athletes

25Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

MONEY, SPORTS

Should College Athletes Be Allowed To Use Their School Brand For Paid Endorsements

John Holden, Oklahoma State University Just days after the NCAA changed it rules in June 2021 to let college athletes seek endorsement deals, a college quarterback in the South announced a sponsorship deal with a beverage company. About the same time, another college football player, a wide receiver in the South, signed an endorsement deal with a national retailer. In both cases, the players wore clothes without university logos in the photographs they posted on their social media as they promoted the companies. Not so with another football player – a quarterback in the Southwest – who got use of a new car from a dealership for standing next to one of the dealership’s cars in a photograph on his social media page. Instead of plain clothes, he wore a polo shirt with his university logo ...

What LaMelo Ball Got Right – And Wrong About Why Star Athletes Who Want To Play For The NBA Don’t Really Need College

26Aug

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SPORTS

What LaMelo Ball Got Right – And Wrong About Why Star Athletes Who Want To Play For The NBA Don’t Really Need College

SPORTS John Holden, Oklahoma State University In a recent interview published in GQ, NBA star LaMelo Ball downplayed the importance of college for athletes who aspire to play professional basketball. When asked about his decision to forgo college and play professional basketball overseas before entering the NBA draft, Ball said: “You wanna go to the league, so school’s not your priority.” The then-19-year-old Ball, now 20, quickly clarified his quotes in GQ via Instagram, stating that he was only referencing his own situation and that while school is “not for everybody,” it is for many people. LaMelo Ball’s GQ interview is only the most recent point in a long-standing debate over the necessity of college for superstar athletes. Here are four points to help put Ball’s comments into shar...

Skirts, Bikini Bottoms, Leotards, Ahead Of Olympics, Athletes Call Out Sexist Uniform Practices

26Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

Skirts, Bikini Bottoms, Leotards, Ahead Of Olympics, Athletes Call Out Sexist Uniform Practices

Women athletes continue to face scrutiny for their looks, from their hairstyles to the cut of their uniforms. Candice Norwood Originally published by The 19th The two-time Paralympic world champion Olivia Breen had just wrapped a long jump competition at the English Championships on Sunday when she was approached by an official who said her competition shorts were “too revealing” and suggested she buy another pair. “I didn’t know what to say,” Breen later told Sky News. “I just looked speechless.” A day after this exchange, the European Handball Federation said it would fine Norway’s women’s beach handball team €1,500, or about $1,760, as a penalty for the players wearing shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms during a match over the weekend. As athletes gear up for the star...

The Rights Of Transgender Athletes Striking A Balance Between Fairness In Competition

18May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LGBTQ

The Rights Of Transgender Athletes Striking A Balance Between Fairness In Competition

In a majority of U.S. states, bills aiming to restrict who can compete in women’s sports at public institutions have either been signed into law or are working their way through state legislatures. Caught up in this political point-scoring are real people – both trans athletes who want to participate in competitive sports and those competing against them. As a professor of ethics and public policy, I spend much of my time thinking about the role of the law in protecting the rights of individuals, especially when the rights of some people appear to conflict with the rights of others. How to accommodate transgender athletes in competitive sports – or whether they should be accommodated at all – has become one of these conflicts. On one side are transgender athletes who want to compete in...

‘Last Chance U’ The Netflix Series Speaks To The Reality Of Athletes I Study

3Apr

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EDUCATION, VIDEO REELS

‘Last Chance U’ The Netflix Series Speaks To The Reality Of Athletes I Study

The concept behind Netflix’s hit docuseries “Last Chance U” is simple: Locate a junior college sports team, follow the team around for an entire season with video cameras, and show how team members struggle to realize their dreams of going pro despite their difficult pasts. The show’s popularity rests on the fact that athletes often end up in junior college – or “JUCO,” as it’s often called – through adverse circumstances. These colleges often represent their last chance to get recruited to a big-time college team, or at least a four-year college. The prospect of going from “rags to riches” as an athlete is a narrative that seems to resonate well. While “Last Chance U” has dealt with junior college football, on March 10 an eight-episode spinoff will focus on junior college basketball. A ...

