Sports & Politics Intersect: NFL owners thrust anthem protests back into spotlight

• USA Gymnastics promises change - The national governing body of the sport laid out plans to reform in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar saga. Meanwhile, Aly Raisman is suing Nassar, USAG and the U.S. Olympic Committee over the lack of protection from his abuse. Nassar's first male accuser, Jacob Moore, made his first public statements on "The Today Show" earlier this week.

• Lawsuit details rape allegation towards volleyball coach - Rick Butler, recently barred for life from coaching volleyball, was named in a class-action lawsuit filed in Illinois by the mother of an alleged victim.

• Mark Cuban on assault allegations - There are questions about what the NBA will do with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban after sexual assault allegations against him in 2011 were brought to light this week. This comes on the heels of a damning report about an "Animal House"-like culture in the Mavericks front office. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle called the accusations against Cuban "the most insidious form" of fake news. 

• Dwyane Wade visits Stoneman Douglas - Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade made a surprise visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, detailing a great conversation with students and relaying his concerns about gun violence. In another good story borne from tragedy, Tyler Goodman, quarterback for the school’s football team, will play for Nichols College , the Massachusetts school that sent recruiters to scout him the day of the shooting. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will participate in a town hall discussion on gun violence at a Bay Area high school.

• Could Megan Barry’s resignation impact Nashville sports? - The now-former mayor, who resigned amid scandal, was prominent in helping the city secure an expansion Major League Soccer franchise, and was a big supporter of the NHL’s Predators and NFL’s Titans.

• NFL prospect asked about sexuality at combine - The league deemed a question asked by an unnamed team to LSU running back Derrius Guice as “completely inappropriate and wholly contrary to league workplace policies.” The Human Rights Campaign, among many others, condemned the questioning in a statement.

• Royals hosted anti-pornography seminar - The Kansas City Royals hosted a seminar conducted by an anti-pornography organization for their players and coaches. The workshop, of course, has its critics.

• A model for paying college athletes - In the wake of more controversy surrounding the NCAA, Deadspin’s Patrick Hruby presented an idea on how to compensate student-athletes. Meanwhile, the previously mentioned Steve Kerr says that undrafted underclassmen should be given a chance to come back into the NCAA.

• Trump tee markers nearly violated federal law - The Trump Organization removed golf tee markers adorned with the presidential seal from Trump International.

• Manfred upset over West Virginia gambling bill - MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes that a bill sitting before the West Virginia State Senate is “fundamentally flawed” as it lacks “no protections toward the integrity of the sport.” There is a debate, however, over potential “integrity fees” that leagues want included in new state laws on legalized gambling.

• Soccer exec apologizes for comments - Martin Glenn, the top executive for England’s Football Association, apologized for invoking swastikas and the Star of David in comments regarding a yellow ribbon worn by Pep Guardiola, manager for Manchester City. Guardiola said Glenn didn’t understand what the ribbon actually means.

• Ohio AG, city of Columbus to sue Crew, MLS - The relationship between the Columbus Crew and its current home reached another level of animosity as the city of Columbus and the state’s attorney general are suing the team and league to block owner Anthony Precourt from moving the team to Austin, Texas.

• Philadelphia Union’s waterfront vision, ten years later - It’s been a decade since Talen Energy Stadium, home to the MLS’ Union, opened its doors, but it hasn’t been the boon that was promised to the city of Chester thanks to stalled development and the team’s seemingly distant relationship with Delaware County.

• Racism and youth soccer in Idaho - A soccer coach moved to a conservative community that reflected his values, but was appalled by the racism his team, full of refugee children, faces every time it plays.

• Is the athlete’s word considered journalism? - The Players’ Tribune has made a mark in sports media with athletes themselves telling their own stories, yet there’s a simmering debate about its journalistic integrity.

This week in sports and politics history: Female MLB reporters fight for locker room access

"All I and other female sportswriters want is a chance to compete on an equal level with the men. Without access to the locker room, that is not often possible." - Melissa Ludtke

Fitting that International Women's Day fell this week given that it also marks the 39th anniversary of then-Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordering teams to grant equal access to the locker room to female reporters. To be clear, baseball was resistant of the change long before Kuhn's edict. In fact, it was the New York Yankees' refusal during the 1977 World Series to let Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke in the locker room that prompted the journalist and her employer to file a discrimination lawsuit against MLB and Kuhn. A federal court agreed with her, declaring that not letting Ludtke in the locker room was preventing her from doing her job, which was a violation of her 14th Amendment rights.

The following season, the Yankees complied with the court, but not without making a spectacle about it. Finally, on March 9, 1979, Kuhn issued his ruling. And while the decision was monumental in the broader historical context, it turned out that having women around in the locker room wasn't that big of a deal.

"Often when I was in locker rooms in the '70s, players would politely ask me to return in five minutes, after they had dressed," Ludtke recounted in an October 1990 Time article. "The point is, there are sensible ways to make this work for everybody, without making it impossible for women to report sports or humiliating those who choose to do so."