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TRAVEL: Tim Howard and Angela Simmons Bring Sportiness and Style to Marriott's Inclusive #LoveTravels Campaign (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2014

Tim Howard, Angela Simmons
Tim Howard, the American soccer goalie who won our hearts with his unforgettable, valiant efforts during the World Cup and the artistic style maven, cultural icon and entrepreneur, Angela Simmons, are featured in the latest installment of Marriott International’s beautiful, all-inclusive extension of its #LoveTravels campaign.
Marriott has done something special and smart here with this branding campaign. They are encouraging travelers to not only share their own travel experiences (via social networking) but promoting the feeling of true comfort and connectivity that enriches our lives — and all lives. The original content video series featuring notable individuals like Tim and Angela, launches alongside visually stunning images presented in an online portrait gallery and display ads. Through these digital experiences the passion of travel and following one’s personal journey are highlighted.
Tim Howard
“I was inspired by Marriott International’s idea of #LoveTravels, and thought it was an incredible opportunity to share my love of soccer as well as my other personal passions,” said Howard. “#LoveTravels is about elevating travel beyond basic necessities and making it more about the people walking through the door. It is about feeling comfortable with who you are and tapping into that sense of belonging for the ultimate travel experience.”
In the clip below, see the extremely likeable Howard wax about how love travels with him. He lights up when he speaks about traveling to see his children, for a job that he loves and even when the destination is purely for relaxation.  Love certainly travels with this diverse athlete, and it’s refreshing to hear his personal story and about his inspirations:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqrZplQc4I&w=560&h=315]

NFL QB Russell Wilson, 1st Contributor to Derek Jeter’s Website, Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2014

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wrote about domestic violence on Derek Jeter’s new website. (JOHN CORDES / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the first contributor to Derek Jeter’s new website, The Players’ Tribune, on Thursday, using the forum to urge people to donate money to an organization that deals with the problem of domestic violence.
When Jeter started the website Wednesday he promised to offer athletes a forum to communicate with fans without the filter of the news media. He followed through quickly with an essay by Wilson, whose profile was boosted by Seattle’s Super Bowl victory in February. Wilson described himself as a “recovering bully” in the essay, and called for people to talk more openly about the problem of domestic violence.
“This issue is much bigger than N.F.L. suspensions,” Wilson wrote. “Domestic violence isn’t going to disappear tomorrow or the next day. But the more that we choose not to talk about it, the more we shy away from the issue, the more we lose.”
Wilson, 25, said that he was a bully as a child, but that he dealt with his anger issues and now believes there is no place for violence off the field.

Wilson did not address the Ray Rice incident specifically, but he did write that “recent incidents of domestic violence have forced the league, its fans and the players to take a hard look into our collective conscience.” And he urged fans to join his new foundation’s Pass the Peace initiative and donate money to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

article by Lynn Zinser via nytimes.com

Derek Jeter Backs New Sports Website Offering Unique Access to Fans

By goodblacknews on October 1, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter was one of the world’s most covered athletes in media during his 20-season career with the New York Yankees. Now, he’s joining media with a new website devoted to delivering athletes’ “unfiltered” views to the fans.

The Players Tribune is being billed as a digital company that will offer unique access to top athletes in every sport — from videos to photos to podcasts and more — without having to deal with reporters to do it.
In a statement on the site that posted Wednesday, Jeter said he wants it to “transform how athletes and newsmakers share information, and bring fans closer than ever to the games they love.”
Jeter — who admits to being guarded with reporters — attributed his success in what he called “the toughest media market” to being careful about what he said.
“Those simple answers have always stemmed from a genuine concern that any statement, or opinion or detail, might be distorted,” he wrote in his letter on the site.
But he said fans deserve to hear more from their fans than “no comments” and his site will allow a direct connection to the athlete.
“We just need to be sure our thoughts will come across the way we intend,” he wrote.
The All-Star retired from the Yankees after spending his entire career with New York, winning five championships during a storied career. In his post on the site, he spoke about the “whirlwind” of his final season and his disappointment in missing the postseason.
While singling out Yankee fans as the greatest, he also paid tribute to fans outside of New York for their support.
“It’s the reception outside of New York that was the biggest difference this year. I’ll never forget how baseball fans across the country have treated me,” he said.
“Ballparks I used to view as enemy territory were transformed with cheers, handshakes and hat tips,” he said. “If I thought baseball was part of my family before this season, I now know that it’s truly the case. And I am grateful for that.”
article via blackamericaweb.com

Kenyan Dennis Kimetto Sets World Marathon Record of 2:02:57 in Berlin

By goodblacknews on September 28, 2014
Dennis Kimetto

Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto has broken the marathon world record in Berlin, winning the race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 seconds.

