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NFL Star Russell Wilson Launches 'Good Man Brand' to Help Inner-City Kids

Ciara and Russell Wilson (JAMES DEVANEY VIA GETTY IMAGES)

article by Juliet Spies-Gans via huffingtonpost.com
“Hey, be good. Be good. You know what, be good. Be good!
For Russell Wilson, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, that phrase is so crucial that he repeated it three times while talking to The Huffington Post. Each time with a different emphasis, each time with increasing resound.
Be good.
The words are easy to say, but harder to heed. So the 27-year-old NFL star, guided by his strong faith and devotion to inner-city communities, decided it was time to prove that he, too, was living by the motto.
That’s where the Good Man Brand came in. With the coolly confident goal of inspiring an entire generation, Russell Wilson is teaming up his Good Man Brand with his Why Not You Foundation to launch something they hope will better lives. Using a business model similar to that of TOMS — a company known for its policy of “buy-one, give-one” — Good Man Brand opens its doors with the promise that for every item sold, it will share its profits with a charity of choice.
The “Good Man Brand” is promising that $3 from every purchase will go to charity — and he’s committing now to assisting inner-city education, a cause personally selected by Wilson and his team for the tangible, immediate impact it can have on inner-city children all over the nation.
(Image via RUSSELL WILSON)

As Wilson sees it, this is the blueprint for how he and the foundation can begin to “make a major difference in the world.” And as Wilson sees it, the beauty of the brand is that it enables its customers, along with the company, to make a difference.
That is, it gives the gift of giving right back to those getting the goods, as they suddenly have the power to make waves in the community, to “be good” to the kids around them, simply by ringing up a sweater at the register.
We’re trying to change the way and the attitude of a culture,” Wilson told HuffPost on Sunday. “Ultimately, this brand is going to help change people’s lives.”
“We’re trying to inspire people, give back and make a culture change,” he added.
Through one brand giving back, every customer gives back — it’s the business model incarnation of a slogan that’s been in our collective subconscious for decades: all for one and one for all.
(Image via RUSSELL WILSON)

For the team behind the brand, how you become that titular “good man” comes back to that omnipresent, crucial No. 3 — the same number that’s plastered on the back of Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks jersey and the number of dollars donated from every item sold: “The good man leads, the good man inspires, and the good man lives a good life.”
Lead. Inspire. Live. Supporting good by “sporting good.” The mottos and mantras of the Good Man Brand are seemingly endless, but even with the surfeit of slogans, they all share one quality in common: Each encourages customers to go from passive to active, to not just sport the clothes, but support the cause — to ask themselves, “What good will you do today?”
To read more, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russell-wilson-good-man-brand-launch_us_56d46b17e4b0871f60ec0c4d

Puma Creates BHM Sneakers in Honor of Iconic Olympic Sprinter Tommie Smith

Image #: 13530908 American athletes Tommie Smith (middle, gold medal) and John Carlos (right, bronze medal) at the Award Ceremony for the 200m race at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, October 16, 1968. The Olympics Black Power salute was a notable black power protest and one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympic Games. DPA/LANDOV
American athletes Tommie Smith (middle) and John Carlos (right) at the Award Ceremony for the 200m race at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, October 16, 1968. (Photo: DPA/LANDOV)

The image above is a powerful one. This black power salute is embedded in our history. In 1968 Olympics athletes Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze) made history during the Olympic games in Mexico City. With the world watching the sprinters stood on the medal podium and raised their black-gloved fists in the air in silent protest for human rights and for black Americans to stand in solidarity.
It’s that powerful image that was the inspiration for Puma’s capsule collection honoring Tommie Smith and Black History Month. What I didn’t realize is that gold medalist Tommie Smith removed his suede Pumas right before he stepped onto the podium shoeless in black socks, to represent poverty and slavery.  After that subtle statement, he then raised his fist.  With that unmistakable gesture, Tommie Smith altered the course of history and dedicated his life to change. Emblazoned with Tommie Smith’s silhouette, with fist raised, the Black History Month Pack honors a legacy on the track and off. I must applaud Puma for honoring this hero.
Yara Shalhidi and Tommie Smith at the Puma and Sheikh Shoes Launch Celebration at Mastro’s Beverly Hills
Yara Shalhidi and Tommie Smith at the Puma and Sheikh Shoes Launch Celebration at Mastro’s Beverly Hills (Photo credit: Charles Jim-George)

puma

Check out Puma’s Black History Month Collection here:
http://us.puma.com/en_US/men/featured/black-history-month
Sheikh Shoes:
http://www.shiekhshoes.com/m-9-puma.aspx
For more about the 1968 Olympic Black Power Salute:
http://time.com/3880999/black-power-salute-tommie-smith-and-john-carlos-at- the-1968-olympics/
Lesa Lakin GBN Lifestyle
Lesa Lakin, GBN Lifestyle

