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.