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Sports & Politics Intersect: Washington gets a rare win
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Sports & Politics Intersect: Washington gets a rare win

Front Five: The top stories that shaped both sports & politics this week

”Our case will most likely end. This is just another day for Native Americans. This is nothing new for us. There is rarely ever justice for Native Americans.” - Amanda Blackhorse, one of the petitioners in the trademark case against the Washington Redskins

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled this week that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office violated the band The Slants’ First Amendment rights by refusing to trademark their name due to a law that said such marks could not be granted on the grounds that they are offensive or potentially disparaging to groups of people. The case has widely been viewed as a victory for the Washington Redskins as it was the disparagement clause in the Lanham Act that the trademark office had cited when canceling the team’s trademark in 2014 which a judge upheld in 2015. In a written statement, Washington owner Dan Snyder said he was “THRILLED” with the decision. In the wake of the ruling, Philip Yenyo, executive director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio, said the case will not affect his group’s efforts to remove the ‘Chief Wahoo’ logo and nickname in baseball.

For their part, The Slants say they not happy to associated with the NFL suit as they do not support the Washington team mascot and call their case “smoke and mirrors.”


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“The problem is we don’t necessarily know all the things the league is doing.”  - Jerome Bettis

Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis said he felt the NFL had taken advantage of players by withholding information about the dangers of concussions, making his remarks just days after the league paid $9 million dollars in benefits for the first two claims out of a class action suit brought by former players over diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Bettis’ criticism came during a group trip of Hall of Famers to Israel where they attended an innovation expo in Jerusalem which included a presentation from ElMindA, a neuro-research company that New England Patriots owner has Robert Kraft invested in. Kraft, speaking on the same tour, said “I don’t think the game has ever been safer than it is now.”

In recent weeks both former NFL-ers Warren Sapp and Leonard Marshall announced they plan on donating their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for research upon their deaths. Sapp, in a video for The Players’ Tribune, described how he already has issues with his memory failing and relies on his phone for simple reminders to get through the day. Marshall, speaking on Fox Business Network’s “Varney and Co.” and said, “As I’ve gone through this process, both understanding my illness, coming to grips with my behavior, coming to grips with issues surrounding CTE, that’s when I made the firm decision that, you know what, I need to tell my story, and hopefully I help somebody in the process.”


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“As much as we’re excited by the amount of the check, I’m more excited that the commissioner was here and that Tony [Clark ]was here, because I think this help gets the message out this is not just a charitable contribution – this is a partnership.” - Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark were on hand at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City this week as the two organizations announced a $1 million donation to museum. Clark, the first African-American executive director of the players’ union, proposed the partnership a year ago, as the league continues to see black participation in baseball dwindle. The museum, located in the historic 18th and Vine District, is near the Kansas City Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy, which league helped fund in 2015 as part of their Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities (RBI) program. Some of the donation will go towards the revitalization of the nearby Paseo YMCA where the original Negro Leagues charter was signed in 1920.

"I'm really excited about the partnership between baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Negro League Museum," Manfred said at the event. "I realized that whenever you try to rebuild something – like rebuild African-American participation in our game – you need a great foundation.”


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“He's this Oz behind the curtain, this person that the NFL will not allow us to talk to. And everyone points their finger at him, saying he's the only one that can make that determination.” - Julie Pettit, attorney for Strikes for Kids, arguing last month Roger Goodell is the only one who could define the league’s stance on gambling.

Last week we reported the nonprofit charity Strikes for Kids had asked a judge to compel NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to testify in their case against the league after being forced to move a bowling tournament featuring NFL players due to the alley’s proximity to a casino. Since then the league has reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount with the group, closing the case that was due to be heard in court in September. Casino industry observers say the undisclosed settlement only furthers to muddy the waters of what is and isn’t permissible by the league, as in recent months the NFL has allowed for a team to move to Las Vegas, allowed the Arizona Cardinals to discuss stadium naming rights with Gala River Gaming, while at the same time sanctioning players who participated in the Pro Football Arm Wrestling Championship at the MGM Casino, even though gambling machines in the vicinity of the event were turned off. According to recent interview with NFL Players Association executive George Atallah, all four of the major players unions have started to prepare for the likelihood of legalized gambling in the coming years.