NBA: Miami Heat to Retire Shaquille O'Neal’s No. 32 Jersey

Shaquille O'Neal (in his No. 32 to be retired by the Heat) celebrates the Heat's championship in 2006 alongside current Heat guard Dwyane Wade. (Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE/Getty Images)
Shaquille O’Neal (in his No. 32 to be retired by the Heat) celebrates the Heat’s championship in 2006 alongside current Heat guard Dwyane Wade. (Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE/Getty Images)

article by Ira Winderman via chicagotribune.com

Shaquille O’Neal will become the third Miami Heat player to have his number retired, with the team announcing today that O’Neal’s No. 32 will join the No. 33 of Alonzo Mourning and No. 10 of Tim Hardaway already raised to the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“Shaquille O’Neal is one of the truly elite players in the history of the game and one of the greatest players to ever wear a Heat uniform,” Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. “He took us to another level as a basketball franchise while leading us to our first NBA championship.
“Retiring his number in the rafters, along with Heat greats Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, is something we are very proud of.”
O’Neal’s jersey will be raised early next season, with the 2016-17 schedule not to be released until mid-summer.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/697109247188840449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
With O’Neal honored for his relatively brief Heat tenure and single championship with the franchise, it makes it all but inevitable the Heat eventually will retire LeBron James‘ No. 6, with James spending more time with the franchise and winning two titles in his four seasons with the team.

Beyoncé Announces The Formation World Tour; Launches Initiative to Help Flint Water Crisis

Beyonce Dancers for NOW 020816
Beyoncé mid-slay with dancers at yesterday’s Super Bowl Halftime Show (photo via colorlines.com)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Something tells me we will soon have to invent a new way to say “slay,” because if the boss moves perpetrated in the last two days by Beyoncé have shown us anything, they’ve shown us she has every intention of erecting on top of the foundation she laid with 2013’s “Beyoncé” an impenetrable Fortress of Slayage where the word will soon retire itself (because really, where else has it to go?).
To recap, not only did Queen Bey the day before the Super Bowl drop her “Formation” video – which the internet is still feverishly and giddily unpacking – she performed it at halftime, paid homage to the Black Panthers in the Bay Area on their 50th anniversary during the 50th Super Bowl, paid homage to Malcolm X with her squad’s literal formation, and then claimed the commercial space right after halftime to announce her Formation World Tour, which kicks off April 27 in Miami.  Phew!  No wonder “slay” is ready for a permanent vacation.
According to usatoday.com, the Formation World Tour will be hitting cities nationwide including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. It ends June 12 in Hershey, Penn., before a string of European dates get underway June 28. Tickets go on sale beginning Tuesday for American Express and Beyhive fan club members, and to the general public starting Feb. 16. [Tour dates listed below.]

Beyoncé last toured the USA with her husband, rapper Jay Z, on the six-week On the Run Tour in summer 2014, which was filmed for a HBO special. The Formation World Tour is her first solo jaunt since the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013.

FAMILY FUN: Pantene Enlists NFL Players for Dad and Daughter Hair Campaign [WATCH]

football dad doing hair
Pittsburgh Steelers’ DeAngelo Williams and his daughter (photo via eurweb.com)

