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South L.A.'s Jefferson High Tennis Squad Adopted by Beverly Hills Tennis Club

By goodblacknews on October 21, 2013

Alma Roque, right, and fellow players marvel at gifts of gear during a Beverly Hills Tennis Club lunch. (Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times / October 19, 2013)
Alma Roque, right, and fellow players marvel at gifts of gear during a Beverly Hills Tennis Club lunch. (Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times / October 19, 2013)

Tennis isn’t much of a big deal at South L.A.’s struggling Jefferson High.  The two dozen kids who play on the boys’ and girls’ teams practice on a pair of beaten courts at a gang-riddled, graffiti-tagged park.  It wasn’t long ago that both squads — stacked with teens still learning basic tennis rules — shared six beaten rackets and sometimes played in jeans.

“Shoes?” said David Herrera, who coaches the girls’ team. “A lot of my players didn’t even know there was such a thing as shoes made just for tennis. They played in skateboard sneakers. One girl showed up in boots. They just didn’t know.”  They do now, thanks to the venerable, 84-year-old Beverly Hills Tennis Club.
This past weekend marked the beginning of an uncommon bond between Jefferson and the club — storied in Southern California tennis circles, with a wealthy membership that once included Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplin. On Saturday, Jefferson’s tennis players boarded a bus in their neighborhood and went on a 12-mile journey to a corner of the city far different from their own.
They ended up at the leafy club — as honored guests.  “Most of us, we’ve never really been to Beverly Hills before, even though it’s not that far from home,” said Alma Roque, a 17-year-old senior who stood back for a moment, tentative as she surveyed her teammates.

Chicago Bear Devin Hester Ties Deion Sanders' NFL Record for Return Touchdowns

By goodblacknews on October 20, 2013

Chicago Bears v Jacksonville JaguarsThe Redskins have been wary of Devin Hester hurting them in the return game.  Well, he did it anyways.  Hester’s 81-yard punt return score tied Sunday’s Chicago-Washington at 17 in the second quarter. The return touchdown was the 19th of Hester’s NFL career, which equals Deion Sanders’ league-record mark.

On the play, Hester caught the ball on the far sideline, then worked his way to the other side of the field, where he had a convoy of blockers. Hester got a couple more blocks — with Khaseem Greene’s knockdown of Logan Paulsen a highlight — and the legendary special-teamer was gone, en route to his 13th career punt return score.
Hester’s big play was another tough moment for Washington’s embattled special teams, which had all sorts of problems with the Cowboys’ Dwayne Harris in last week’s loss at Dallas.  Washington has stayed away from Hester on kickoffs, employing pooch kicks. Moreover, Sav Rocca’s punt on Hester’s touchdown wasn’t a bad effort, as it pinned the Bears’ returner near the sideline. But when Washington couldn’t stop Hester from reversing field, there was trouble ahead.
Hester’s touchdown was a highlight in a roller-coaster half for the Bears, who lost quarterback Jay Cutler to an injury in the second quarter.
article by Mike Wilkening via profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Nets Retire Jason Kidd’s No. 5 Jersey

By goodblacknews on October 18, 2013
Jason Kidd speaks during his jersey retirement ceremony before the preseason game agaisnt the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on October 17, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Jason Kidd speaks during his jersey retirement ceremony before the preseason game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on October 17, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Nets have retired the No. 5 jersey of Jason Kidd, who led them to two NBA Finals as a player and is now their coach.  The ceremony took place Thursday night before the Nets hosted the Miami Heat.
Kidd arrived in New Jersey in 2001 and promptly led the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals. He played with them until he was traded midway through the 2007-08 season and is the franchise leader in numerous statistical categories.
Kidd retired last season after spending one season, his 19th, with the New York Knicks. LeBron James calls Kidd, his teammate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, “one of the best point guards to ever play the game.”
The banner was the New Jersey Nets’ red, white and blue, not the Brooklyn black and white.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com

45 Years Ago Today: John Carlos and Tommie Smith Give Black Power Salute at 1968 Olympic Games

By goodblacknews on October 16, 2013
Tommie Smith (C) and John Carlos (R) at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City (AP Photo)
October 16th marks the 45th anniversary of an iconic moment in sports history, in African-American history and in civil rights history.  On this day in 1968, at the Olympics Games in Mexico City, two black U.S. medalists—Tommie Smith and John Carlos—took the victory stand with their heads bowed and eyes closed, their hands raised with black gloves, and fists clenched.  Their “black power salute” during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner was a silent protest by these athletes against racial injustice, and their statement, viewed then as a controversial combination of Olympic sports and politics, sent shock waves throughout the games.

Although the now legendary photo of the two men standing with clenched fists is universally recognized, the story behind the story is seldom mentioned, much less taught in schools.
The actions of Smith—the gold medalist in the 200-meter race—and Carlos—the bronze winner—must be viewed within the context of the times in which the men lived.  And the times were turbulent and divisive.  After all, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated only months before the games at Mexico City.  The United States was engulfed in anti-Vietnam War protests and civil rights demonstrations.  Antiwar protestors had been beaten by police during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  There were calls for black power in African-American communities throughout the nation, and the Black Panther Party had expanded to cities across America.
Enter Harry Edwards, author of The Revolt of the Black Athlete.  Edwards was the organizer of theOlympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), an effort of black athletes to boycott the Olympics in protest of racial discrimination.  The project was part of a push to have black athletes speak not only to the interests of athletes, but to show a concern for their communities and connect to the larger civil rights movement as well.

