Athletes

Apr 10 2013

They have it easy

To Laila Ali, being an athlete means living like a role model, whether one wants to or not.

And, as the boxer and former athlete told CNN at the Tuesday premiere of the Jackie Robinson biopic “42,” she doesn’t have much sympathy for athletes who think otherwise.

Ali said that she hopes the film, which shows Robinson breaking Major League baseball’s color barrier, will remind moviegoers of that.

Mar 27 2013

Some are outraged by the slogan in Woods’ case but others laud it

As prodigal golfer Tiger Woods resumes the world’s No. 1 ranking, his chief sponsor, Nike, unveiled a slogan Tuesday that provokes robust debate on what is redemption and has Woods attained it.

“Winning takes care of everything” is what Nike declared on its social media outlets after Woods completed his long climb back to the top ranking, more than three years after his extramarital affairs ruined his marriage and embarrassed him. Woods and ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, have two children.

Jan 10 2013

NCAA mandates such a test, but medical group urges a different option

Although heart problems or heatstroke generally are to blame for a young athlete’s sudden death, experts now know that carrying an aberration called the sickle cell trait also poses substantial risk.

That has led to mandatory screening for anyone hoping to participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletics. Not everyone, however, thinks that’s a good idea.

Nov 1 2012

Authors: Robert Cantu, M.D., and Mark Hyman

The game, as they say, is the thing.

It’s the thing at your house, that’s for sure. Ever since your child’s friends started playing sports at school, it’s been the No. 1 topic around. He craves competition. She wants to sign up yesterday. He sees trophies and medals and honestly, you see them, too. After all, having a pro athlete in the family is a good thing, right?

For your child, it’s all about the game. Still, you’ve got lots of reservations and, according to Robert Cantu, M.D., that’s great.

Lisa Olivia Fitch  |   OW Contributor
Sep 23 2010

“How We Roll”

While watching the news the other night, you may have seen one of those “good news” stories—kids getting some exercise at school. But these kids weren’t just jogging or playing dodge ball. They were skateboarding. Uncommonly, skateboarding is being offered in some schools as a physical education class. Back in the day, folks in the urban neighborhoods took the wheels off roller-skates and stuck them on boards and many of them claim credit for inventing the sport which has become a headliner in the X Games, inspired concrete parks and become big business worldwide.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.