Sports
Major league players praise the inclusion of Negro league statistics in major league records
CHICAGO (AP) — Buck Leonard. Charlie “Chino” Smith. Türkiye Stearnes.
Baseball players and fans alike are learning more about the Negro Leagues after statistics on greater than 2,300 players – historical figures resembling Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Satchel Paige and Mule Suttles – were included in the major league record book following a three-year study design.
“You’re going to learn about a lot of names and a lot of people that we may not have heard of,” Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen said Wednesday. “Now that Josh Gibson is at the top of the OPS and batting average rankings and several other categories, that’s great news. But it’s more than just that and numbers. It’s great that you can now learn more about players from the Negro Leagues. …I will be able to dig deeper into some of the names I may not have heard of.”
The 17-member commission, chaired by John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, met six times as part of a meticulous process of examining the statistics of the seven Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1948. According to MLB, nearly 75% of available records were included, and extra research may lead to more changes to the major league rankings.
“It’s really exciting,” Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene said. “I’m going to have to do a little more research and understand some of the history to kind of rewire my brain on some of the best players.”
Gibson became the majors’ profession leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367 batting average. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season record, followed by Smith’s .451 average for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants.
The powerful Gibson also became the profession leader in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), passing Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164).
“Baseball history is part of the history of the United States, and I believe that the major leagues’ recognition and inclusion of the Negro Leagues is a huge step toward bringing all the pieces of baseball history together,” said Tyrus Cobb, Ty Cobb’s great-grandson. “And I think it’s really exciting that there’s a new statistical leader in batting average.”
After hearing the news, Tyrus Cobb, 32, of San Jose, California, said he took a better take a look at Gibson’s profession.
“I made sure to look up him, Oscar Charleston and a few of the other guys who were at the top of the list,” said Cobb, who works in industrial real estate. “So I think it’s a really exciting thing for baseball history.”
The inclusion of Negro League statistics also modified the numbers of a handful of players higher known for his or her major league careers.
Willie Mays added 10 hits with the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, bringing his total to three,293. Minnie Minoso was credited with 150 hits for the New York Cubans from 1946 to 1948, bringing his total to 2,113. Jackie Robinson, who on the 1947 Dodgers, he broke the majors’ color barrier by having 49 hits on the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs, bringing his total to 1,567.
“It’s good news for the game,” Washington Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray said. “For Negro League players of the past who were exceptional at what they did, it’s good to be brought into the highlight. It’s really cool to see Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and so many other names that baseball fans can study and see that there was greater than just major league baseball back then.
The change comes amid a decline in the number of black players at mainstream firms. A study conducted by the Central Florida Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports found Black or African American players made up 6.2% of players on Opening Day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. Both numbers were the lowest since the study began in 1991, when 18% of MLB players were biracial black.
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On June 20 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants will play a Negro Leagues tribute game.
“I think it’s pretty cool that you’re showing appreciation,” Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks said. “They were two different leagues, but at the end of the day, it was still baseball, and at any time when they got together, you can see that the guys who had excelled in the Negro Leagues were actually performing in the MLB. So I feel it’s fair that in the event that they were still the same guy in the Negro Leagues as they were in MLB, those stats should match, especially if it was in the same era.
Brett Tinker, 56, of Nyack, New York, heard stories about the Negro Leagues from his grandfather, Harold “Hooks” Tinker, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, who played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Harold Tinker shared his love of sports. He told his grandson how often that they had to remain on the team bus because they couldn’t get into the hotel, and he showed off his collection of memorabilia.
When Brett Tinker heard about the inclusion of Negro League statistics, he was moved to tears.
“It’s an honor. It’s too late, not only for my grandfather, but for many players who never had a chance to receive this recognition,” he said.
Sports
Netflix sued over streaming issues during Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight
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).
Sports
In 2025, the Basketball Africa League play-offs will move to South Africa
The 2025 Basketball Africa League season will feature a brand new venue for the finals and playoffs and will also start at a brand new location.
The BAL 2025 Playoffs and Finals, scheduled for June 14, 2025, will happen at the recent home in Pretoria, South Africa. This will be the first time the BAL playoffs and finals haven’t been held in Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL 2025 season will also debut in a brand new location in Rabat, Morocco on April 5, 2025. During the BAL 2025 season, 12 of the best club teams from 12 African countries will play 48 matches in Rabat, Kigali and Dakar, Senegal, before traveling to Pretoria for play- offs.
“Over the first four seasons of BAL, we have seen tremendous growth in on-court competition, attendance and engagement from fans and partners in Africa and around the world,” BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said in a press release. “Our groundbreaking fifth season will build on this momentum and continue to showcase the level of talent and passion for basketball in Africa, including through the first BAL games in Morocco and the first BAL Finals in South Africa.”
The 12 teams will be divided again into three conferences of 4 teams each. The group stage of the Kalahari Conference will happen from April 5 to 13, 2025 in Rabat. The group stage of the Sahara Conference will be held in Dakar from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The group stage of the Nile Conference will be held in Kigali from May 17 to 25, 2025. Eight teams from the three conferences will qualify for the play-offs in Pretoria, which will start on June 6 and end with the BAL 2025 finals.
“The Kalahari conference marks another expansion of BAL into a new country on our continent and we are more than satisfied,” FIBA Africa president Anibal Manave said in a press release. “The competition continues to grow each year, providing greater exposure for our sport and helping to raise the level of basketball in Africa, making the league increasingly competitive.”
National champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia routinely qualify for the BAL. The remaining five teams are from FIBA Africa’s Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments.
In the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda of Angola became the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to win the championship. According to BAL, the 2024 BAL season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of greater than 120,000 fans in the 4 host countries and generated greater than 1.2 billion views across the NBA and BAL social media channels.
Sports
NFL star Terrell Owens signs a contract with Michael Strahan’s talent agency
NFL Hall of Fame receiver and podcast host Terrell Owens has signed with a talent agency to further strengthen his claims within the entertainment game.
According to , Owens was signed by SMAC Entertainment, headed by host and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz has also joined SMAC Entertainment.
“We are excited to add TO and Jordan to the SMAC family. They are both at the top of their game and set the standard in their industry,” Schwartz-Morini said in a written statement. “TO and Jordan have already brought an infectious energy to our team, and we are excited to help them realize their vision for careers in media, business and branding.”
A five-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Owens played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. In 2018, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A member of the 2000 NFL All-Decade Team, Owens finished his profession with 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards, 14.8 yards per catch and 153 touchdowns, rating third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Since retiring from skilled soccer in 2012, Owens has already made several moves. He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including “,” and in addition had his own reality show, “, on VH1.
He currently co-hosts the podcast with former NFL player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.
SMAC Entertainment is home to stars similar to rapper and actor Common, Wiz Khalifa, Strahan, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and current NFL players similar to Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.
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