The 30-year-old shook off fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai with just under three miles remaining to become the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours and three minutes.
Mutai, who finished second in 2:03:13, also broke the previous record.
“I feel good because I won a very tough race,” said Kimetto.
“I felt good from the start and in the last few miles I felt I could do it and break the record.”

Men’s marathon world record decade-by-decade
Year Time Athlete Course
1947 2:25.39 Suh Yun-bok (Korea) Boston
1958 2:15.17 Sergei Popov (Soviet Union) Stockholm
1969 2:08.33 Derek Clayton (Australia) Antwerp
1988 2:06.50 Belayneh Dinsamo (Ethiopia) Rotterdam
1999 2:05.42 Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) Chicago
2008 2:03.59 Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) Berlin
2014 2:02.57 Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) Berlin

The previous world record had been set on the same course 12 months ago by Kimetto’s compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who ran 2:03:23.

Kimetto, who won marathons in Tokyo and Boston last year, had promised to attack the record in Berlin if conditions allowed.
And in weather perfect for long-distance running, with temperatures around eight degrees centigrade, Kimetto kept his promise, staying in the lead group throughout and sprinting to victory and a new world’s best time.
Mutai, meanwhile, believes a two-hour marathon is possible.
“From what I saw today, times are coming down and down. So if not today, then tomorrow,” the 29-year-old Kenyan said. “Maybe next time we’ll get 2:01.”
Mutai had run the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, but it did not count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.
article via bbc.com

Derek Jeter’s Yankee Stadium Farewell Scores Record-Setting Streams For MLB.TV

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2014

MLB.TV_Jeter_CelebrationMajor League Baseball’s online streaming service set a viewing record for a single game last night with the New York Yankees captain’s final game in pinstripes — where, in a moment almost too dramatically perfect to believe, he drove in the game-winning run. Fans accessed 641,000 streams, beating by 18% the previous one-game regular-season record set on this year’s opening day, March 31. Viewing peaked just before 10:20 PM ET when Derek Jeter hit his single to right and touched off the Yankees’ on-field celebration.

The streaming figure for Jeter is especially impressive because it doesn’t include any viewers in New York or Baltimore; MLB.TV subscribers only get to watch out-of-market games, so it doesn’t compete with local broadcast or cable telecasts. Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Boston were the top markets for last night’s game.  The only baseball event that topped last night was the Home Run Derby that took place the day before the All-Star Game in July. That attracted about 800,000 streams — but had the advantage of being available in all markets.

Fans clearly were cued in to the end of Jeter’s nearly 20-year career. In the past 24 hours they watched more than 15 million Jeter-related clips on MLB.com. The vast majority of MLB.TV subscribers pay $129.99 for a full season, which they can access via Apple and Android-powered devices, as well as all of the major gaming consoles and smart TVs.
It didn’t hurt, of course, that it was a most improbable ending to Derek Jeter‘s career at Yankee Stadium and, at the same time, utterly predictable: ninth inning, runner on second, game on the line and the player who has been called “Captain Clutch” at the plate.
As he has done so many times over the past two decades, Jeter jumped on a first-pitch fastball and with that instantly recognizable inside-out swing slapped the ball hard on the ground into right field to score the winning run in a dramatic 6-5 New York Yankees victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Yankee Stadium, which had overflowed with love for Jeter all night, erupted in the kinds of cheers reserved for the greats of Yankees history.
It was an ending so perfect that even Jeter admitted, “I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”
“Everyone dreams of hitting a home run in the World Series or getting a game-winning hit,” Jeter said. “But I was happy with a broken bat and a run scored in the the seventh inning; I was happy with that being the end. But I’ll take this one.”

