Champion Gymnast Simone Biles (photo via blackamericaweb.com)
No one can deny that 18-year old gymnast Simone Biles is having an incredible year.
Fresh off her historic 2015 World Gymnastic Championships win this fall, the Olympic hopeful was recently awarded one of the highest accolades attainable to American athletes. On Thursday, she was named the winner of the Team USA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, beating out tennis GOAT Serena Williams and nine-time world champion swimmer Katie Ledecky, USA Today wrote. (photo via Instagram) Even more awesome? Biles did it without having actually having been on an Olympic team. She was too young to make the 2012 Olympic team that competed in the London games, but Biles, along with Gold medalist Gabby Douglas, are prepping for the Olympic trials next July to win a spot on the U.S. team heading to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Biles’ athleticism is a tour-de-force as she continues to break records wherever she tumbles.
Since she began competing in 2013, the Texan-native has not lost any meets, winning “14 world championship medals in three years; 10 of them gold, the most by a woman in history,” writes ESPN.com. She is also the first woman in 23 years to win three U.S. Gymnastics Championships and this fall, she became the first woman in history to win three consecutive all-around titles at the World Gymnastics Championships.
Biles was just one of many winners announced at the ceremony held in Philadelphia, others awardees included:
Male Olympic Athlete of the Year – Jordan Burroughs, Wrestling
Olympic Team of the Year – USA Women’s Soccer
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Year – Tatyana McFadden, Track and Field
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year – Joe Berenyi, Cycling
2015 Heisman Trophy Winner Derrick Henry (photo via bet.com)
Alabama Crimson Tide’s Derrick Henry is the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since 2009. He came in first with 1,832 points, beating out Standford’s Christian McCaffrey (1,539) and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (1,165). The 2015 Heisman Trophy Ceremony was held last night in New York City.
While Henry was the favorite coming in, he knew he had tough competition, especially coming from a state with no NFL team. “I didn’t know at all. Them two guys were great contenders for the trophy. Deshaun, with how consistent and efficient he is at the quarterback position, all the success he had, I was kind of worried. Christian, breaking Barry Sanders‘ record, doing all the things he does, he’s just unbelievable.” However, the RB was more than happy to receive the highly coveted trophy, “I’m just so thankful to have this trophy. It’s just a blessing and an honor.”
Henry can add the Heisman trophy to his already impressive collection of the Maxwell, Walter Camp, and Doak Walker awards. He has also set Alabama records with 1,986 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com
Serena Williams had an awesome 2015. While her U.S. Open loss kept her from completing a calendar slam, she won the “Serena Slam,” racking up all four major titles in a row.
At 34, Williams is still the most dominant player in tennis, and the Women’s Tennis Association just confirmed it–again.
The WTA named Williams the Player of the Year for the fourth time in a row.
Here’s why the WTA honored Williams with tennis’ top award.
Her dominance of the tour was so great that she made WTA Rankings history in the summer, too. For six weeks she actually had over twice as many ranking points as the No.2, something that had never happened before – Maria Sharapova was that No.2 for three weeks, Simona Halep the other three.
But the Grand Slams and historic ranking points lead are just the tip of the iceberg on the World No.1’s season. Her overall record was a sensational 53-3 – she won two more big WTA titles at Miami and Cincinnati, the only losses coming in the Madrid semifinals, the Toronto semifinals, and the US Open semifinals.
Williams also pocketed $10,582,642 in 2015, second only to her own $12,385,572 from 2013.
While Williams’ reign is undeniable, she wasn’t the only one in the family to take home an award. Serena’s big sister, Venus Williams, was also named WTA’s Comeback Player of the Year.
https://twitter.com/WTA/status/674230568545030144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw article via clutchmagonline.com
Lebron James/Nike (photo via slamonline.com) LeBron James is setting the bar with his latest venture — a lifetime deal with Nike that’s the first of its kind in the apparel juggernaut’s 44-year history.
The company made the announcement on Monday, ESPN reports, although full details of the deal haven’t been released. Nike and James first came together in 2003, before the star was a member of the NBA. At 18 years old, he was given a seven-year Nike endorsement contract worth just over $90 million. The risk paid off; LeBron has gone on to become one of the most successful players and businessmen in the field.
The deal surpasses previous partnerships between Nike and other players like Michael Jordan and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. And it’s a first for Nike, who’s never completed a lifetime deal with an athlete. Both parties released statements. ESPN reports: “We can confirm that we have agreed to a lifetime relationship with LeBron that provides significant value to our business, brand, and shareholders,” Nike said in a statement. “We have already built a strong LeBron business over the past 12 years, and we see the potential for this to continue to grow throughout his playing career and beyond.” “It meant a lot to me even when I signed my first deal just to be with Nike, and it means even more that they’ve given me this,” James said. “It’s like I said, very humbling and grateful, and I’m going to continue to do my job and represent the brand the best way I can like I know how. Hopefully, people see that.”
