black athletes
-
NFL Exec Troy Vincent Calls Out Owners Over ‘Slave auction’ Combine
It may be the first time ever a Black man in their employ told the NFL’s white ownership that the combine looks like a slave auction to their faces.
-
Nike’s Black Lives Matter Double Standard Is Most Clear With U.S. Olympian Gwen Berry
Protesting for racial injustice is now widely accepted across many sports leagues, but many of the same owners, franchises and corporate sponsors who are supporting players’ protests today are still weaponizing their power to silence Black athletes who protested racial injustice in the past. There’s no better example of this corporate double standard than Nike.…
-
Can the NCAA Survive Financially If March Madness Is Canceled Again? Coach K Doesn't Sound Too Sure
I’m sure you’ve heard this before—more than likely here at The Root—but the NCAA is big business for everybody but Black players. And when I say big business, I mean it’s been generating over a billion dollars annually since 2016, between television and marketing rights fees and ticket sales. Yet as lucrative of a business…
-
'Yes, I Am Good at This': Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Brigid Kosgei Were a #BlackGirlMagic Trifecta on Sunday
Apparently, 13 is a very lucky number—or at least, Oct. 13 was for Simone Biles, Kenyan runner Brigid Kosgei and 15-year-old tennis phenom Cori “Coco” Gauff, all of whom had groundbreaking performances to celebrate on Sunday. Within a week of having yet another gymnastics move named in her honor and becoming the most-medaled woman in…
-
Serena Williams Tops the 4th Annual Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50
Is it just us, or is Serena Williams everywhere as of late? Just last week, we were in awe of the tennis phenom in all her unretouched golden glory on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and now she’s once again killing the game, covering Sports Illustrated’s fourth annual Fashionable 50 issue. The tagline for the…
-
Yeah, Yeah, the Sports…but We're All About the ESPYs Fashion
Fun fact: Anywhere one or more athletes are gathered, major fashion moments are bound to follow. That’s why, despite marginal interest in “the sports” (unless it’s a playoff, the Olympics or Serena’s involved) we’re always interested in the ESPYs red carpet. As some of the sports world’s finest assemble to celebrate their own, they also…
-
Grand Slam: Naomi Osaka Is the Newest Sports Star to Sign with Nike
She was spotted wearing Adidas on the court as recently as March 22, but it’s official: women’s tennis Grand Slam tournament winner Naomi Osaka will be Nike’s next sports star. The tennis champion and athletic giant announced an endorsement deal late Thursday. The move came as a surprise to many sports and business insiders, as…
-
Dak Prescott Won't Protest During The National Anthem
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said during a press conference Friday that he will not kneel during the National Anthem and that such an approach to dealing with racial injustice isn’t for him. “I never protest,” Prescott said, according to Dallas News. “I never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time…
-
Is It a Coincidence That Today’s Most Outspoken Black Male Athletes Are Married to Black Women? (Hint: Nah)
In 2005, Kanye West articulated the perceived inevitability of successful black men leaving black women for white women in “Gold Digger”—a song 1) in which he was speaking specifically to black women and 2) that he created while he was likely dating either Alexis Phifer or Brooke Crittendon (actual black women). Considering Kanye’s present life,…