Sports columnist Charles Hallman chose Birmingham over Chicago for a second straight year, covering SWAC basketball media days with near-total access to coaches and players. He has the preseason polls, key voices and a SWAC TV expansion.
Charles Hallman
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Reggie Wilson and Alexis Rogers on Building Community, Losing Jobs, and Finding Purpose Beyond the Anchor Desk
For the first time, Blacklight on Sports welcomes a husband and wife. Reggie Wilson and Alexis Rogers, who both made history at KARE 11, talk layoffs, faith and building their storytelling business, I Speak People.
Posted inAnother View
Black fans remain a rare sight at Twins games
The Twins had the most Black players in the American League this year, but Black fans remain a rare sight at Target Field. Sports columnist Charles Hallman asks what it will take to bring them out to the ballpark.
Posted inWNBA
Brunson sees a wide-open race for the WNBA title
As the 2026 WNBA Playoffs kick off, veteran broadcaster Cindy Brunson calls it the most competitive title race in league history. Sports columnist Charles Hallman breaks down the bracket, plus the case for keeping award votes private and this season’s record-setting performances.
Posted inArts + Culture
Twin Cities Black Film Festival marks its 24th year with new home in Edina
The Twin Cities Black Film Festival celebrated its 24th year with a new home at the Edina Theatre, as founder Natalie Morrow reflects on decades of showcasing Black filmmakers and recovering from a stroke while keeping the festival alive.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Blacklight on Sports: Dr. Gary F. Green II on “Playing the Game,” Black Athletic Brilliance, and the Narratives That Limit Black Men
WORDPRESS EXCERPT
Dr. Gary F. Green II joins Blacklight on Sports to unpack his book “Playing the Game,” arguing that what’s dismissed as raw physical talent in Black athletes is actually embodied, ancestral intelligence. Host Charles Hallman digs into Green’s framework built around Marshawn Lynch, Steph Curry and Deion Sanders.
Posted inAnother View
Dr. Queenie, Ixchel McKinnie use social media to push back for the W
Two Black women, Dr. Queenie and Ixchel McKinnie, are pushing back against toxic social media discourse targeting Black WNBA players and coaches. Sports columnist Charles Hallman talks with them about race, fandom and building a positive space for women’s basketball talk in the second installment of his series.
Posted inNews
Dave Winfield reflects on Hall of Fame career, new memoir amid milestone year
Hall of Famer and Rondo native Dave Winfield reflects on his new memoir, “Touching All the Bases,” a statue in his childhood neighborhood, and 50 years of the Winfield Awards. Sports columnist Charles Hallman has the full story.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Tamryn Spruill’s new book chronicles three decades of WNBA history
Sports columnist Charles Hallman talks with journalist Tamryn Spruill about her new book, “The W: A History of the WNBA,” a comprehensive account of the league’s 30-year fight for legitimacy. Plus, Unrivaled 3-on-3 brings its cross-country tour to Minneapolis in January.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Time for a Black woman to lead the WNBA
As WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert prepares to retire, Black women dominate the shortlist of possible successors. Sports columnist Charles Hallman makes the case for why the league’s next leader should be a Black woman.
Posted inAnother View
Staurowsky: Transgender athlete backlash masks bigger threats to Title IX
Sports equity expert Dr. Ellen Staurowsky says the panic over transgender athletes is a distraction from a bigger playbook: rolling back Title IX and undermining college athletes’ rights. Sports columnist Charles Hallman continues his conversation in this second installment.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Lynx’s Kosu adjusting to physical game, English, in second season
Minnesota Lynx forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu opens up about honoring her late father’s legacy and adjusting to the WNBA’s physicality. Plus, the Timberwolves’ move to DAZN becomes the latest hit to local sports fans’ wallets.
Posted inSports
Sam Lacy Pioneer Awards honor nine trailblazers in Atlanta
The 2026 Sam Lacy Pioneer Awards honored nine Black sports and journalism trailblazers in Atlanta, including WNBA legends Renee Montgomery and Angel McCoughtry, Olympic great Edwin Moses, and Billye Aaron, widow of Hank Aaron. Sports columnist Charles Hallman was there.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Adrian Turner, David Collier, and Aaron Turner on Leading Programs, Representation, and the Black Coach Mentality
Three Black coaches and administrators from Minnesota suburban high schools join Blacklight on Sports to talk representation, rebuilding programs and what it means to lead systems not always built with them in mind.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Blacklight on Sports: Justus Dayee on State Tournaments, Entrepreneurship, and Carrying the Legacy of Clyde Turner
At 15, Justus Dayee has played state tournament basketball, run his own business, and carries the legacy of his late grandfather, Clyde Turner. He joins Blacklight on Sports to tell his story.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
WNBA All-Star game in Chi-town
The WNBA becomes the first U.S. pro sports league to host events at the Obama Presidential Center as All-Star Weekend returns to Chicago. Sports columnist Charles Hallman and broadcaster Cindy Brunson break down a surprising first half of the season.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Renee Brown’s WNBA legacy runs deeper than she’ll admit
Renee Brown helped build the WNBA from day one but rarely gets credit for it. At the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony, sports columnist Charles Hallman caught up with her, and with founding president Val Ackerman, on the league’s 30-year legacy.
Posted inTwins/MLB
Black players carry the Twins system into the All-Star break
From an injured Futures Game selection to a Twins pitcher’s back-to-back strikeout gems, sports columnist Charles Hallman rounds up four storylines from Black baseball players in and around the Twins organization.
Posted inAnother View
Don’t erase the Black players who built the W
Caitlin Clark isn’t the WNBA’s savior, and Black players built the league over three decades, says sports scholar Dr. F. Michelle Richardson. Sports columnist Charles Hallman also has an update from Timberwolves Summer League in Vegas.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Blacklight on Sports: Joshua Brown on Going Pro, Playing for the Lynx, and a 51-Point Farewell to the Canary Islands
From a late-blooming role player at Park Center to a 51-point farewell in the Canary Islands, Joshua Brown joins Blacklight on Sports to talk about five years at Duluth, his first pro season, and life as a Minnesota Lynx practice player.