The Disabilities Map Visualizes The Strength And Power Of Millions Of Athletes Around The Globe

4Apr

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HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Disabilities Map Visualizes The Strength And Power Of Millions Of Athletes Around The Globe

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, it became illegal to restrict access – to employment, education or federally funded institutions – based on disability. The ADA made it easier for wheelchair users, senior citizens or a disabled child to navigate public spaces and to have equal access to learning. Qaphela Dlamini, educator, wheelchair basketball player and disability rights advocate from South Africa. globalsportsmentingprogram/flickr, CC BY-ND Many Americans who are not disabled benefit from the ADA. Building ramps, curb cuts, wider halls and audio instructions at crosswalks were a result of this law. The ADA made it easier for a parent to push a stroller down the sidewalk, to cross the street guided by aural prompts or for students with dyslexia to le...

Despite Tide In Public Support For Paying Athletes Having Turned – NCAA Amateurism Appears Immune To COVID-19

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, SPORTS

Despite Tide In Public Support For Paying Athletes Having Turned – NCAA Amateurism Appears Immune To COVID-19

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, college sports have mostly chugged along – albeit with cancellations, postponements and pauses in play. While many college athletes are grateful for the opportunity to compete, the pandemic has laid bare just how few basic rights they possess. College athletes are navigating this strange sports season with increased health risks, but with little leverage or say about the conditions under which they’ll play. In contrast, their professional counterparts in leagues such as the NBA, WNBA, MLB and NFL, thanks to their respective unions, actively negotiated special accommodations, health measures, truncated seasons and the ability to opt out of playing. They also continually negotiate their economic rights, such as how their sport’s revenue is split up and the...

Let’s call athletes ‘workers,’ and let’s call these NBA protests what they were – strikes

31Aug

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SPORTS

Let’s call athletes ‘workers,’ and let’s call these NBA protests what they were – strikes

The Milwaukee Bucks’ startling refusal to take to the court for their NBA playoff game on Aug. 26 was the most consequential political development in sports over the last 50 years. In recent years, the prevailing media narrative is that athletes have routinely used their platforms to “raise awareness” or “bring attention” to a social issue. Awareness, though, has its limits. Rarely does it lead to the kind of structural changes the shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin seems to demand. In this case, the players met the moment, marking a fundamental shift in the direction of activism generated by Black athletes. The mass player walkouts that followed the Bucks’ initial protest were no exercise in awareness, though some commentators framed it as that way. Instead, these...

Colleges expect athletes to work but not to air any grievances – here’s why that’s wrong

22Jul

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EDUCATION

Colleges expect athletes to work but not to air any grievances – here’s why that’s wrong

When Northwestern University created its 2013 football team handbook, the guide included a list of 50 “Twitter tips” for the athletes. Tip #10 told the players not to use Twitter as “an outlet to complain about how rough your life is.” “You are getting a college education, traveling to interesting places, getting free athletic shoes and apparel and more,” the handbook stated. “Thousands of people would crawl over glass for the chance to enjoy the opportunities you have.” This censoring of college athletes is not unique. Again and again, coaches, university administrators, other college students, fans and even athletes themselves have essentially told elite college athletes the same thing: You’re lucky, so don’t complain. And when athletes do complain – or, more accurately, when they d...

4Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS

Athletes, fans slam Donald Trump for insulting LeBron James

US president takes personal jab at basketball star LeBron James, drawing criticism online. James at last week's opening ceremony for the I Promise School in Akron [Phil Long/AP] Donald Trump has sparked uproar online after taking aim at basketball superstar LeBron James, with many social media users calling the US president "racist" and a "bully". In a tweet late on Friday, Trump questioned the intelligence of the three-time NBA champion, following an interview on CNN with host Don Lemon, in which James criticised the Republican president for "dividing the sport". "Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do," Trump said. "I like Mike!" he added, referring to NBA...