Tag: Black Lives Matter

USC hires Julie Rousseau to chair Black Lives Matter Action Team

The USC Trojans have hired former LA Sparks and Pepperdine Waves head coach Julie Rousseau to chair the Black Lives Matter Action Team.

The USC Trojans have hired Dr. Julie Rousseau to be the chair of the athletic department’s new Black Lives Matter Action Team, according to a release on Twitter Tuesday morning.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with Dr. Rousseau’s experience, compassion and ability to connect with people to lead this effort,” AD Mike Bohm wrote in a statement.

Rousseau is a native of Los Angeles who played college basketball at UC-Irvine in the early 1980’s. She moved her way up the coaching ranks after her playing career ended, eventually coaching the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA for parts of two seasons in 1997 and 1998. She was also an assistant at Stanford from 2000-2004 and the head coach of the Pepperdine Waves from 2004-2013.

“A native of Los Angeles with experiences as a student-athlete, college and professional coach, and educator, Julie is uniquely qualified to lead our USC athletics Black Lives Matter Action Team,” Bohm said in a statement. “Julie’s passion and vision, strong leadership skills and outstanding reputation, as well as her innovative academic background, make her a wonderful fit to guide this critically important initiative.”

The Black Lives Matter Action Team will work with student-athletes to “ensure that all voices are equally represented.”

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GOP lawmaker vows to pen legislation to cancel Thunder’s tax breaks

Despite the negative attention and threats from Rep. Sean Roberts, the Thunder franchise continued to kneel during the anthem on Monday.

Like the majority of their NBA brethren, the Oklahoma City Thunder opted to kneel during the national anthem prior to their first seeding game in Orlando on Saturday. The act got widespread attention.

Aside from the obvious reason why, Oklahoma lawmaker Rep. Sean Roberts issued a warning to the club prior to the contest threatening to take adverse action against the franchise if its players followed the example of their fellow stars.

Both the Thunder’s players and team personnel kneeled anyway, and in the aftermath of the act, the Mayor of Kansas City shot his shot and let thee franchise know that it would be welcomed to Kansas City with open arms.

Although there’s not much reason to believe that the Thunder would actually leave Oklahoma City at this point, Mr. Roberts has doubled-down on his threats against the team.

Writing for Forbes.com, veteran scribe Tommy Beer covered the story for the publication and later tweeted a screenshot of a response that he received from Mr. Roberts after asking the lawmaker for additional comment on his threat.

Mr. Roberts obliged. His response, in part, stated the following:

“After the Thunder players and organization chose to not respect our flag, and violate the US Flag Code, in support of a Marxist, anti-American organization over the weekend, I intend to introduce legislation to cancel the Thunder’s tax incentives as soon as possible…”

Mr. Roberts also went on to describe Black Lives Matter as “an organization founded by Marxists that advocates for the breakup of the nuclear family and defending the police.”

Not exactly flattering.

As the Thunder competes in Orlando, it’s unlikely that the threats will have any impact on the protests in which the players choose to engage.

Prior to the contests beginning in Orlando, the league negotiated the parameters of the league-sanctioned protests, and it’s safe to say that the NBA will continue to stand by its players. Like for the Thunder organization.

Still, although the tax incentives that the Thunder have enjoyed are in effect until 2024, Mr. Roberts, obviously, will seek to change that.

LeBron James wears shirt that says ‘8:46’ in honor of George Floyd

LeBron James rolled through to Monday night’s game with a statement on his shirt, made by Klutch Sports.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made a statement with his wardrobe, long before his team was scheduled to take on the Utah Jazz in an ESPN-televised game to cap off the 5th day of NBA action at the Walt Disney World campus.

James pulled up to Monday night’s game with a long-sleeved black t-shirt with graphic the right side of the chest with a stopwatch that is stopped on 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that police officer Derek Chauvin spent with his knee on the neck of Minnesota’s George Floyd, who died as a result of the knee to the neck.

James showed fans a closer look at his photo on his Instagram page, with a clock that shows “8:46” in different timezones all over the world, showing that the Black Lives Matter movement is not just confined to the United States but is relevant all over the world.

The Lakers face-off against the Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz at 6 p.m. Monday.

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Video: Thunder, Jazz players kneel during National Anthem before game

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz knelt during the National Anthem before Oklahoma City’s first game of the NBA resumption.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz players kneeled while wear shirts that said Black Lives Matter during the National Anthem before Oklahoma City’s first game of the season’s resumption Saturday.

“Certainly, we’re very very aware of all that’s been going on in our country,” Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said to media shortly before the game.

“Chris Paul being president of the player’s association, we’ve had a lot of discussions about this. I think this platform to bring awareness of social injustice is important.”

