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Thomas Hammock’s Victory Over Notre Dame Is a Statement on Equal Opportunity

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In the second week of my seek for the primary black coach to win a national championship in college football, I used to be caught off guard by a surprising message from Thomas Hammock of Northern Illinois University.

NIU defeat Fifth-ranked Notre Dame, coached by Marcus Freeman, certainly one of the few black coaches at schools with the resources, schedule and conference affiliations to usually compete for a national title. Michigan’s Sherrone Moore and Penn State’s James Franklin also make the list. Black coaches at UCLA, Purdue and Maryland all have a possible path, in some unspecified time in the future, to winning the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. And you never know what might occur in the longer term with Deion Sanders coaching at Colorado (for now).

But Hammock? In the Mid-American Conference? Who a few years ago thought he’d never get a likelihood to be a head coach?

Northern Illinois still has a slim likelihood of creating the playoffs, let alone winning all of it. But no matter where the Huskies find yourself, Hammock made a huge statement about equal opportunity, and his uninhibited tears after defeating the Irish in South Bend, Indiana, showed that college football still has heart and a higher purpose amongst all greed AND destroyed traditions.

Tracing the “first black” people could be tiresome—some would argue that President Barack Obama has rendered the topic moot—but I believe we’d like to proceed to look at the arenas where black people have been denied equal opportunity to succeed. Only 16 of 134 trainers in the very best league of faculty football there are black people, while greater than half of the players are black.

The indisputable fact that no black coach has won a national championship in college football means various things to different people. I asked Hammock: What does that mean to you?

“As a player, it motivates me,” he said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “It should motivate all the black coaches who have the opportunity (to be starters). It’s something we should strive for.”

Some black coaches simply want to educate without the added burden or pressure of being liable for the progress of black people normally. That in itself is a measure of equality, as white coaches are generally free from racial expectations.

Hammock is just not certainly one of those coaches.

“Of course, I want other black coaches to have the opportunities that I have,” he said. “I want to represent black coaches in the right way and make sure that I can help provide more guys with opportunities. And I think it’s important for all of us to do the right things, do the right thing and put our teams in a position to win so that others behind us have a chance to become the first black coach to win a national championship.”

Hammock, who’s 43, could do it himself. That could be tough at NIU, which might need to win the MAC and be ranked higher than the winners of Conference USA, the American Athletic Conference, the Mountain West and the Sun Belt to make the playoffs. Then NIU would need to undergo a bracket with star programs with greater budgets and dearer talent. Northern Illinois has only one former player on the NFL roster for 2024; Michigan, for instance, has 41.

But Hammock clearly has the flexibility to educate. If he keeps winning, other job offers could come his way — which could be ironic, considering he almost didn’t get the possibility to educate.

Hammock played running back at NIU, with two 1,000-yard seasons and two Academic All-American honors. In the primary game of his senior 12 months, he rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a surprising win over Wake Forest — then was diagnosed with a heart condition that ended his profession.

“I never wanted to be a coach. I never wanted to coach people like me. I was a jerk in college,” Hammock said. “But when the game is taken away from you, you realize how much you love it, you realize how much the team spirit is a part of your life, and I wanted the opportunity to get back into the game.”

Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock (center) plays against Notre Dame on Sept. 7 in South Bend, Indiana.

Michael Caterina/AP Photo

Hammock went to Wisconsin as a graduate assistant, where he was mentored by the quarterbacks coach. Henry MasonAfter stints at NIU, Minnesota and Wisconsin again, he moved to the NFL in 2014 to educate running backs for the Baltimore Ravens. He was also mentored by Eric Bieniemy, who’s Exhibit A for black coaches who were never given the chance to change into head coaches that similarly talented white coaches got.

Hammock desired to change into a college coach but was unable to get an interview, even within the lower league of FCS, Division I college football.

“I really had it in my head to turn it down,” Hammock said. “Just because there are so many more goalies now than there ever were. … It’s just another way to keep you from taking advantage of the opportunity, from getting close to the opportunity, in my opinion. So I thought, you know what? I’m going to be an NFL assistant.”

Then the job opened up at NIU. Historically, the predominant reason black coaches were excluded from consideration was because they weren’t a part of the predominantly white network of faculty presidents and athletic directors. In all walks of life, people are inclined to hire people they know. But NIU athletic director Sean Frazier happened to work with Hammock at Wisconsin. And Frazier was black.

Hammock landed his dream job and embraced his old coaching mentality, prioritizing relationships, learning and private growth over the brand new, transactional nature of faculty football.

“I never wanted to coach people like me. I was a jerk in college. But when the game is taken away from you, you realize how much you love it, you realize how much the team spirit is a part of your life, and I wanted the opportunity to get back into the game.”

—Thomas Hammock

“I really grew as a man at NIU and the impact that the coaches had on me and my development as a student, I wanted to have that same impact on others,” Hammock said. “I spent five years in the National Football League. I fully understand what transactional means. But for 18-22-year-old young men, it takes more than that. They’re at a critical point in their lives where they need to grow so they can make great decisions as they become adults, as they become fathers, as they become husbands, as they become productive members of society.”

