🖤 Donations of all sizes power our public service journalism Give Now

How the game has changed for Black college athletes

Following a Florida bill that effectively bans DEI programs at the state's college and universities, the NAACP has called on Black athletes to reconsider attending predominantly white institutions.
"The game has changed, no pun intended," when it comes to athletes and activism, said "Marketplace" special correspondent Lee Hawkins. "NIL deals are now part of the equation, the stakes are so much higher."
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

For many Olympians and Paralympians, the path to Paris is self-funded

May 23, 2024
It's up to many athletes to pay for the bulk of training, coaching, travel, equipment and other expenses on the road to Paris.
Ben Washburne and his Paralympic teammates practice on the Charles River in Boston. Washburne juggles training with a full-time job.
Henry Epp/Marketplace

How can the WNBA maximize this moment?

May 14, 2024
Superstar rookies Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Kamila Cardoso bring a new wave of fans and media attention to the professional game — and now the WNBA's challenge is making it last.
Star players like Caitlin Clark don't hang around forever, so the WNBA is now tasked with getting new fans invested in teams, storylines and the league as a whole.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

When take your kid to work day goes viral

Apr 26, 2024
At 5 years old, Christopher Bess is already a high school basketball coach.
At just 5 years old, Christopher Bess appears to have already found his calling: coaching basketball.
Courtesy Bess

Meet the first Black baseball players

Apr 8, 2024
We're watching “The League,” a documentary about the contributions that Black baseball players and the Negro Leagues made to America’s pastime.
A magazine cover featuring Jackie Robinson in 1952.
Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images

NBA's in-season tournament aims to attract more — and earlier — viewers

Nov 15, 2023
Major league sports are getting more creative at a time when just 16% of Americans follow a team "very" or "extremely" closely.
Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus Buckeye pretends to sleep as the Michigan Wolverines starting lineup is announced. Turns out, most Americans are sleeping on sports too.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Take me out to the cricket game? Investors launch a professional league for the U.S.

Jul 13, 2023
Major League Cricket is starting with modest ambitions — a two-week season — but it hopes the game's popularity will spread in the U.S.
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma. Cricket has a huge fan base in South Asia, and Major League Cricket hopes to take the sport pro in the United States.
Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

MLB's new rules are drawing more fans to ballparks nationwide

Jul 11, 2023
More than two-thirds of Major League Baseball teams are ushering more fans through turnstiles.
New rules include a pitch clock, which means pitchers now have 20 seconds at most to throw the ball.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Senators to ask PGA Tour execs why they pivoted from slamming rival LIV to merging with it

Jul 11, 2023
The answer involves Saudi Arabian billions pouring into sports to buff up the kingdom's reputation.
Major state investment in a sport to call attention away from a record of human rights abuses is called sportswashing, says Wharton professor Kenneth Shropshire.
Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

NASCAR's run at Le Mans is only the start for global auto racing

Jun 23, 2023
A NASCAR-style Camaro ran in the famed 24-hour car race in France. It's another example of globalization in the sports world.
Does a Chevy Camaro at the famous Le Mans auto race signal more international crossovers to come in the sport?
Chris Graythen/Getty Images