Activities
The Ali Enters the Supreme Court:
Students receive a lecture on The Trial of Muhammad Ali. They will use the notes and the articles provided by the instructor, the media used in class, personal notes taken from close reading in and out of class in addition to their peer to peer conversations regarding the topic. Once the instructor feels that the class has enough collective evidence, he/she will split the class in two different groups, the prosecution and the defense. The jury will be made up of parent volunteers and support staff. There will be nine people on the jury. The jury will then vote with paper ballets to see if Ali walks free or not.
Comparing and Contrasting Kaepernick to Other Protests in America:
For the term paper, the students will write an essay connecting Kaepernick’s protest to The Syracuse 8, The Black 14, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf or any other African American athlete(s) who sacrificed their careers to prove a point. The essay will compare and contrast the different events. The student should be prepared to provide evidence as to how the two are similar and how are they different. After the necessary connections have been established, the writer should be prepared to provide a conclusive statement that explains whether they agree with the actions of the athletes and if those actions actually helped to bring about the social change they were trying to implement.
Additional Resources:
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/vincentfrank/2019/11/16/colin-kaepernick-situation-proves-nfl-collusion-is-real-and-has-no-bounds/#73ca14366aa2
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/sports/nfl-colin-kaepernick-protests-timeline.html
Dinner and a Movie:
Teachers will volunteer their time after school to watch films based on the social impacts of the various cases we’ve discussed. The teacher should tell all of their students two weeks before they plan to have the event. They should make sure they have permission forms from each student, and everyone has a ride home. As students watch the film, they should take notes based on overarching ideas within the film. Once the film is over, they should respond to a five-paragraph prompt provided by the educator that connects what they’re learning about in class to the film that was surveyed after school. This should be for extra credit as the film’s viewing was voluntary. The films are as follows:
Films:
“Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight,” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2061756/
“The Black 14” https://www.topic.com/black-14
African American Journalist Speak Out:
Students will be immediately indoctrinated into their own version of a Black Student Union at a local state-run university. They will use a series of different articles and clips to create an evidence based persuasive argument to the NCAA. They will take evidence from a series of different articles and clips that highlight the injustice that is College Football and the lack of opportunities that are provided to players of color when it comes to leadership both on the sidelines and in the school’s athletic departments. If the student chooses to, they can have their essay sent to the NCAA’s offices in Indianapolis.
African American Journalist Articles:
- Shame on College Football for Lack of Black Coacheshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PxgltN7-H4
- Reason for Lack of Black Coaches in College Football: Irresponsible Journalism? https://bleacherreport.com/articles/83354-reason-for-lack-of-black-coaches-in-college-football-irresponsible-journalism
- Challenges Persist in Hiring Black Head Coaches in College Football https://diverseeducation.com/article/108462/
- Lack of black head coaches in major college football still crucial issue for universitieshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/09/27/black-head-coaches-fbs-adopt-rooney-rule-policy/1437792002/
Lack of African American Coaches in Professional Leagues:
Video:
ESPN’s Steven A. Smith Speaks NFL- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E70Oj9ZbMlM
ESPN’S Steven A. Smith Speaks NBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojMtAGm6-78
Steven A Smith Final Take Black Coaches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF5Pbw1v5ew
College Football Doesn’t Give Black Coaches Many Chances, But For Other Folks ... Chances Abound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PxgltN7-H4&t=969s
BBC - Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion (2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX09hjb4XYA
Women in Social Justice:
Every student in the class should research a female athlete whose had a social impact on society. The athlete is of their choosing and should be presented in a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation of no more than ten minutes and no less than five. Once they’ve found their athlete, they should explain how that athlete has had a positive impact on people and issues that need attention, resources and reform.
Arthur’s Actions:
The following article and film give a detailed account of Arthur Ashe and how he used sports to create change. Students should read the article, watch the film and compare Ashe’s actions to other athletes. They should be prepared to write a two page compare and contrast response explaining the contrasts and similarities between Ashe and other Athletes’ pursuit of justice through sports.
Articles:
Arthur Ashe’s real legacy was his activism, not his tennis
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/09/arthur-ashe-legacy-activism-tennis
Media:
BBC - Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion (2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX09hjb4XYA
A Conversation with Morehouse:
Morehouse College has made an unapologetic effort to create a pipeline of African American journalists to help document the stories of athletes, especially athletes of color. The Program is called Journalism and Sports and Ron Thomas is the head of this effort. Teachers should reach out to Mr. Thomas and schedule a time to speak with the director on why it’s important for people of color to have some level of representation in sports journalism. This can be done over Zoom and students should have questions prepared before the meeting. If students are not able to connect with Morehouse. The teacher should reach out to a local HBCU or new reporter of color who covers sports. They should learn the preparation process of professional journalist, why they are important to telling a more authentic story when it comes to athletes of color and how student can become involved if they are interested. Note: The writer of this unit was the first graduate of this program.
The Story of Jemele Hill and Michael Smith :
Student will review the timelines, financial implications and politics of Jemele Hill and Michael Smith’s times with ESPN. What actions were taken by the reporters before, during and after their time with ESPN? How did politics come into play and what were the president and networks roles and how did they impact the anchors professional careers? Once the proper information is presented, students will be asked to decide if they felt the anchors and the network made the right decision in how they went about handling the controversy.
Resources:
The Story of Jemele Hill and Michael Smith Resources:
CS6 ON Kaepernick-Video
The Breakfast Club- Jemele Hill and Michael Smith
Michael Smith’s exit brings an end to ESPN’s ‘SC6’ experiment
Jemele Hill and the story of how one tweet changed her life | DAY ONES
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