SportsDoing Good Newsletter #362

Welcome to week three hundred and sixty-two of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s 10 stories include:

  1. Athletes for the Earth (EarthDay.org)
  2. A Quiet Masters Winner Long Lionized in Japan (New York Times)
  3. Sanjana Ramesh, a sign of hope for Indian-born players, is making women’s hoops history (CBS News)
  4. Lewis Hamilton opens up about activism and life beyond F1 (Wired)
  5. In the Philippines, Everyone Knows Jordan Clarkson’s Name (NY Times)
  6. Life at Home With the BFF Rock Climbers Redefining the Sport (Vogue)
  7. WNBA champion Aerial Powers on diversity and inclusion in gaming: ‘I want my legacy to be she created space for women and people of color’ (DOT Esports)
  8. Googly eyes, Sasquatch suits and a runaway booger: Welcome to the Mascot Hall of Fame (ESPN)
  9. From California to Guam: Kaufman’s inspiring adventure (FIFA.com)
  10. This Basketball Season Is Missing One Thing: Prince (SI)
10+Introducing Game On – Sport for Social Impact (Meaningful Business/Beyond Sport)https://meaningful.business/introducing-game-on-sport-for-social-impact/
Young Voices Series, Episode 6: Exploring Race, Class and Privilege in Sports (Up2Us Sports)https://youtu.be/vUQE3Vivnys
Laureus Sport for Good Launches Environmental Action Toolkit (Laureus)https://laureusuk.blob.core.windows.net/laureus/laureus/media/laureus/news/2021/environmental-action-toolkit.pdf
Podcast: Rights, sport and disability (Sport and Dev)https://www.sportanddev.org/en/media/podcast-rights-sport-and-disability
The #WhiteCard mobilization concludes magnificently, reaching 170 million people in 117 countries (Peace and Sport)https://www.peace-sport.org/news/the-whitecard-mobilization-concludes-magnificently-reaching-170-million-people-in-117-countries/

We present again our “Featured Video” offering(s). With the explosion of video content out there highlighting the good in sport, we want to showcase such content for your enjoyment and learning. This will be an ongoing effort.
NHL’s first female team president talks being a trailblazer (Today)https://www.today.com/video/nhl-s-first-female-team-president-talks-being-a-trailblazer-110051397596
Stories from the Field: Fountain of Hope (Common Goal)https://youtu.be/0Ayx0NQTYk0

Introduction

I first want to mention that at Farmingdale State College, we are hosting “Time to Lead: A Sports Career Exploration Workshop for Young Women” on Thursday, April 29, from 5pm to 7pm. From 5pm to 6pm, you will hear, virtually of course, from a panel of distinguished women in sports business as they discuss their educational and career journeys and offer important advice to the next generation of women leaders. That will be followed by a short presentation and extended Q&A. This free event is targeted for high school and college-aged female students but everyone is welcome. You can learn more and register at the following link. https://www.farmingdale.edu/events/2021/2021-03-27-sport-mgt-event.shtml
A conversation that has taken place on a somewhat regular basis over the past few years has to do with the appropriateness of athletes, teams, and leagues commenting on issues taking place in society, especially those that deal with social issues/social justice. While I thought we had kind of talked through this already, it came up again this week when NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre voiced his disapproval of political discussions around sports. It must have garnered traction due to Favre’s status as a legendary athlete, not because he was ever known as someone to address major social issues, which is his right.
Another reason it was in the news and not completely ignored is that a not insignificant portion of society agrees with him. I get it. They are seemingly exhausted by the daily discussion of tough and sometimes tragic occurrences in our society. But to them I say, in a very polite way, “Grow up.” This is where we are in society. Depending on who you are, you may have had a very nice life of never being profiled, discriminated against in school, work, housing, etc. And you know what, that is exhausting for those who have to go through that every day. The fact that many of our athletes have come from communities where that is the norm and they want to say something and do something about it should not be surprising. Does that bother you? Well, I am sorry that it does. (Btw, there are 3 stories in this newsletter dealing with activism.)
But if you take a look at what Favre says, he sort of contradicts himself. “I want to watch all the important parts of the game, not what’s going on outside of the game, and I think the general fan feels the same way.” Again, I get it. But I have never watched a sporting event, where outside of the national anthem protest, which is slowly disappearing in light of athletes wanting to take more substantive actions, I don’t see it or hear it. I don’t see Patrick Mahomes do something incredible on the field and then the sideline reporter goes up to him and says, “Let’s talk about your promotion of voting rights.” It doesn’t happen and I would rather have critics like Favre and others not pretend that it does.
Look, things change, and for the betterment of society they must. And having a vested interest in such change is not exclusive to any one group. Athletes, and sometimes the teams and leagues they play for, are going to have an opinion. And if you think that other rich, famous and powerful entities are not trying to to dictate the direction of social and political issues, then you have never heard of Citizens United. I suggest you do some research and see how that and weak campaign finance rules allow some to determine what we hear and see in society. What is happening now is that those in sports are stepping up as well, often with the benefit of social media. So to Favre and others, my advice is when the game is not going on, listen to what is being said and during the game, grab a beer and enjoy when LeBron throws down a vicious dunk. In today’s society, we should have the ability to do both.
Please continue to send along your stories. You’re both our audience and best source of stories. Our Twitter handle is @sportsdoinggood, and you can find us at www.facebook.com/sportsdoinggood and on Instagram.Finally, if you think others would like to receive the newsletter, please feel free to forward it on or have them contact us directly at sab@sportsdoinggood.com. (If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore you can use the Unsubscribe button at the end of the email)  
So enjoy. And have a good week.

Top Stories of the Week
Athletes for the Earth (EarthDay.org)For full story, please click here.
A Quiet Masters Winner Long Lionized in Japan (New York Times)For full story, please click here.Sanjana Ramesh, a sign of hope for Indian-born players, is making women’s hoops history (CBS News)For full story, please click here.Lewis Hamilton opens up about activism and life beyond F1 (Wired)For full story, please click here.
In the Philippines, Everyone Knows Jordan Clarkson’s Name (NY Times)For full story, please click here.Life at Home With the BFF Rock Climbers Redefining the Sport (Vogue)For full story, please click here.
WNBA champion Aerial Powers on diversity and inclusion in gaming: ‘I want my legacy to be she created space for women and people of color’ (DOT Esports)For full story, please click here.Googly eyes, Sasquatch suits and a runaway booger: Welcome to the Mascot Hall of Fame (ESPN)For full story, please click here.From California to Guam: Kaufman’s inspiring adventure (FIFA.com)For full story, please click here.This Basketball Season Is Missing One Thing: Prince (SI)For full story, please click here.

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