Minneapolis boxer Ve Shawn “Magic” Owens is making his comeback on June 27 at Battle on the Waterfront in St. Paul after an eye injury forced him away from the sport, driven by faith, family and a hunger for a world title that never dimmed.
Sports
Local and national sports reporting and commentary by the state’s leading African American sportswriters, including award-winning columnists Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, with a special emphasis on the local prep scene and disparities in sports administration and media coverage.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
North graduates return to host free camp
Three North High School alumni now in the NFL, Omar Brown, Bobby Jamison-Travis and Tyler Johnson, returned to Minneapolis on Juneteenth to host a free Sports Performance Camp for local youth, with plans to make it an annual tradition.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Back together again
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman sits down with Janel McCarville, now in her first year as a Minnesota Lynx assistant coach alongside Lindsay Whalen, tracing a friendship and partnership that began at the University of Minnesota and has lasted nearly three decades.
Posted inTwins/MLB
Four to watch
With Simeon Woods Richardson traded to Toronto, the Minnesota Twins now have four Black players on the roster: Josh Bell, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Taj Bradley, all four of whom played in last Sunday’s win over St. Louis.
Posted inSports
World Cup joy out of reach for thousands shut out by US border policies
Contributing writer Noah Riccardi reports on how Trump administration travel bans, visa denials and border restrictions are preventing fans from Africa, the Middle East and the Global South from attending the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
Posted inAnother View
Cost of college sports
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman examines the NIL wild west in the first of a two-part series on the cost of college sports, tracing the legal battles that made player compensation possible and the congressional efforts now trying to roll it back.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
McCowan: Still in the league
Teaira McCowan was preparing for her first extended break from basketball when Cheryl Reeve called. Five minutes later she was a Minnesota Lynx, signing a one-year deal as one of the league’s most accomplished post players enters her eighth WNBA season.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
Five who made their mark
Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald highlights five Minnesota student athletes who made their mark this spring, from a Razorbacks sophomore placing second at the NCAA Track and Field Championship to standout performances at the state and city conference levels.
Posted inAnother View
In a 30-year league, Black female head coaches are nearly extinct
The WNBA is 64% to 70% Black, yet there is not a single Black female head coach in the league this season. MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman examines why that disparity is not getting the attention it deserves.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Natasha Howard returns to Minnesota for a full-circle moment
Natasha Howard has returned to Minnesota, where she won her first WNBA championship in 2017, signing as a free agent and immediately becoming one of the Lynx’s most impactful contributors alongside fellow free agent addition Nia Coffey.
Posted inWNBA
WNBA’s push for cleaner play brings more fouls, longer games
Nearly a month into the WNBA season, the league’s new officiating points of emphasis have produced mixed results, with foul counts up significantly and games stretching longer, while the new CBA’s developmental player spots are opening doors for younger players across the league.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
Fitzgerald got his flowers
MSR sports columnist Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald reflects on accepting a Southside Hall of Fame award on behalf of Charles Hallman and witnessing Larry Fitzgerald Sr. receive his flowers in person, just weeks before Fitzgerald’s passing at age 71.
Posted inSports
The man who brings the big events to Minneapolis
Meet Minneapolis president and CEO Melvin Tennant was integral in landing the 2028 NFL Draft for the Twin Cities, continuing a quiet legacy of bringing major events to Minneapolis that the mainstream media rarely credits him for.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Maya Caldwell: Right where she’s supposed to be
Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Caldwell has navigated waivings, overseas stints and four WNBA clubs in five years on a journey built on faith, perseverance and a belief that she is right where she is supposed to be.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
50th Annual Winfield Awards
The 50th Annual Winfield Awards honored 20 student athletes from 10 St. Paul high schools on June 1 at the Intercontinental St. Paul-Riverfront Hotel, with Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield serving as keynote speaker.
Posted inAnother View
Royce and Kaelen: Working their way back to the show
Royce Lewis is working to rediscover his game after a demotion to the St. Paul Saints, while top prospect Kaelen Culpepper is making a case for a promotion, and the two Black teammates are leaning on each other along the way.
Posted inSports
From Rondo to Cooperstown: St. Paul Honors David Winfield With Bronze
A bronze statue of Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield now stands at Toni Stone Field in St. Paul, honoring the Rondo native and 22-year MLB veteran who credits his upbringing in the heart of St. Paul’s Black community as the foundation for everything that followed.
Posted inAnother View
The NFL blinked. Now what?
Charles Hallman examines the NFL’s rollback of minority hiring mandates under pressure from Florida’s attorney general, and the NAACP’s new Out of Bounds campaign calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott SEC programs in states targeting Black voting rights.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Rachel Banham delivers for Chicago Sky in Minneapolis return
Rachel Banham returned to Minneapolis and delivered 13 points off the bench to help the Chicago Sky past the Minnesota Lynx 86-79, continuing a decade-long WNBA career built on delivering buckets when her team needs them most.
Posted inSports
Trailblazing NFL coordinator denied a head coaching shot, dies at 83
Sherman Lewis, a Heisman Trophy finalist, three-time Big Ten track champion and 12-year NFL offensive coordinator who was repeatedly passed over for a head coaching job, passed away May 15 at age 83.