football
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What Were Some of My Favorite Moments From the 2021 NFL Draft? I'm Glad You Asked
On the eve of America’s new favorite holiday and the release of a new DJ Khaled album, football connoisseurs far and wide were treated to a beautiful evening of tears and triumph as the 2021 NFL Draft gave us all everything we needed and more—unless you’re The Root Senior Editor Stephen Crockett Jr., who was…
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It's Draft Day! Let's Talk About It
The only thing better than waking up yesterday and hearing that Rudy Giuliani’s Upper East Side apartment was raided by the feds is waking up today and remembering that we’re less than 12 hours away from the 2021 NFL Draft. And because I’m such a kind, giving soul, here are your answers to some of…
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Former NFL Linebacker Geno Hayes Loses Battle With Liver Disease at 33
For two long years, former NFL linebacker Geno Hayes fought as hard as he could in his battle against liver disease. Sadly, ESPN reports that while awaiting a liver transplant, he died Monday evening. He was 33. Earlier this month, Hayes was placed in hospice care at his parents’ home in Valdosta, Ga. In the…
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Alabama Signs Bill Into Law Allowing Student-Athletes To Be Paid for Their Names, Likeness, and Image
I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell like to be paid for any time and energy I exert at the workplace. Sadly, those same rules don’t apply in the NCAA, which I previously noted is big business for everybody but Black student-athletes. Thankfully, the tide is beginning to turn as states like…
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Pepsi Announces Deal as Part of Racial Equality Initiative With Southwestern Athletic Conference, Thanks to a Little Help From Deion Sanders
With the Jackson State Tigers playing on ESPN for the first time since the 1980s, coach Deion Sanders didn’t exactly have the weekend he had hoped for after his team got blown out 34-14 by Southern. But even though Jackson State caught a vicious L on Saturday, they still have plenty to celebrate. From USA…
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NFL Set to Expand to 17-Game Season and Players Don't Sound Too Enthused About It: 'Dumb as Hell'
As Raekwon the Chef, Method Man and Inspectah Deck once so eloquently stated: “Cash rules everything around me! C.R.E.A.M., get the money! Dollar, dollar bill, y’all!” So, with the NFL more desperate than ever to increase its bottom line after COVID-19 cost teams about $4 billion in lost revenue last season, trust and believe the…
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Maia Chaka Becomes NFL's 1st Black Female Offical: 'I've Just Been Grinding for So Long at This'
Seven years ago, Maia Chaka was handpicked to participate in the NFL’s Officiating Development Program. And because Black women are resilient, magical beings, she’s now making history as the first Black woman to join the league’s officiating roster. Per Today, Chaka received the call that would change her life on March 1. Wayne Mackie, the…
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Irv Cross, 1st Black Full-Time Sports Analyst on National Television, Dead at 81
Irv Cross accomplished quite a bit in life. He was a two-time Pro Bowler who spent nine years in the NFL as a defensive back, and while pursuing a broadcasting career after his retirement, he became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television with CBS. Sadly, he’s no…
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Nine-Time World Champion Claressa Shields Is Fighting for More Than Just Boxing Titles–She's Fighting for Gender Equality, Too
Don’t get it twisted: Claressa Shields has been knocking people out for a long time. From being propelled into the boxing world as a bright-eyed 11-year-old, to a decorated amateur career that made her the first American boxer—that includes men, too—to win consecutive medals at the Olympics (they were gold, by the way), to her…