The player will reportedly earn over $30 million a year from Nike. The deal will more than likely fuel James’ philanthropic efforts long after he steps off the court. This year, he announced a scholarship program called “I PROMISE,” which will assist exceptional high school graduates as they move on to college. Parents of the program will also receive assistance in completing their GEDs, as well as job training programs. article by Desire Thompson via newsone.com
If there’s one football player who had the world cheering for his family from the sidelines this year, it’s Devon Still. The former Cincinnati Bengals player let the world know that his daughter, Leah, has no evidence of cancer.
Dwyane Wade (l) and Laquan McDonald (r) [photo via bet.com]
Dwyane Wade created a memorial for Laquan McDonald the one place he knew everyone would look. The Miami Heat player etched the slain Chicago teen’s name into his game day sneakers, along with the hashtags “#Chicago” and “#Justice.”
It was a simple yet powerful way to honor the 17-year-old, who was shot 16 times by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October 2014. Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder last week after dash-cam footage revealed the grisly details behind McDonald’s death.
While many have taken to the streets to protest, Wade — a Chicago native — recognized that his feet gain special attention during games and would make a fitting place for a tribute.
Rock Climbing Champion Kai Lightner (photo: MYLES WASHINGTON)
Sixteen-year-old rock climbing champion Kai Lightner is reaching new heights with his athletic skills as one of a few professional black rock climbers. Lightner told The Huffington Post that he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t finding ways to get his two feet off the ground and that he started climbing when he was six years old.
Eventually, he said, someone at his mom’s job recognized his talent and suggested that she take him to the local rock-climbing gym where he soon discovered his passion for the activity. He’s won several championships for his incredible ability, but he said his experiences as a black climber has been somewhat of a challenge.
“When I would tell [black] people that my sport was rock-climbing they would look at me funny, and ask ‘What is that?’ ‘We don’t do that,'” Lightner said.
(PHOTO: MYLES WASHINGTON)
In 2013, the Smithsonian reported that 78 percent of Americans who took part in outdoor activities, which included rock climbing, were white. Rock climber and journalist James Mills explained the misperception of black people in outdoor sports and the lack of representation of people of color.
“It’s not a question of whether or nor African-Americans can climb mountains. What matters is as [a] group we tend not to,” Mills wrote. “And for a variety of different social and cultural reasons the world of mountaineering has been relegated almost exclusively to white men.”
There are structural influences that have barred black people from participating in outdoor sports such as rock climbing, which has kept the majority of participants white. Lightner said he has felt accepted by other climbers, but that he has gotten a lot of grief from other people of color for his participation in the sport.
2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom Honorees Shirley Chisholm, Willie Mays and Katherine G. Johnson (photo via GBN)
Ninety-seven-year-old Katherine G. Johnson was a pioneer in American space history. A NASA mathematician, Johnson’s computations have influenced every major space program from Mercury through the Shuttle program. Willie Mays, 84, who ended his esteemed baseball career with 660 home runs, became the fifth all-time record-holder in the sport. Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, ran for president in 1972, and served seven terms in the House of Representatives.
Now, they are among 17 Americans who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the U.S., to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. President Barack Obama will present the awards on November 24 during a ceremony at the White House.
“I look forward to presenting these 17 distinguished Americans with our nation’s highest civilian honor,” the statement reads. “From public servants who helped us meet defining challenges of our time to artists who expanded our imaginations, from leaders who have made our union more perfect to athletes who have inspired millions of fans, these men and women have enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans.”
Chisholm’s medal will be presented posthumously.
Click here to read the complete list of award-winners. article by Lynette Hollowayvia newsone.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Perry E. Wallace (photo via news.vanderbilt.edu) Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is establishing the Perry E. Wallace Scholarship to honor the first African American to play a varsity sport in the Southeastern Conference. The scholarship will be awarded to a student in the School of Engineering, where Wallace earned his bachelor’s degree in 1970. Wallace is now a professor in the College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Wallace went on to earn a law degree at Columbia University. He then worked for the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Before joining the faculty at American University in 1993, Professor Wallace taught at Howard University and the University of Baltimore.
The saga of Wallace’s integration of varsity athletics in the Southeastern Conference is told in the biography Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South (Vanderbilt University Press, 2014) article via jbhe.com
DuBois Medal recipient Nasir “Nas” Jones (PHOTO BY KAYANA SZYMCZAK FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)
Muhammad Ali, former attorney general Eric Holder, Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, Ariel Investments president and DreamWorks Animation SKG board chairman Mellody Hobson, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, rapper Nasir “Nas” Jones, and artist Carrie Mae Weems were honored with the 2015 W.E.B. Du Bois Medals at Harvard in September of this year.
Awarded since 2000, the Du Bois Medal is Harvard’s highest honor in the field of African and African American Studies. It is awarded to individuals in the U.S. and across the globe in recognition of their contributions to African American culture and the life of the mind.
The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research hosted the celebration at Sanders Theatre. Ali picked up the honor earlier in September, but a video of his presentation played during the ceremony. Last year’s honorees included Shonda Rhimes, Maya Angelou, and Harvey Weinstein.
article by Meredith Goldsteinvia bostonglobe.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Wallace went on to earn a law degree at Columbia University. He then worked for the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Before joining the faculty at American University in 1993, Professor Wallace taught at Howard University and the University of Baltimore.