NBA Star Derrick Rose Donates $1 Million To After-School Program In Chicago

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2014

Derrick Rose, pictured at the Basketball World Cup earlier this month, says his donation will help kids reach their potential.
Derrick Rose, pictured at the Basketball World Cup earlier this month, says his donation will help kids reach their potential.

Nice move.
Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose has donated $1 million to a program for disadvantaged teens, the team announced this week.
After School Matters provides apprenticeships for Chicago students in the arts, communications, science, sports and technology.
“To have a strong community of people who believe in your potential can make all the difference in the world,” Rose, who hails from Chicago’s Engelwood neighborhood, said in a statement. “So many people have invested in me and I want to do the same for Chicago’s teens.”
The Chicago Tribune noted that Rose’s high school, Simeon Career Academy, participates in the program.
Rose’s previous charitable contributions include the Japanese tsunami relief effort.
The guard has missed most of the last few seasons with knee injuries. The Bulls begin training camp on Monday for the 2014-15 season.
article by Ron Dicker via huffingtonpost.com

Little League World Series Sensation Mo'ne Davis to Donate Her Jersey to Baseball Hall of Fame

By goodblacknews on September 24, 2014

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Philadelphia Little League sensation Mo’ne Davis is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mo'ne Davis
Mo’ne Davis will donate the jersey she wore in becoming the first girl to win a game at the Little League World Series. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Davis, the first girl to win a game at the Little League Baseball World Series, will donate the jersey she wore during the game to the museum Thursday. The top-notch pitcher be accompanied by teammates from her World Series team and the travel team she’s played on since she was 7.
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, a former pitcher and one of only three women to play in the Negro Leagues, will also attend Thursday’s event at the Hall of Fame. Afterward, Davis and her teammates will face a team from upstate New York in an exhibition game at Doubleday Field.
Davis pitched Taney Little League into the Little League World Series, becoming the fourth American girl to appear in the tournament. In her first game, she shut out a team from Nashville 4-0 over six innings while featuring a fastball that reached 70 mph.
Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press via espn.go.com

Ravens Player Retires to Give Kidney to Younger Brother, a Retired Steelers Player

By goodblacknews on September 20, 2014

The Kemoeatu family post-transplant surgery. (Photo: Amani Martin)
The Kemoeatu family post-transplant surgery. (Photo: Amani Martin)

BALTIMORE — Ma’ake Kemoeatu missed his final collegiate football game because the NCAA suspended him for improperly providing textbooks to his younger brother.
He was a four-year starter at Utah on scholarship and his little brother Tevita was a walk-on. Their parents didn’t have enough money to buy books, so Ma’ake bought them for him and therefore couldn’t play in the Las Vegas Bowl against USC.
But Ma’ake wasn’t trying to cause trouble. The oldest of seven kids, he steps up for his family when they need help.
So when his brother Chris needed a kidney transplant this past August, Ma’ake, a former nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, didn’t hesitate when he heard the news. He was going to donate.
When Chris was in eighth grade, he started having kidney pain. Over the years, as he grew into a 6-foot-3, 385-pound lineman for Utah and go on to win two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the pain got worse.
He played through it. Training camp, regular season practice, games and playoffs. With what was later discovered to be a form of kidney disease. He grew up in a tough family. A family that rarely said ‘I love you’ not because they didn’t have feelings, that’s just how it was.
“I’ve seen him struggle and the last three years of his career, fighting through a lot because of his kidney,” Ma’ake said at a press conference at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Wednesday. “When we found out he needed a transplant, we had to stop our careers because his health was most important to us.”
After the 2011 season, the pain was too much and Chris stopped playing football. Ma’ake ended his career with the Ravens after the 2012 season to be with his brother.
(USA TODAY Sports)
(USA TODAY Sports)

In early 2013, Chris met with Dr. Matthew Weir, a nephrologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Chris learned then that he had advanced kidney disease and needed a transplant. Ma’ake immediately said he would be the donor. And he was a 99% match.
“The doctor said we could pass as twins to do this surgery,” Ma’ake said. “My dad wanted to do it, and we kind of got into it because I didn’t want him to do it. I’m the oldest of seven kids so it was my responsibility to take care of my younger brothers and sisters.
“If my brother or any of my siblings needed blood, they have to have my blood. If any of my siblings needed a kidney, it would have to be my kidney.”
Ma’ake had to pause for a second as tears welled in his eyes.
“My dad wanted to do it so bad,” he said. “I had to stop him. But the credit goes to my brother because he had so many flare ups. He had to go into training camp and had to fight through the pain and get ready for the season.”