That could be hard to do in top-tier programs, where players sign with the very best bidder after which bounce from school to highschool. But those programs also provide the perfect opportunity to realize certainly one of the last “first black” milestones in sports.

Is Hammock occupied with taking it to the following level?

“My goal is to make the most of this season, right?” he said. “We just got a big win over Notre Dame. How will we get our players ready for the following game?

“I can’t predict what will happen in the future.”

Jesse Washington is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. He still gets buckets.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Michael Jordan invests in the Courtside Ventures VC fund

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Micheal Jordan, Brightness In Black,storyCorp, Jordan Bran


After adding greater than $2 billion to his personal fortune after selling the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, basketball legend Michael Jordan put a few of his money right into a sports fund to boost $100 million.

According to Sportico, Jordan does investing in the Courtside Ventures enterprise capital fund, which focuses on sports, lifestyle and gaming.

The media received a text message from certainly one of Courtside Ventures’ business partners, Curtis Polk, confirming the details about Jordan’s investment. The amount he invested was not disclosed.

Polk is Jordan’s business partner and co-owner of the NASCAR 23XI Racing team.

Company website lists The Athletic, 100 Thieves and Jackpot.com as a part of its portfolio. According to Courtside Ventures’ LinkedIn profile, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in New York.

The partners are Deepen Parikh, Vasu Kulkarni and Kai Bond. The group’s advisors include former NFL player Larry Fitzgerald and former DraftKings executive Sean Hurley.

In June, the company submitted approx Form D with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission outlining Courtside Ventures’ intentions to boost $100 million in its fourth round of funding. A complete of $190 million was raised in the first three rounds.

Jordan plays the role of an influence player. According to , he recently became the owner of a brand new Gulfstream G650ER private jet, useful for roughly $65 million.

Jordan has turn out to be an astute businessman since he retired from basketball and commenced investing in many ventures that increase his profits.

He and Polk, together with their 23XI Racing partner, racer Denny Hamlin, recently filed an antitrust lawsuit with one other automotive owner, Front Row Motorsports, against NASCAR and CEO Jim France, alleging that it engaged in anticompetitive practices to forestall fair competition on the sports market.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has the experience and influence of being an NFL coach

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As the next NFL recruiting cycle begins, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is once more a number one head coaching candidate. And rightly so.

Over the course of three seasons leading an impressive Lions offense that’s amongst the best and fun to look at in the league, Johnson has established himself as an astute X’s and O’s man. It’s easy to see why franchises trying to fill top coaching positions have been courting him over the last two cycles.

Perhaps franchise owners must also take an extended take a look at Johnson’s defensive counterpart, as Lions defensive quarterback Aaron Glenn is value far more attention. As it seems, Detroit coach Dan Campbell made a fantastic move by hiring each of his top lieutenants.

Although Glenn didn’t achieve his Detroit colleague’s rock star status during interviews, he played a serious role in the band’s impressive turnaround under Campbell. This season, Glenn has received high praise from around the league for keeping the Lions defense healthy, which lost several key players to injury, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season in Week 6.

Campbell praises Glenn for his work ethic and willingness, traits Campbell has admired in his friend since their days as NFL teammates and their time together as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints. What sets Glenn aside from many coaches is the way he runs, Campbell says, and any team owner can be sensible to present Glenn his own shop to run.

As the NFC North’s top team prepares for Sunday’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts, Glenn, 52, is making all the right moves on a defense shorthanded. While injuries are a component of life in skilled sports’ most dangerous workplace, some losses are far more difficult to beat than others.

In a 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Hutchinson suffered two broken bones in his left leg and underwent season-ending surgery. The Pro Bowler entered the game leading the NFL in sacks, quarterback hits and pressures. The Lions were missing Marcus Davenport, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3.

Then, during a 52-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, linebacker Alex Anzalone suffered a broken forearm. He is predicted to be sidelined for a maximum of eight weeks. Detroit decided to step up its passing game by acquiring linebacker Za’Darius Smith in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, but it surely’s as much as Glenn to shoulder the defensive load and find latest ways to best utilize his remaining energetic players.

The evidence shows that Glenn performed well under duress.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches from the sidelines during a Nov. 17 game at Ford Field in Detroit.

Steven King/Sportswire Icon

Against Detroit, opponents rating an average of 17.7 points and 94.8 rushing yards, which supplies the team fifth place in the league in each categories. The Lions (9-1) lead the Philadelphia Eagles by one game in the race for the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs, and Glenn is earning rave reviews for his contributions to their success.

The evidence of Glenn’s coaching acumen is each indisputable and overwhelming, said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vp of football operations.

“Throughout Aaron’s NFL career and now in his current position as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, he has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, development and creativity,” Vincent wrote to Andscape in a text message Wednesday. “There is no denying his tremendous coaching ability, as evidenced by the Lions’ vastly improved defense.”