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“There’s no denying the fact when you’re in the last week somewhere that’s been special to you, it’s meaningful.- Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers

One of the last threads tying the Chargers to San Diego came undone this week as the team announced their first training camp schedule outside of the city after closing out their final mini camp in their previous home. Their new training location at the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex in Orange County splits the difference between Los Angeles and San Diego. While frustration over the move is still simmers, pundits in San Diego say it time for the team to move on after losing the ‘stadium game’ with local officials. The Chargers will play in Carson’s StubHub Center while they wait for their shared stadium with the Rams to be completed, which has already seen construction delays push back its opening to 2020. Historic Del Mar racetrack, located in San Diego County, announced this week July 22 will be “Chargers Day at Del Mar” at the park to say farewell to the team with special appearances by retired players and coaches planned.

Of note: 

  • The Miami Dolphins announced an offseason goal of becoming the first team to have every member of its club registered to vote

  • President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate former Dodgers co-owner Jamie McCourt as ambassador to Belgium. Trump also reiterated he will nominate New York Jets owner Woody Johnson as ambassador to the United Kingdom. During McCourt’s high-profile divorce from her husband Frank, it was revealed she was interested in running for president. 

  • Four-star recruit Tyreke Smith made a statement during Ohio State football’s one-day camp on Saturday wearing a “I hope I don't get killed for being black today” t-shirt to bring attention to the violence facing the African-American community. 

  • The International Olympic Committee announced Russia will still face sanctions for previous positive doping results despite President Vladimir Putin’s recent promises to reform the country’s training programs. A whistleblower outlined how the Russia’s Federal Security Service aided athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics ahead of the 2016 Games in Rio.

  • The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) issued a statement of concern around the deepening diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighboring Gulf states, saying “Sport must be separate from politics in this Gulf issue.”

  • The Oakland A’s have narrowed the list down to three locations for possible new stadium for the team with the club reportedly favoring a site in the Peralta Community College District due to its proximity to public transit.

  • Swiss officials confirmed they are currently 25 separate investigations surrounding FIFA and alleged corruption in the World Cup bidding process.

  • When asked about the recent redevelopment efforts around Seattle's KeyArena, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated the league is not currently considering expansion

  • Local officials in Cincinnati this week drew criticism when it was revealed two out of the three Hamilton County commissioners signed non-disclosure agreements preventing them from discussing details of Cincinnati FC’s plan for a new stadium in the area. FC is hoping to make the leap to the MLS from the United Soccer League with a larger venue. 

  • As the field narrows ahead of the special primary to fill Utah’s 3rd congressional district in August, candidate Tanner Ainge said he hoped Jazz forward Gordon Hayward would stay in the Beehive State despite Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge’s (his father) moves to recruit the All-Star.  

  • Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt club hired its first female scout and the league itself hired its first female referee. 

  • In rural India, girls soccer clubs are joining fight against the practice of child marriages through education and empowerment tools designed to teach young girls the value of education and career. 

  • ESPN “First Take” co-host Max Kellerman came under fire from conservatives by saying it wasn’t Colin Kaepernick who brought politics to football, it was the “NFL injecting politics by playing the national anthem and putting pressure on you to stand for it in the first place.”

  • In an interview with The Ringer, ESPN reporter Cari Champion – citing a history that spreads back to civil rights activist Paul Robeson’s fight to play football at Rutgers –explained why it is impossible to separate politics and sports

  • Pope Francis received Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones along with seven members of the Hall of Fame and their wives at the Vatican this week, telling the assembled, “Teamwork, fair play and the pursuit of personal excellence are the values – in the religious sense, we can say virtues that have guided your commitment, on and off the field.” 

For the record books: This week in sports politics history


“You now know who I am. I am a Yankee!” - Nelson Mandela, addressing the crowd at Yankee Stadium on June 21, 1990 after Mayor David Dinkins – the first and only African-American mayor of New York – placed a Yankees’ cap on Mandela’s head.

During a six-week tour of 13 countries around the globe, anti-apartheid activist and recently freed political prisoner Nelson Mandela was greeted with a ticker-tape in New York City, ending his stay with a rally and concert at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. At a tree planting in Harlem, Mandela stated his “only regret is that I am unable to embrace each and every one of you. ” In 2014 the Yankees added a plaque for Mandela to their Monument Park in honor of his famous visit as part of their Jackie Robinson Day events, hosting members of both the Mandela’s and Robinson’s families.

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