67 Year-Old Vivian Stancil Becomes Swim Champ after Weight-Loss Ultimatum from Doctor (and Despite Her Blindness)

By goodblacknews on September 13, 2014
Seventeen years ago, her doctor’s words shook her like an earthquake: “If you don’t lose weight, you won’t get to your 60th birthday.”
Vivian Stancil, a retired Long Beach school teacher, was 50. She stood 5 feet tall and weighed 319 pounds.
“A bowling ball wouldn’t even describe what I was,” Stancil says. “I could barely walk. But I wanted to live, so I instantly knew what I had to do: change my diet and start exercising.”
That would not be easy. Stancil’s social life revolved around going out to eat every day with her friends. As for exercise, Stancil hadn’t done it in 40 years — ever, really. She not only didn’t know how to swim but was so afraid of water that she couldn’t dunk her head in past her eyes.
On top of that, she was legally blind.
Nearly two decades later, at 67, Stancil not only lived but became one of the country’s most honored age-group Senior Olympics swimmers, with 176 medals. In June, 1976 Olympic gold-medal swimmer John Naber presented her with the prestigious Personal Best Award, given once a year to the senior athlete who best helps to spread the word about health and wellness.
Circumstances made Stancil an unlikely role model. Stancil and her three siblings were separated and placed in foster homes when both parents had died by the time she was 7. At 16, pressured into a marriage by her cash-strapped foster parents, Stancil had two children and began slowly losing her sight because of an inherited condition called retinitis pigmentosa. Divorced at 20 and raising the kids alone on welfare, she survived a self-described “two-year pity party,” got married and divorced again, and started working as a Head Start preschool teacher in her late 20s. That would prove to be her salvation.
She earned a two-year degree in early education, married for the third and final time, to an usher at her church named Turner Stancil, and went on to get a bachelor’s degree from La Verne College. For the next decade, as her eyesight deteriorated, she was the first and only blind teacher in the Riverside and Long Beach school districts. She retired early in her late 40s.

“I did not lose weight with that,” she says with a laugh. “I’d carry pliers to loosen the wires or just drink protein shakes — lots of them.”
Stancil did not laugh, however, several days after she turned 50, when her doctor told her the party was over. “The next day, I broke the news to the Eating Club: ‘I love you all, but you’re killing me. ‘So this is goodbye. But before I go, I need your help: What sport should I do?'”
The Eating Club pondered. “‘You’re too fat to run or ride a bike,’ they said,” recalls Stancil. “‘What about swimming? After all, fat floats.'”

But, determined to live, she eventually found her way to Bob Hirschhorn, an instructor at Silverado Park Pool who was well-versed in training middle-aged adults petrified of the water.
Her sight wasn’t a problem, save for her inability to see lane lines painted on the pool bottom, Hirschhorn says.

Carolina Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams Dyes Hair Pink for Late Mom and Breast Cancer Awareness

By goodblacknews on September 9, 2014

DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Williams (Sam Sharpe/USA TODAY Sports)

Before Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams dyed his trademark dreadlocks pink and painted his toenails pink in honor of his late mother, Sandra Hill, who lost her battle with breast cancer in May.

Williams has been at the forefront of the NFL’s breast cancer awareness campaign and is credited with persuading the league to allow players to wear pink in October for breast cancer awareness month.

Williams hasn’t done interviews since his mother’s death, other than a first-person article in May for Peter King’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” website.
IScreen Shot 2014-09-09 at 7.01.45 PMn the piece, Williams discussed with great passion what his mother meant to him and how his four aunts also died of cancer. He talked about his mother’s smile, how she always was there for others fighting the cancer.
“Breast cancer, whether I like it or not, is part of my family’s story,” wrote Williams. “That’s why I am so passionate about raising awareness, because I have seen firsthand how it can impact others.”
Williams helped Carolina overcome the absence of injured quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday, rushing for a team-high 72 yards in the Panthers’ 20-14 victory.
article by Adam Scheffer via espn.go.com
ESPN.com Panthers reporter David Newton contributed to this report.