This came after Oklahoma State Rep. Sean Roberts threatened to “reexamine” tax benefits the Thunder receive as part of the team’s agreement with the city if the team protested racial injustice during the National Anthem and showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, according to KOCO.

Paul and other players have talked extensively to media about social injustice while in the bubble.

Some NBA and WNBA players joined a call with former first lady Michelle Obama last week to discuss the importance of voting and spreading awareness.

Fourteen Thunder players are wearing messages on the back of their jerseys, including “Black Lives Matter,” “Equality” and “Peace.”

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NCAA allows all athletes to wear patches supporting social justice, memorializing people

The NCAA has voted to allow athletes to wear patches supporting social justice and in memory of people.

(This post was originally published on USA TODAY Sports.)

The NCAA announced Thursday that players in all sports would be able to wear patches on their uniforms beginning in 2020.

These patches could be to support social justice causes or to memorialize a person or event. Patches were already allowed in some sports — for instance, all college football teams wore a patch commemorating the 150th anniversary of the sport in 2019 — but the rules expanded to allow patches both on the front and back of uniforms and to allow patches in sports where they were not previously permitted.

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Patches on the front or sleeve must be no bigger than 2 1/4 square inches. Patches on the back can be placed where the name traditionally goes and can contain names or words. Such patches must be approved by the school or conference.

Many professional sports leagues, such as the NBA and WNBA, have already started allowing athletes to wear social justice messages on their jerseys. NBA players were required to choose from a preapproved list of social justice messages, while the WNBA decided it would specifically focus its messages around Breonna Taylor.

While the NCAA’s new rules allow teams to choose their own messages, any patches on the front or sleeve must be identical for all athletes who elect to wear them, and messages on the back must be approved by the school or conference.

As NBA season restarts, all Rockets kneel during national anthem

As a sign of peaceful protest, all members of the Houston Rockets kneeled during the U.S. national anthem before Friday’s game.

As a sign of peaceful protest, all players and coaches on the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks kneeled during the U.S. national anthem prior to Friday’s game at the NBA “bubble” in Florida.

The demonstrations are designed to call attention to concerns related to racial injustice and police brutality within the United States. Players for both teams wore “Black Lives Matter” shirts over their team jerseys during game warm-up activities and while kneeling. (Black Lives Matter is also inscribed on all of the basketball courts used at the NBA restart.)

NBA players are hoping that the platform and large television audience of the league’s restart will help further promote the growing U.S. social justice movement, which rapidly picked up steam after George Floyd’s death in late May. Eight members of the Rockets are also showing their support by wearing social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys.

Technically, the league has a long-standing rule prohibiting players from kneeling for the national anthem. However, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed Thursday that he will not enforce that rule, citing the “unique circumstances” of this moment in history.

Friday’s contest was the first regular-season game for both the Rockets (40-24) and Mavericks (40-27) since the NBA suspended its 2019-20 season in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Todas las personas dentro de la cancha se arrodillaron para el himno nacional antes del juego Jazz-Pelicans

La NBA regresó a la acción tras una pausa de cuatro meses en medio de la pandemia global por coronavirus. En esos cuatro meses, el país entero fue testigo de las protestas contra la brutalidad de la policía en respuesta a las muertes de George Floyd …

La NBA regresó a la acción tras una pausa de cuatro meses en medio de la pandemia global por coronavirus. En esos cuatro meses, el país entero fue testigo de las protestas contra la brutalidad de la policía en respuesta a las muertes de George Floyd y Breonna Taylor.

Con las demandas por la justicia social en primer plano justo antes del regreso de la NBA, muchos esperaban que los Jazz y los Pelicans mostraran su apoyo e hicieran alguna protesta durante el himno nacional este jueves.

Y sí que lo hicieron.

Antes del partido, todos los integrantes de los Pelicans, los Jazz y los oficiales se arrodillaron para el himno en protesta por la brutalidad de la policía y la injusticia racial. Esta fue la escena en Orlando:

Traducción del tuit: Los @PelicansNBA y los @utahjazz se arrodillan para el himno nacional antes del reinicio de la NBA.

Fue la misma protesta pacífica que inició Colin Kaepernick en 2016, antes de, básicamente, enfrentarse al final de su carrera en la NFL.

La NBA tiene una regla que requiere que todos los jugadores estén de pie durante el himno. Sin embargo, el comisionado de la liga Adam Silver declaró previo al reinicio que respetaba la protesta pacífica y que “atendería” lo que fuera que los jugadores decidieran hacer. Y la protesta fue permitida.