article by Ny MaGee via eurweb.com
Hair care brand Pantene enlisted NFL stars to create “dad dos” for their little darlings in a series of how-to hair videos, PeopleStyleWatch notes.
Featured in the video are Pittsburgh Steelers’ DeAngelo Williams, the New Orleans Saints’ Benjamin Watson and the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten. The video series is part of the brand’s “Strong Is Beautiful” campaign, which highlights the importance of father and daughter bonding.
“Research shows that quality time spent with dads is key in raising daughters who are more self-confident, self-reliant and more successful in school and in their careers,” Pantene says in a press release.
Check out the clips below to see the footballers attempt to create their daughters’ requested hairstyle — twisted pigtails, braided pigtails, a ballerina bun and a princess puff. The hilarious results may not be perfect but the memorable moment these dads share with their daughters will certainly last a lifetime.
“We hope our new series of how-to videos shows dads how easy and fun it can be to spend quality time with their daughters by doing their hair,” Jodi Allen, a vice president for P&G, says in a release. “The quality time spent with their daughters now will foster the next generation of strong and beautiful women.”
“My hands get a little bit in the way,” says the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten as he fails miserably at creating a ballerina-style bun on his 3-year-old daughter, Landry.
While the “dad do” results aren’t always perfect, they are beyond precious. And hey, as these dads know better than anyone, you can always throw on a helmet (daddy/daughter bike ride, anyone?) to cover any number of hair sins.
Check out the videos below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgdYPllFXes&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SG3Y-_2Yj0&w=560&h=315]

Lifetime Sets Movie about NBA Star Kevin Durant’s Mom Wanda "The Real MVP" Pratt; Queen Latifah Produces, Cassandra Freeman Stars

Cassandra Freeman Traci Thoms
Cassandra Freeman, Traci Thoms (Photo via deadline.com)
Cassandra Freeman (Inside Man, Single Ladies), Tracie Thoms (Cold Case, Rent), Pauletta Washington (Wilma), Daniel Bellomy, Nic Few (Major Crimes, The Exes), and Demarius Mack (Real Husbands Of Hollywood) have been cast in Lifetime original movie with the working title of The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story, based on the life of NBA star Kevin Durant’s mom. Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit are executive producers. Production is currently underway in Vancouver on the film, which will bow on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 8, on Lifetime. A&E Studios is producing.
Nic Few 2Daniel Bellomy 2The film tells the true story of Pratt, a single mom who struggled and sacrificed to raise her two sons, Tony and Kevin. When he was named 2014’s NBA Most Valuable Player, Kevin Durant dedicated his speech to Wanda, naming her “the real MVP” for all of her sacrifices that allowed him to pursue his dreams. It was a moving moment (see it by clicking here).
Pratt and Shelby Stone (Bessie) also executive produce the movie, and Gina Ford and Brynee Baylor are co-executive producers.
Freeman stars as Wanda, Thoms as her best friend and confidante, and Washington will play her mother Barbara. The adult Kevin and Tony will be played by Bellomy and Few, respectively, and Mack plays young Tony. The film is directed by Nelson George (Life Support, A Ballerina’s Tale) and written by Yolonda Lawrence (Witches Of East End) and Ligiah Villalobos (Ed).
article by Denise Petski via deadline.com

Adidas Celebrates Jesse Owens with Black History Month Footwear Collection

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 8.59.53 PM
Jesse Owens Collection by Adidas

Inspired by the triumph of an American sports and cultural hero, adidas celebrates Jesse Owens with its Black History Month footwear collection.
The facts are simple, Jesse Owens was the most famous track and field athlete of all time, and in 1950 when the Associated Press conducted a poll to determine the greatest track and field athlete of the first half of the twentieth century, the results didn’t even come close – Owens by a landslide.
Olympic Gold Medalist Jesse Owens
Olympic Gold Medalist Jesse Owens

Raised in Ohio with Alabama roots, it was in the span of 45 minutes on one single afternoon on May 25, 1935, at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan that Owens electrified the sports world with the greatest one-man, one-day performance the sport had ever known – breaking three world records and tying a fourth.
One year later, at the 1936 Berlin summer games, Owens became a groundbreaking athlete and symbol for social justice and equality after a historic performance where he became the first American track & field athlete to win four gold medals in a single games, all while under tremendous global tension.
Owens accomplished the feat in track spikes hand-crafted by adidas founder Adi Dassler, who carried the glove leather spikes from his workshop in Herzogenaurach, a Bavarian village just 300 miles to the South. Owens’ athletic performance, wearing the spikes of adidas, marked one of the most significant sports and cultural moments of the 20th century.
“The Owens family is pleased to partner with adidas for Black History Month with a commemorative basketball shoe. On the feet of athletes who compete in the spirit of Jesse’s historic accomplishments, these shoes encompass the significance of one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.”
Concurrently, the Focus Features Jesse Owens biopic “Race” will hit theaters on February 19.

NFL's Devon Still Announces Daughter Leah ‘Really Beat Cancer!’