Since he and Glenn had briefly been teammates with the Dallas Cowboys, Campbell believed Glenn had what it took to in the future change into a fantastic coach.

Taken twelfth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft, Glenn had a 15-year profession with the Jets, Houston Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints. The three-time Pro Bowl running back then moved on to coaching and scouting, eventually working his way as much as the position of director of the Saints’ secondary under then-coach Sean Payton. Campbell coached the Saints on tight ends, and the Texas A&M graduates formed a bond.

After Campbell became Detroit’s coach in 2021, Glenn followed him to run the team’s defense. Make no mistake, hiring Glenn was one of Campbell’s most significant moves in his efforts to show around the troubled Lions.

In the 2008-09 season, the Lions went 0-16. Before the arrival of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions last won the league title in the 1993-94 season. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1991-92 season. Last season, the Lions achieved each feats en path to the NFC Championship Game.

To their credit, the Lions have picked up on offense quicker than defense (they lead the league in scoring at 33.6 points per game), which contributed to Johnson being more wanted to potentially fill coaching vacancies than Glenn. However, Glenn has been interviewing for the last three cycles and Campbell is confident that Glenn is prepared to guide the entire team.

“He has great vision to put together a plan,” Campbell told reporters in Detroit. “He understands football thoroughly. And if you start talking about his leadership, he’s one of those guys, he’s special. He is special. He has.

“His ability to communicate, relate, push, grind, love and demand – he has it all. He is an excellent speaker, he is an outstanding teacher. … That’s why I say I’m lucky to have him working with me.”

For Glenn, nothing is more essential than all the time setting the right example.

“I try to do everything I can to focus on the players,” Glenn said. “I’m trying to do everything I can to focus on the team and get the most out of… my staff to make sure we’re on track in terms of playing good defense. Everyone is different. And that makes it nice to be able to take advantage of each player’s unique characteristics and put them in the right positions (to be successful).”

Glenn’s coaching philosophy is easy: be authentic and make a positive impact on those around you.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn reacts during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field in Detroit on November 17.

Junfu Han Network/USA TODAY via Imagn Images

“The most important thing is to be yourself,” Glenn said. “Players know a fake once they see one. And if you attempt to cheat this business, you’re going to get kicked out of it in a short time because then the respect factor disappears.

“For me, leadership comes down to one word –… How do you influence players? What influence do you have on coaches? Leadership isn’t about me giving pathetic speeches. They’ve heard this before. That’s how I influence these guys.”

The buzz around the league is that while Glenn has been considered for the head coaching position in previous cycles, he’s well-positioned to be a finalist for the position on this one. He can be one of the strongest candidates, said Rod Graves, leader of a gaggle that advises the NFL on diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring process.

“Aaron has proven to be one of the best coaches in the NFL,” Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, wrote to Andscape in a text message. “He joined the league’s elite as an excellent strategist.

“The Detroit Lions have developed an attitude of toughness, physicality and attention to detail. Aaron is a big reason for this. He trains like he plays.”

“There is an expectation that Aaron will undoubtedly be involved when head coaching positions become available. Maybe he will be the beginning of Coach Campbell’s tree,” Vincent wrote in a text message.

Even if Johnson continues to be the first to branch out on his own, Glenn definitely seems capable of rising higher. It’s only a matter of whether team owners pay more attention to others who’re improving.

Jason Reid is a senior NFL author at Andscape. He likes watching sports, especially any matches through which his son and daughter participate.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Netflix sued over streaming issues during Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight

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Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, Boxing, professional record, July 20, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations


More than 60 million viewers reportedly tuned in to observe the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, with many experiencing issues while streaming the event on Netflix. Given the issues one man needed to cope with because of streaming difficulties, he sued the streaming giant for $50 million.

According to , Florida resident Ronald “Blue” Denton filed a class-action lawsuit on November 18. The lawsuit related to a fight between the 2 men on Friday, November 15, which resulted in a unanimous decision victory for Paul over Tyson. The viewer is suing the corporate, amongst others. for breach of contract.

reports Denton wrote: “60 million Americans were thrilled to see “Iron” Mike Tyson, “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” versus award-winning YouTuber Jake Paul.” What they saw was “The Worst Streaming on the Planet.”

As the fight continued, many individuals on social media complained that they were having trouble watching the fight. Some complaints included buffering issues or inability to access the app.

Stating that “over 100,000 people have complained online,” the lawsuit said that “boxing fans, in addition to average Americans wanting to see the legend in what is probably going his final fight, have been faced with legendary issues including lack of access, streaming glitches and buffering issues.”

reported that Netflix admitted it was aware of its customers’ streaming issues during the boxing match.

“We don’t want to downplay the bad experience some members had and know we have a lot of room for improvement, but we still consider this event a huge success.”

Netflix announced that the fight was watched by 60 million people worldwide and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams.

Tyson (58), who has not boxed for several years, is over 30 years older than Paul (27).


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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