Traducción del tuit: Declaración del comisionado de la NBA Adam Silver: “Respeto el acto unificado de nuestros equipos de protestar pacíficamente por la justicia social, y bajo estas condiciones únicas, no aplicaremos nuestra regla de larga data que requiere que los jugadores estén de pie durante nuestro himno nacional”.

Artículo traducido por Gabriela Enríquez

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Eight players on Rockets to wear social justice messages on jerseys

Houston will have eight players wearing social justice jerseys, led by Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington with “Black Lives Matter.”

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Earlier this month, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) agreed on social justice messages that can be displayed on the back of jerseys, similar to the usual placement of a player’s last name.

The idea is to use the platform and large television audience of the league’s looming restart to help promote the growing U.S. social justice movement, which picked up steam after George Floyd’s death in late May.

Because messages were limited to only approved options, some players are choosing not to use the option. For example, reserve guard Austin Rivers of the Houston Rockets wanted to use his jersey to honor Trayvon Martin, but the approved list does not offer that possibility.

Per NBA.com, here are the eight members of the Rockets who will wear an approved social justice message on their jersey:

Robert Covington | Black Lives Matter
Russell Westbrook | Black Lives Matter
Michael Frazier | Equality
Eric Gordon | Equality
Luc Mbah a Moute | Justice
Bruno Caboclo | Justice Now
Chris Clemons | Justice Now
Jeff Green | Vote

Players who are not listed will simply have their last name at its usual nameplate spot on the back of their jersey. For those players wanting to express a different message, the NBPA recently announced a plan to partner with Westbrook’s clothing line to design social justice shirts, which include additional statement options. These can be worn around the league’s Disney World campus, as well as before and/or after games.

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As for the revised jerseys, they will be worn by the Rockets in the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs, beginning with Friday’s first game of the restart against Southwest Division rival Dallas. Tip-off from the NBA “bubble” in Florida is set for 8:00 p.m. Central, with the game broadcast regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and nationally on ESPN.

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Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season

Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season.Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality and racial injustice, many WNBA players have chosen to sit out the upcoming 2020 season.The Brooklyn Nets guard has formed the KAI Empowerment Initiative to “support and advocate for women and equality.”.In addition, this initiative will give all WNBA players access to a comprehensive financial literacy program created by UBS, Via news release.Kyrie wants to ensure that his WNBA colleagues have access to the income and tools needed to obtain their financial goals, Via news release.Irving sat down with Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to understand what WNBA players are dealing with.In these conversations, I have learned about the challenges and opportunities of their decisions and how it will impact their lives, family, and overall well-being, Kyrie Irving, via statement.Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions, Kyrie Irving, via statement

Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season.Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality and racial injustice, many WNBA players have chosen to sit out the upcoming 2020 season.The Brooklyn Nets guard has formed the KAI Empowerment Initiative to “support and advocate for women and equality.”.In addition, this initiative will give all WNBA players access to a comprehensive financial literacy program created by UBS, Via news release.Kyrie wants to ensure that his WNBA colleagues have access to the income and tools needed to obtain their financial goals, Via news release.Irving sat down with Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to understand what WNBA players are dealing with.In these conversations, I have learned about the challenges and opportunities of their decisions and how it will impact their lives, family, and overall well-being, Kyrie Irving, via statement.Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions, Kyrie Irving, via statement

Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season

Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season.Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality and racial injustice, many WNBA players have chosen to sit out the upcoming 2020 season.The Brooklyn Nets guard has formed the KAI Empowerment Initiative to “support and advocate for women and equality.”.In addition, this initiative will give all WNBA players access to a comprehensive financial literacy program created by UBS, Via news release.Kyrie wants to ensure that his WNBA colleagues have access to the income and tools needed to obtain their financial goals, Via news release.Irving sat down with Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to understand what WNBA players are dealing with.In these conversations, I have learned about the challenges and opportunities of their decisions and how it will impact their lives, family, and overall well-being, Kyrie Irving, via statement.Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions, Kyrie Irving, via statement

Kyrie Irving Pledges $1.5M to WNBA Players Opting out of 2020 Season.Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality and racial injustice, many WNBA players have chosen to sit out the upcoming 2020 season.The Brooklyn Nets guard has formed the KAI Empowerment Initiative to “support and advocate for women and equality.”.In addition, this initiative will give all WNBA players access to a comprehensive financial literacy program created by UBS, Via news release.Kyrie wants to ensure that his WNBA colleagues have access to the income and tools needed to obtain their financial goals, Via news release.Irving sat down with Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to understand what WNBA players are dealing with.In these conversations, I have learned about the challenges and opportunities of their decisions and how it will impact their lives, family, and overall well-being, Kyrie Irving, via statement.Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions, Kyrie Irving, via statement