Leah Still smiling as she finishes last 5 day treatment
Leah Still smiling as she finishes last 5 day treatment (photo via eurweb.com)

Leah Still, the 5-year-old daughter of NFL defensive end Devon Still, will be discharged from the hospital Tuesday after completing her final cancer treatment.
Her pops tweeted the good news on Monday, saying, “She really beat cancer!


Leah was diagnosed with Stage-4 neuroblastoma in June 2014. With a 50-50 chance of survival, Leah was being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The former Cincinnati Bengals and current Houston Texans player has been documenting his daughter’s journey on social media using the hashtag #LeahStrong.
Still also shared the number of hours and days Leah spent battling cancer.
“41 days of chemotherapy, 40 days of antibody therapy, 19 days of radiation, 7 hours surgery and 1 win!” a photo he shared on Twitter stated.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2016/01/devon-still-announces-daughter-leah-really-beat-cancer/#OhjXkgD9Hxufib0g.99

Ken Griffey Jr. Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame With Highest Voting Percentage Ever

A star slugger of the Steroids Era never tainted by accusations of drug use, Griffey was on 437 of 440 votes in his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. His 99.3 percentage topped the previous mark of 98.84, set when Tom Seaver appeared on 425 of 430 ballots in 1992.
“Happy and shocked,” Griffey said on MLB Network, “that I get to be in such an elite club.”
“In case you don’t know, I’m really superstitious. I’ve played in the Hall of Fame game three times and I’ve never set foot in the building. I’ve never even seen the front of it,” Griffey said. “The one time I wanted to go in there, I wanted to be a member.”
After falling 28 shy last year, Piazza received 365 votes in his fourth time on the ballot and will be inducted along with Griffey on July 24.
“Incredibly special. Wow,” Piazza said on a call with MLB Network.
“I sat here with my mouth on the floor,” he said.
A player needs 75 percent to gain election, and Jeff Bagwell missed by 15 votes and Tim Raines by 23. Trevor Hoffman, on the ballot for the first time, was 34 short.
The vote total dropped by 109 from last year because writers who have not been active for 10 years lost their votes under new rules.
There were significant increases for a pair of stars accused of steroids use. Roger Clemens rose to 45 percent and Barry Bonds to 44 percent, both up from about 37 percent last year.
Mark McGwire, who admitted using steroids, received 12 percent in his 10th and final ballot appearance.
Half of baseball’s top 10 home run hitters are not in the Hall: Bonds (762), Alex Rodriguez (654), Jim Thome (612), Sosa (609) and McGwire (583). Rodriguez, who served a yearlong drug suspension in 2014, remains active. Thome’s first appearance on the ballot will be in 2018.

Curt Schilling rose from 39 percent to 52, Edgar Martinez from 27 percent to 43 and Mike Mussina from 25 percent to 43.
Griffey was known simply as “Junior” by many as a contrast to his father, three-time All-Star outfielder Ken Griffey, who played alongside him in Seattle during 1990 and ’91. The younger Griffey became a 13-time All-Star outfielder and finished with 630 homers, which is sixth on the career list. After reaching the major leagues in 1989, he was selected for 11 consecutive All-Star Games in 1990.
Wanting to play closer to his home in Florida, he pushed for a trade to Cincinnati — his father’s old team and the area he grew up in— after the 1999 season. But slowed by injuries, he never reached 100 RBIs again after his first season with the Reds, and he moved on to the Chicago White Sox in 2008 before spending his last season-plus with the Mariners.
article by Ronald Blum, AP via blackamericaweb.com
 

Stuart Scott’s Daughters Release Tribute Video a Year After His Death [WATCH]

stuart scott & daughters
Stuart Scott and daughters Taelor and Sydni Scott (photo via eurweb.com)

As a tribute to the iconic sports broadcasting personality,  Stuart Scott‘s daughters have released a heartfelt video in remembrance of him today on the one-year anniversary of this death.
“He was a father, but he was also a friend,” 20-year-old Taelor Scott says in the three-minute video. “I feel like I’ve lost a friend.”
Scott died on January 4, 2015 after a lengthy battle with cancer. A storied ESPN and SportsCenter host, millions around the world were inspired by his perseverance and bravery.
“From you, Dad, we’ve learned to reach for the fight we possess inside and apply it with passion to our lives,” his daughters, who Scott referred to as his “heartbeats” wrote in an open letter. “It was through your vulnerability that you taught us the real value of strength in never giving up.”
Watch their moving video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz5RpjFHGDU&w=560&h=315]
article via eurweb.com