Tackling the Everyday by Duke anthropologist Tracie Canada examines the lived experiences of Black college football players navigating academics, identity and exploitation at a PWI.
Black athletes
Posted inSports
Charles Hallman’s March Madness Tour Spotlights HBCU Hoops and Black Talent
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder sports journalist Charles Hallman took his annual March Madness coverage on the road, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama (HBCUAC) and Atlanta, Georgia (SWAC) to highlight HBCU basketball and the impact of Black athletes. In between, Hallman stopped at Bethel University in Arden Hills to watch the Millsaps College women’s basketball team, which featured the […]
Posted inWomen’s History Month
Trailblazing athlete Lusia Harris spotlighted in Difference Makers book series
The Lusia Harris NBA draft milestone is highlighted in a Difference Makers book about the pioneering basketball star’s historic career.
Posted inOdds and Ends
More MIAC diversity – Representing Black hockey
Black hockey MIAC representation takes center ice as St. Olaf senior Kelijah McElroy reflects on his collegiate career and inspiring the next generation.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Table-top book captures 170 Boston Celtics ‘moments’
A new illustrated book explores the Boston Celtics’ overlooked Black history, from NBA firsts to the complex legacy shaped by race and rivalry.
Posted inAnother View
Como Park grad has no regrets
Ronnie Porter’s final game at Williams Arena marked a full-circle moment for the St. Paul native, who rose from walk-on to Wisconsin starter and leader.
Posted inSports
Two hoop champions bridge 57-year gap
Emmette Bryant met Jaylen Brown in Chicago, linking two Celtics champions who wore No. 7 nearly six decades apart.
Posted inOdds and Ends
NIL, transfer portal make high school recruitment more competitive
Veteran coach Milton Barnes launched Play Right Sports Academy to help high school athletes navigate recruiting challenges in the transfer portal era.
Posted inSports
EJ Emery represents at World Junior Championships
At the World Junior Championships in the Twin Cities, Team USA defenseman EJ Emery represented the future of hockey through both elite play and growing Black representation.
Posted inArts + Culture
In 2025 Black Culture Claimed Ownership Not Permission
Across platforms, Black pop culture in 2025 resisted dilution. Virality lost its grip. Ownership replaced access. Community replaced clicks. The work did not ask to be understood. It stood where it was.
Posted inSports
Five Sports Stories That Had Minnesota Talking in 2025
These five Minnesota sports stories of 2025 sparked conversation, built pride, and reminded us why sports matter beyond the game.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
It’s happening for White
Minnesota basketball highlights feature college athletes, rising high school players, and a veteran coach honored for decades of leadership.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Blacklight on Sports Featuring Khalid El-Amin
Minneapolis basketball legend Khalid El-Amin reflects on his journey, mindset, and life lessons in a powerful Blacklight on Sports conversation.
Posted inAnother View
Black athletes too often dehumanized, commodified
At United Theological Seminary in St. Paul, first time author and newly tenured professor Dr. Gary F. Green introduced his book “Playing the Game” with a panel that included Minnesota Vikings fullback CJ Ham, scholar Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart Rusch and United student Tamice Spencer Helms. Together they explored how terms like “beast” and coded commentary about “natural talent” versus “intelligence” shape the way Black athletes are seen, valued and limited, and how Green’s work offers a powerful challenge to those narratives.
Posted inSports
The pain and insult of rewritten history
Maya Washington has spent years fighting inaccurate portrayals of her father, Gene Washington, and the pioneering Black athletes of Michigan State. Now she is calling for stronger NIL protections for legacy athletes whose names and images sit in archives with little oversight. Washington warns that if institutions can mishandle the legacy of a Hall of Famer, younger athletes could face even bigger risks in the new NIL landscape.
Posted inAnother View
‘Playing the Game’ calls out stereotyping of Black athletes
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul will host a new book launch on Wednesday, Nov. 19, of Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green III’s first book, “Playing the Game: Embodied Brilliance beyond the Moral Limits of Race in Sport” (Fortress Press). Green is a pastoral theology and social transformation associate professor and […]
Posted inOdds and Ends
Cost cited as obstacle to hockey diversity
Colorado College senior goalie Kaiden Mbereko is an established star in the nets. He is one of four team captains on this season’s Tigers squad. “We’re all going to have each other’s backs and obviously have our teammates’ backs,” said the 5’11” Mbereko, a business, economics and sociology major from Aspen, Colo. One of the […]
Posted inHealth + Wellness
PUSH triathlon gets Black people outside and active
The PUSH Fitness triathlon at Lilydale Pool & Yacht Club continues to grow as a welcoming space for athletes of color. With relay options, accessibility, and support from 11 sponsors, many first timers completed the swim, bike, or run in community.
Posted inOdds and Ends
De La Salle grad and Colts rookie is feeling blessed
Indianapolis Colts rookie Jalen Travis reflects on his first months as a pro football player. The DeLaSalle grad and Minneapolis native is embracing the grind of OTAs and looking ahead to fall training camp with a deep sense of gratitude and drive.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports, Podcasts
Performance, Pressure & the Mental GameFeaturing Dr. Kirbi Kidd, Psy.D.
Sport psychologist Dr. Kirbi Kidd joins Blacklight On Sports to explore the mental challenges that athletes face. From building resilience to culturally competent care, she offers insight from both research and experience.