By Ron Wynn Long before the exploits of Arthur Ashe or the Williams sisters, Althea Gibson was achieving historic results in the previously all-white world of professional tennis. The 1957-58 AP Female Athlete of the Year, Gibson, a Florida A&M graduate, won the 1956 French Open, and both the U.S. Nationals (now the Open) and Wimbledon in 1957-58. She was the first Black player (either man or woman) to win a major title, and she won more than 50 singles and doubles titles before retiring from tennis in 1958 while still holding the number one ranking. Gibson subsequently became a…
Author: Ron Wynn
There’s only a few weeks until the 2019 NFL season begins, but the league last week discovered that a problem they thought wouldn’t reappear this season hasn’t been resolved. Instead the question of what exactly happened to former QB Colin Kaepernick, and how he was treated by the NFL, is once more in the news despite the settlement that was reached between the league, Kaepernick, and Eric Reed back in February. At that time, it was announced that the collusion case had been settled, and a nondisclosure agreement was in place. All the owners’ depositions and discovery evidence was also…
Ordinarily when a head coach decides to fire a position coach, and the offensive line coach at that, it might be a one or two day story in the sports press. But it’s hardly that big a deal, except in the case of new Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. That’s because Flores is under much more scrutiny than usual for a rookie head coach for two reasons. First, he was the only new Black head coach named last year during the NFL’s annual search for coaching candidates. Second, he’s the latest of the Belichek staffers to try their hands…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Those who missed their opportunity to see Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ definitive documentary on noted author Toni Morrison get a second chance over the next few days. The Belcourt announced this week there would be an encore engagement for “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am.” It will run for a five-day period starting Friday. The two-hour work covers every phase of her life, chronicles her influence in notable ways as a writer, commentator and editor and combines biographical reflection with historical analysis and insight. It includes a visit to her childhood home Lorain, Ohio, and also…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason knows he’s got some tough games ahead, and having to go into the season with an untested QB doesn’t make it even easier. But whatever the case, Vanderbilt will open its season on August 31 facing defending SEC Eastern Division champion Georgia here in Nashville. The Bulldogs are one of two teams that are given a chance to knock off perennial SEC champion Alabama, so that’s hardly the easiest opener that one could draw, either overall or in terms of the conference. The Commodores then go on the road…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — No one knows this early how any team will do, but if you believe the national media’s predictions this will be a rough year for the Titans. After three straight 9-7 seasons and one playoff win, most observers see the Titans taking a step backward in 2019. Bleacher Report has them at 7-9, while Sports Illustrated sees them occupying the basement among AFC South teams at 6-10. Pro Football Weekly, Monday Morning QB, Deadspin and many others have similarly bad forecasts. What makes all of this even scarier is that some of these predictions…
By Ron Wynn Toni Morrison was a transcendent author and magnificent stylist whose work brilliantly fused fact and fiction, personal experience and insight with historical reflection and analysis. Morrison, who died Monday night at 88, won a host of major awards in her extraordinary career. These included the Pulitzer Price for Fiction in 1988 for “Beloved,” a tale inspired by the true story of a runaway slave, and the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature for a distinguished host of achievements in the field. She was the first Black woman to win that honor, Publisher Alfred A. Knopf confirmed news of…
The NBA continues to lead the way in terms of innovative approaches, whether it’s in free agency, social media and public relations, or global expansion. But the league’s latest news-making event is in another area: team management. After yet another dreary 50-loss season, the Washington Wizards’ owner Ted Leonsis finally tired of constant defeats and half-filled arenas. He dismissed general manager Ernie Grunfeld after 16 seasons, but instead of rushing out and hiring a replacement, Leonsis decided it was time to take stock of his team’s entire structure. “Last year we thought the Wizards were a 50-win team and we…
By Ron Wynn Whatever additional trades or moves are being planned by the Predators, Colton Sissons will be on the team for years to come. He signed a seven-year deal Tuesday worth $20 million. The new pact keeps the Predators from going to arbitration with him, something that often turns nasty and leaves permanent bad feelings between player and management. Sissons was a restricted free agent, so the Predators had the right to match any offers he might have gotten, but the new deal also prevents another team from theoretically offering him a much bigger contract that they would either…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Barely missing the playoffs by a game last season evidently cost the Titans some national attention, because they are limited to just one contest in prime time the entire year. That will be the third game of the season when they head to Florida for a first encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though they’ve gone 9-7 the past three seasons and reached the divisional final two years ago, there remains plenty of skepticism nationally over whether the Titans are legitimate contenders or perennial close but not quite types. This season should be a good…