Celebrating Black History Month with 28 sports stories in 28 days
These sports stories showcase the resilience, empathy and power of Black athletes across all of sports, as they push to not just fight for recognition and equality, but also to inspire other Black athletes to do the same. The series “28 Black Stories in 28 Days” covers the entire sports universe, from Formula One drivers, to Super Bowl champions, to the Black press that pushed for the integration of baseball, to Colin Kaepernick pushing for police to be accountable for their actions.
Feb. 1Examining the issues Black athletes face
Remembering a Holocaust survivor’s words about Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.
Feb. 2Colin Kaepernick continues to be right
Kaepernick’s peaceful protests made him a target but not only was he right, he was prescient.
Feb. 3The Black press helped push to break MLB’s color barrier
The Black press, led by sports writers Wendell Smith and Sam Lacy, advocated to integrate MLB in the 1930s and 1940s.
Feb. 4How integration led to the demise of Negro league baseball
Negro league baseball, a longstanding successful Black enterprise, faded from existence after Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947.
Feb. 5Formula One driver fights anti-Blackness
Lewis Hamilton spoke about the racism he faced growing up as a kid. He now uses his stardom and power fighting that same racism.
Feb. 6Remaking ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ might be stupidest idea yet
The original is one of the best sports movies ever made. A remake shows that Hollywood has run out of ideas.
Feb. 7Rihanna contradicts herself by performing at Super Bowl
The superstar once declined to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show as a show of support for protesting players.
Feb. 8Fathers of Super Bowl 57 QBs wreck stereotype of absent Black dad
The fathers of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are a huge part of their sons’ lives, thus obliterating an ugly stereotype.
Feb. 9A white player shattered his jaw, ending his Heisman Trophy dreams
“There’s no way it couldn’t have been racially motivated,” Johnny Bright said of the incident.
Feb. 10First Black woman to own elite PBR bulls
Former news anchor Fanchon Stinger grew up loving animals on her grandfather’s farm and she always loved bull riding. Now she’s a PBR bull owner.
Feb. 11Sports books for kids stuck in right-wing culture war
If politicians, school officials and parents think kids books about Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente need to be censored, we’re in serious trouble.
Feb. 12Doug Williams’ story, celebrated now, was hardly a fairy tale
You may know the story of the first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl. You may not know the road to reach that moment was brutal.
Feb. 13Black women tennis pioneers paved way for modern superstars
Players like Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka saw themselves in Serena Williams.
Feb. 14Sam Lacy, the greatest sports journalist ever, set stage for others
A true pioneer who fought segregation and for social justice, Lacy changed the world of sports as much as the Black athletes he covered.
Feb. 15Fatal trampling is college football’s greatest tragedy
After Jack Trice died, a letter he wrote, while segregated in a hotel room the night before the fatal game, was found. “The honor of my race (is) at stake.”
Feb. 16An NFL star, a high court justice and an education advocate
Alan Page is one of the most unique figures in sports history. He was a Hall of Fame player for the Vikings and then a state Supreme Court justice.
Feb. 17WNBA star Brittney Griner represents best of Black History Month
Griner’s story will always be one of bravery and perseverance. But she represents something else: the ideals of Black History Month.
Feb. 18Baseball’s backslide on diversity shows how work must continue
From Jackie Robinson to Hank Aaron to the modern game: Baseball has had issues with diversity. It doesn’t seem to be getting much better.
Feb. 19How an HBCU student went from virtual racing to NASCAR
Rajah Caruth, a 20-year-old Winston-Salem State junior, made his full-time racing debut in the NASCAR Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway.
Feb. 20Gus Johnson brings joy to his broadcasts
The Fox Sports announcer is the star of a new documentary about his life and studying at Harvard.
Feb. 21Nothing would deter the NBA’s first Black player
After one win he was spat on. Didn’t stop him. A fan asked to see his tail. Didn’t stop him. Earl Lloyd was a force.
Feb. 22NFL’s path to top jobs still narrow, lengthy for coaches of color
A Paste BN analysis shows that opportunities for NFL coaches of color are limited by lower-level jobs that don’t often lead to top positions.
Feb. 23Will there ever be a Black NFL commissioner?
The answer is complicated but one person who’d have a chance is the widely respected Troy Vincent.
Feb. 24LeBron James’ part ownership of Red Sox still groundbreaking
Almost two years ago James became part owner of the Red Sox parent company, Fenway Sports Group. It’s one of his most important moves.
Feb. 25NFL hiring process: ‘It reeks of systemic racism’
Former assistant coach Jimmy Raye sees the same thing now that he did when coaching: a system aligned against Black coaches.
Feb. 26Big East’s hiring record for Black head coaches is unmatched
In the Big East, seven of the 11 men’s basketball programs are led by Black men. That hiring record dwarfs all other power conferences combined.
Feb. 27Bill Russell did not want to coach the Celtics, then he made history
The Hall of Famer initially didn’t want to coach the Celtics. He eventually changed his mind and became the NBA’s first Black coach.
Feb. 28He persevered through racism to become a Hall of Famer
Charlie Scott was the first Black scholarship player at the University of North Carolina.
– Developed by the Paste BN NETWORK Storytelling Studio