With the Super Bowl in Los Angeles and the NFL completing another season, the league’s sorry record in terms of diversity and inclusion has been discussed at length. Former Miami head coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit put the issue squarely in the public discussion, and many feel it helped the coaches hired by Miami and Houston get their jobs. But there’s widespread agreement that things have reached the point where the current Rooney Rule mandating that at least one minority be interviewed for any coaching or managerial position has proven woefully ineffective. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell went public on the issue…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Both the Tennessee State men’s and women’s basketball teams hope to rebound at home this week as the OVC race enters its final two weeks. Things didn’t work out well for either squad during Saturday’s losses to Austin Peay. It was a particularly rough loss for the men, who lost a 10-point lead in the final eight minutes, then lost 54-52 on a shot by Tariq Silver with three seconds remaining. The Tigers scored only two points over the last five minutes. The Tigers had four players in double figures, but neither team shot…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators began play in the second half of the NHL season in much better shape than many anticipated. They are in second place in the Western Conference’s Central Division at 28-14-4, eight points behind the Colorado Avalanche whom they defeated last month at Bridgestone Arena. Most predictions before the season had the Predators in the lower end of the Central Division, but they have surpassed expectations, and gotten strong seasons from several players. Goalie Juuse Saros was the team’s only selection for the NHL All-Star Game. He was voted the NHL’s Second…
NASHVILLE, TN — All season long Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse has sought more offensive balance, not wanting his team to overly rely on leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. to carry the whole load. Now that he has Rodney Chatman back in the lineup, that seems happening more often. Saturday the Commodores played arguably their best game of the season, defeating the 25th ranked LSU Tigers 75-66 at Memorial Gymnasium. It was their fourth SEC win, the first time they’ve reached that mark since Stackhouse took over. It was also their first victory over a ranked team since in two…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Last year was the biggest yet for country vocalist Mickey Guyton, and things only continue to improve for her career wise. Sunday she’ll be performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. “I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing,” Guyton wrote last month in a tweet. “So excited to be singing the national anthem.” Guyton was already headed out to LA for Super Bowl week. Back in November, the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest announced that it will feature three nights of A-list stars taking the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For those interested in more about Kanye West than his current domestic troubles, Netflix has unveiled this week the full trailer of the Kanye West documentary “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.” It is a more complete presentation than the earlier one issued in January, and also gives a preview of all three parts of West’s epic journey. “When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer back in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal would be to see how long his dreams would take him. But I had no idea…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans playoff hopes ended prematurely as the Cincinnati Bengals destroyed any hopes of the AFC Championship game being in Nashville. But while the pain of that loss remains for many fans, the team did get one significant postseason honor last week. Head coach Mike Vrabel was selected Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. It’s his second such award, as previously the 101 Awards also gave him that award. Vrabel is now the favorite to get a third such honor, the AP NFL Coach of the Year, which…
The NFL has gotten heat and deservedly so for its pathetic record in terms of Black head coaches. As the league’s postseason playoffs continued and the Super Bowl matchup of the LA Rams playing the Cincinnati Bengals in Los Angeles was decided, the NFL still had only Black head coach. In fact more Black head coaches had been fired after the season (two) than the number retained. But there is one area where the league is making progress. That’s among the ranks of general manager, a position on most teams that’s second only to the team owner in terms of…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s taken several years and the subject matter is quite unusual, but a Lee Daniels project based on a true and highly unusual event is coming to Netflix. It’s a film about an exorcism involving a woman named Latoya Ammons. Daniels had sought a home for it, and last weekend there was a bidding auction when Netflix reportedly won for $65 million. The project dates back to 2011, when Ammons, based in Gary, Indiana, claimed her children were being attacked and possessed by demons. Deadline reported on the project in 2014. Production will finally…
Sometimes an athlete can make an enormous contribution to a sport despite having a limited playing career. One great example of that is Willlie O’Ree, a man who’s become a hockey legend despite playing only 45 games in two seasons for the Boston Bruins in 1958, and then again in 1960-61. O’Ree was the first Black player in NHL history, and he reached the league despite having been blinded in one eye by an errant puck. But O’Ree didn’t let anything stop his quest, overcoming both physical disability and racist treatment from fans and players, including physical attacks from opponents.…