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Posts published in “Sports”

Ravens’ Brendon Ayanbadejo to Promote Gay Rights at the Super Bowl

By goodblacknews on January 26, 2013
Brendon Ayanbadejo #51 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after defeating the New England Patriots during the 2013 AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium on January 20, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Brendon Ayanbadejo #51 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after defeating the New England Patriots during the 2013 AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium on January 20, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Ayanbadejo, who will appearing in his first ever Super Bowl on February 3rd, hopes to use the media spotlight from the big game to promote his position against bullying and for marriage equality.
The New York Times reports that Ayanbadejo recently emailed gay marriage advocate Brian Ellner and Michael Skolnik, the political director for Russell Simmons, and asked: “Is there anything I can do for marriage equality or anti- bullying over the next couple of weeks to harness this Super Bowl media?”

Students With Disabilities Have Right To Play School Sports, Obama Administration Tells Schools

By goodblacknews on January 24, 2013
Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to President Obama for Disability Policy (left), with Learning Ally member Henry “Hoby” Wedler (right)
When Kareem Dale, now a special advisor to President Barack Obama, was in high school, all he wanted to do was wrestle. But as a student who was partially blind, that wasn’t easy.
Dale’s school made it possible for him to participate in the sport by creating a rule that wrestlers always needed to be touching their opponent. “It allowed me to wrestle throughout public high school,” Dale said. “That experience of wrestling gave me confidence, it made me healthier, it was really an extraordinary experience.”
But hundreds of other students with disabilities may not have had an opportunity in school sports, a 2010 Government Accountability Office report suggested. The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights on Friday is sending school districts a 13-page guidance document that spells out the rights of students with disabilities to participate in school athletics.

Seattle QB Russell Wilson Added to Pro Bowl Roster

By goodblacknews on January 21, 2013
Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks is interviewed after their 24 to 14 win over the Washington Redskins during the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at FedExField on January 6, 2013 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks is interviewed after their 24 to 14 win over the Washington Redskins during the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at FedExField on January 6, 2013 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has been added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl after Atlanta’s Matt Ryan withdrew due to an injury.  Wilson was added to the team on Monday. He will be the sixth Seahawks player in the game, joining offensive linemen Max Unger and Russell Okung, running back Marshawn Lynch, safety Earl Thomas and kick returner Leon Washington.
Wilson threw for 3,118 yards and tied the NFL rookie record with 26 passing touchdowns in the regular season. His finest performance of the year came in Seattle’s NFC playoff loss at Atlanta where Wilson threw for 385 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-28 loss.  Wilson was originally voted a third alternate for the NFC.  Ryan was injured in Sunday’s NFC championship game loss to San Francisco.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton Taking Classes at Auburn

By goodblacknews on January 18, 2013
Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers reacts to the cheers of the fans as he leaves the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on September 16, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers won 35-27. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers reacts to the cheers of the fans as he leaves the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on September 16, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers won 35-27. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Auburn spokesman Kirk Sampson said Tuesday that Newton is taking classes toward a sociology degree. Sampson says Newton isn’t doing media interviews and “wants to focus on school and be a normal student.”
Newton led the Tigers to the 2010 national championship in his lone season after transferring from junior college.
He was then the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick and went on to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Newton posted similar numbers last season, but came on especially strong in the final six games. He completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,474 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions and ran for 347 yards and four scores during that span.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com

Muhammad Ali 71st birthday: The champ’s 10 Greatest fights | theGrio

By goodblacknews on January 17, 2013

Ali vs. Frazier

The greatest boxer of all time — Muhammad Ali — turns 71 today. Besides being a sports legend, Ali is considered a civil rights and cultural icon. His boxing career spanned three decades and certainly had its share of ups and downs. Still, no fighter’s heights were as compelling as Ali’s. Check out The Grio’s list of the top 10 greatest bouts of his career in the slideshow by clicking below:
Muhammad Ali 71st birthday: The champ’s 10 greatest fights | theGrio.

Colin Kaepernick Record: 49ers' Quarterback Sets NFL Playoff QB Rushing Record

By goodblacknews on January 13, 2013
Colin Kaepernick
SAN FRANCISCO — Colin Kaepernick has set an NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a playoff game.
Kaepernick broke Michael Vick’s mark of 119 yards with a 56-yard keeper on an option play in the third quarter of Saturday night’s playoff game against Green Bay. The run gave Kaepernick 163 yards on 12 carries, setting a 49ers franchise record for the postseason. Vick set his record for Atlanta in a 47-17 win over St. Louis on Jan. 15, 2005.
Kaepernick earlier scored on a 20-yard run and also threw two touchdown passes in the first half. He joined Chicago’s Jay Cutler and Cleveland’s Otto Graham as the only players to throw two TD passes and run for two TDs in a playoff game. Graham did it twice.
article by Associated Press via huffingtonpost.com

Black Quarterbacks Changing Perceptions as NFL Playoffs Near

By goodblacknews on January 6, 2013
Quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Robert Griffin III. (Rob Carr/Getty Images) & Russell Wilson (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Robert Griffin III. (Rob Carr/Getty Images) & Russell Wilson (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Young quarterbacks have been the dominant storyline of the 2013 season.  Of the 12 NFL playoff teams, six start quarterbacks that are either in their first or second year. The days of needing an established veteran at the quarterback position may be over.
Of those five young starting quarterbacks, three are African-American. Rookies Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson will play each other in the premier wildcard game this weekend, with the Washington Redskins hosting the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon. Colin Kaepernick gets a week off, as he helped lead his San Francisco 49ers to a bye.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Film Critic Wesley Morris Joins Sports/Pop Culture Website Grantland

By goodblacknews on January 6, 2013

Wesley Morris in 2012 (YouTube)
Wesley Morris, the African-American film critic for the Boston Globe who won a Pulitzer Prize last year, is leaving for Grantland, the ESPN-affiliated sports/pop culture website that specializes in longform journalism, his Globe editor told staffers Thursday night.
“I just didn’t have a reason to say no any longer,” Morris told Journal-isms by telephone on Friday. Morris had already been writing for Grantland, and this presented an opportunity to write about film for the site full-time, he said. Moreover, “I can do my job from anywhere. That’s very appealing.”

NFL Star Ray Lewis to Sign with ESPN After Retirement

By goodblacknews on January 3, 2013
Linebacker Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to the game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on August 30, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens 31-17. (Photo by David Welker/Getty Images)

Linebacker Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to the game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on August 30, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens 31-17. (Photo by David Welker/Getty Images)

He’s mentored scores of NFL players, past and present, as well as provided motivational talks and workout ‘sessions’ for college teams and communities.  Lewis’ former head coach in Baltimore Brian Billick recently called Lewis the “greatest individual leader on a football team” he’d ever seen on ESPN’s ‘Mike and Mike in the Morning.’ 
SI.com’s Deitsch also reports Lewis’ son Ray Lewis III and his college football career (Lewis III will be a freshman at dad’s alma mater University of Miami in the fall) weighed heavily on the decision to work with ESPN. The schedule is reportedly flexible enough for Lewis to attend games and remain involved.
article by Todd Johnson via thegrio.com

Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson Breaks Receiving Record

By goodblacknews on December 23, 2012

<> at Ford Field on December 22, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is on the cover of the latest installment of the Madden series (’13), appropriate because he is putting up video game type numbers in real life. Johnson, highly regarded as one of the best receivers in the NFL, surpassed the legendary Jerry Rice in receiving yards gained in a season on Saturday (12/22) in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. A highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for the Lions, Johnson currently has 1892 yards and can go for the 2000 yard mark.

article by Jamiyl Samuels via theurbandaily.com