue reading “Ep. 17: Randy Roberts, Film Studies at Purdue University”
I never quite understood the love affair with the sport of golf. I understood even less the love of The Masters tournament, and was one of the millions who convinced themselves that attending Augusta National and their Major wasn’t that big of a deal.
Well, I get it now; and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Continue reading “My First Visit To The Masters: A Lesson In Culture, Race, And Why It’s Better Than Anything You Will Ever Attend”