Kenya Native Dennis Kimetto Sets Course Record With Chicago Marathon Win

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2013

 

Dennis Kimetto sets Course Record in 2013 Chicago Marathon
Dennis Kimetto sets Course Record in 2013 Chicago Marathon

Dennis Kimetto of Kenya set a course record Sunday as he took first in the 2013 Chicago Marathon, his second marathon win of the year.  Kimetto beat the previous record of 2:04:23 with 2:03:45, according to unofficial times.  Kimetto and Emmanuel Mutai were neck-and-neck until the last half-mile when Kimetto broke out front.  “I am happy because I broke the course record,” Kimetto said. “The [race] conditions were very good.”
Kimetto came to Chicago with a 2013 marathon win already under his belt. He took first in this year’s Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50, which set a course record for the race, just his second marathon to date.  During his first marathon, in Berlin last September, he crossed the finish just one second behind the winner.
Kimetto is known for long-distance road racing. The World Marathon Majors points out Kimetto would hold the world record for fastest marathon debut if the IAAF recognized that stat. He set his personal best in Berlin with a finish time of 2:04:16.
article by Lisa Balde via nbcchicago.com

Marquis Taylor Quits Wall Street Job to Help Impoverished Youth Through Basketball

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2013
Marquis Taylor (far left) with a group of young students participating in the mentorship program. (Photo courtesy of Coaching 4 Change website)
Marquis Taylor (far left) with a group of young students participating in the mentorship program. (Photo courtesy of Coaching 4 Change website)

Marquis Taylor, 29, is a man making a difference.  Once a working professional on Wall Street, Taylor left his job in real estate finance and dedicated his time to helping youth in low-income communities through his grassroots organization, Coaching4Change.

As the founder and executive director of the program, Taylor mentors the youth by teaching them the fundamental lessons provided through sports.  His mentoring guidelines are designed to stimulate the educational environment of kids in urban areas and they have proven to bring positive change to these impoverished communities.  Taylor’s mentorship program has directly affected one student in particular who grew up in a single home with eight siblings, according to a story reported by The Huffington Post.
The student was frequently in trouble and failing most of his classes but with Taylor’s guidance, he was able to raise his GPA almost two full points and he became inspired to launch an after-school program where he taught younger students the basics of basketball.  For Taylor, many of the lives of students he has helped reflect on some of the same hardships he faced as a child.

Tiger Woods Delivers Clinching Point in Presidents Cup Win

By goodblacknews on October 7, 2013

Tiger Woods hits his tee shot at No. 18 on Sunday during the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village Golf Club. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images / October 6, 2013)

DUBLIN, Ohio — The Presidents Cup ended Sunday the same way it always goes — an American celebration after Tiger Woods delivers the winning point.   Woods’ back flared up on him again in the final hour at Muirfield Village. He still managed to hang on to beat Richard Sterne, 1 up, to give the Americans the 18 points they needed to win the Presidents Cup for the fifth consecutive time. It was the third straight Presidents Cup that Woods won the cup-clinching match — all three with Fred Couples as the captain. 

“It was a team effort this whole week,” said Woods, who went 4-1 for the best record of any player. “We really played well to give ourselves a nice lead.”  The biggest surprise was not so much the outcome, but that the matches ended without going to Monday. 

Condoleezza Rice Appointed to 2014 College Football Playoff Committee

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2013
Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is one of the nine people expected to be part of the selection committee for the College Football Playoff that begins in 2014, a person familiar with the decision told USA TODAY Sports.

The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the committee has not been announced, also confirmed the following members: football Hall of Famer Archie Manning, Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez, USC athletics director Pat Haden, Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long, West Virginia athletics director Oliver Luck and Clemson athletics director Dan Radakovich in addition to Rice, former Ole Miss and NFL quarterback Manning, former NCAA Executive Vice President Tom Jernstedt and former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese as at-large selections.

The person said there will only be one sitting athletics director from each of the five power conferences, so those places are set.  “It’s an all-star cast,” the person said.  A second person familiar with the makeup of the committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it has not been announced said the committee also will include Lt. Col. Michael Gould, former Superintendent of the Air Force Academy and a former player for the school.

The first person said Rice’s diverse background made her appealing.  A native of Birmingham, Ala., Rice holds degrees from the University of Denver and Notre Dame, and is a professor of political science at Stanford. She served as National Security Advisor from 2001-05 and Secretary of State from 2005-09. She also was Stanford’s Provost from 1993-99. She has been on faculty at Stanford since 1981.

GOOD FIT: Rice more than qualified for committee

NBA Star Demarcus Cousins Pledges $1 Million to Help Sacramento Families

By goodblacknews on October 3, 2013

Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings
Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings

This week, Sacramento Kings center Demarcus Cousins pledged $1 million to help Sacramento families in need.
Cousins made a quick mention of his generous gift at the end of his press conferencing announcing his contract extension with the Kings. The 23-year-old averaged career-highs of 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game last season.
The team rewarded him with a 4-year, $62 million contract.  There aren’t too many details available on where specifically Cousins’ money will go. He said some of the money will go to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s foundation.
article by Todd Johnson via thegrio.com

Shaquille O’Neal Acquires Minority Ownership Stake in Sacramento Kings

By goodblacknews on September 23, 2013
NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal speaks onstage at the 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis at The Waldorf=Astoria on September 24, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis)
NBA basketball player Shaquille O’Neal speaks onstage at the 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on September 24, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis)

Shaquille O’Neal is joining the ownership group of the Sacramento Kings.  The Kings announced Monday that O’Neal has acquired a minority stake in the team under new owner Vivek Ranadive. The Kings will introduce the four-time NBA champion at a news conference Tuesday in Sacramento.
O’Neal tormented the Kings during the height of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and handed Sacramento its biggest blow by rallying the Lakers from a 3-2 deficit to win the 2002 Western Conference finals.  O’Neal retired after the 2010-11 season and has worked as an analyst for TNT the last two seasons.
article by Antonio Gonzalez, AP via thegrio.com