Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
College athletes
push for voter turnout
Lily Meskers faced an unexpected choice in the lead-up to the first major election she can vote in.
The 19-year-old University of Montana sprinter was among college athletes in the state who received an inquiry from Montana Together asking if she was interested in a name, image and likeness deal to support Sen. Jon Tester, a three-term Democrat seeking re-election. The group, which is not affiliated with the Tester campaign, offered from $400 to $2,400 to athletes willing to produce video endorsements.
Meskers, who is from Colorado but registered to vote in Montana, decided against the deal because she disagrees with Tester’s votes on legislation involving transgender athletes in sports.
“I was like, okay, I believe that this is a political move to try to gain back some voters that he might have lost,” Meskers said. “And me being a female student-athlete myself, I was not going to give my endorsement to someone who I felt didn’t have the same support for me.”
Professional athletes such as LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick and Stephen Curry have taken high-profile stances on hot-button topics and political campaigns in recent years, but college athletes are far less outspoken — even if money is available, according to experts in the NIL field. Being outwardly political can reflect on their school or endanger potential endorsement deals from brands that don’t want controversy. It can certainly establish a public image for an athlete — for better or for worse — or lead to tensions with teammates and coaches who might not feel the same way.
There are examples of political activism by college athletes: A Texas Tech kicker revealed his support for former President Donald Trump on a shirt under his uniform at a game last week and a handful of Nebraska athletes a few days ago teamed up in a campaign ad against an abortion measure on the Tuesday’s ballot.
Still, such steps are considered rare.
“It can be viewed as risky and there may be people telling them just don’t even take that chance because they haven’t made it yet,” said Lauren Walsh, who started a sports branding agency 15 years ago. She said there is often too much to lose for themselves, their handlers and in some cases, their families.
College coaches are not always as reticent. Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl has used social media to make it clear he does not support Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in next week’s presidential election. Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy once caused a stir with a star player for wearing a shirt promoting a far-right news outlet.
Blake Lawrence, co-founder of the NIL platform Opendorse, noted that this is the first presidential election in the NIL era, which began in July 2021. He said athletes are flocking to opportunities to help increase voter turnout in the 18-to-24 age demographic but are shying away from endorsing specific candidates or causes that are considered partisan.
“Student-athletes are, for the most part, still developing their confidence in endorsing any type of product or service,” he said. “So if they are hesitant to put their weight behind supporting a local restaurant or an e-commerce product, then they are certainly going to be hesitant to use their social channels in a political way.”
Two years ago, Tennessee-Martin quarterback Dresser Winn said he would support a candidate in a local district attorney general race in what experts said was very likely the first political NIL deal by a college athlete.
There have been very few since.
The public criticism and fallout for athletes who speak out on politics or social issue can be sharp. Kaepernick, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, hasn’t played in an NFL game since January 2017, not long after he began kneeling during the national anthem at games.
Walsh said it’s easier for wealthy and veteran stars like James and Ogwumike to take stands. James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, started More Than a Vote — an organization with a mission to “educate, energize and protect Black voters” — in 2020. He has passed the leadership to Ogwumike, who just finished her 13th year in the WNBA and also is the president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. More than a Vote is focused on women’s rights and reproductive freedom this year.
“They have very established brands,” Walsh said. “They know who they are and they know what their political stance is. They know that they have a really strong following that — there’s always going to be haters, but they’re also always going to have that strong following of people who listen to everything that they have to say.”
Many college athletes this election cycle have opted to focus on drumming up turnout in a non-partisan manner or simply using their platforms to take stands that are not directly political in nature. Some of those efforts, from NextGen America and The Team, can be found in battleground states like Arizona and Michigan.
Still, campaigns know young voters are critical this election cycle, and athletes offer an effective and familiar voice to reach them.
Political and social topics are not often broached, but this week six Nebraska athletes — five softball players and a volleyball player — appeared in an ad paid for by the group Protect Women and Children involving two initiatives about abortion laws on Tuesday’s ballot.
The female athletes backed Initiative 434, which would amend the state constitution to prohibit abortions after the first trimester, with exceptions. Star softball player Jordy Bahl said on social media that the athletes were not paid.
A University of Montana spokesperson said two athletes initially agreed to take part in the NIL deal backing Tester. The school said one withdrew and the other declined to be interviewed.
Meskers said she believes using influence as college athletes is good and she is in favor of NIL. She just doesn’t think the two should mix specifically for supporting candidates.
“I think especially as student athletes, we do have such a big voice and we do have a platform to use,” she said. “So I think if you’re encouraging people to do their civic duties and get up and go (vote), I think that’s a great thing.”
Patrick Mahomes among those trying to land WNBA team for Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. | Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the ownership group of the Kansas City Current, who play in the National Women’s Soccer League, have been meeting with WNBA officials a bout bringing an expansion franchise to the city.
Mahomes confirmed the talks Thursday, saying that it was a “no-brainer” to try to bring women’s hoops to Kansas City.
“Obviously, we want to get basketball in Kansas City in general,” said Mahomes, who also has ownership stakes in the Royals and MLS club Sporting Kansas City. “You talk about the University of Kansas basketball, the Chiefs, whatever it is, the city is going to come out to the stadium. It’s cool we were able to get the women’s soccer team here and you see the support they have.”
The Current, who play in a $117 million purpose-built stadium near downtown Kansas City, have regularly sold out their home matches this season. They begin the NWSL playoffs as the No. 4 seed on Nov. 9 after losing just three times all season.
Mahomes and his wife, Brittany — a former soccer player — frequently attend Current and Sporting KC matches. The Chiefs quarterback was in a suite at Kauffman Stadium a few weeks ago to watch the Royals play the Guardians in the playoffs.
“I think more than anything, I know how much sports has given to me,” said Mahomes, whose unbeaten Chiefs play Tampa Bay on Monday night. “Whenever I’m done with football — whenever that is — and I have to venture into life after football, and chase kids around, I want to still be a part of it. Hopefully, we can get this WNBA team here, for life after football, so I can make an impact in sports, and show my daughter that you can chase your dream, whatever dream that is.”
The WNBA is expanding by three teams over the next two seasons with Golden State, Portland and Toronto pushing the total number of franchises to 15. And while league commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the WNBA would like to add a 16th team by the 2028 season, Kansas City is expected to have competition from St. Louis, Philadelphia and several other cities.
The league has been buoyed by young stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, drawing its best attendance numbers in 22 years this past season. Game 5 of its championship peaked at 3.3 million TV viewers, the most-watched WNBA game in a quarter of a century, plus 22 telecasts during the 40-game regular season topped at least a million viewers across various networks.
Kansas City has long had the infrastructure for a professional basketball franchise, building the T-Mobile Center in 2007 with the hopes of luring an NBA or NHL club to town. Those teams never materialized, but the building has remained busy hosting concerts and other sports events, including the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments each March.
Mahomes believes a WNBA franchise would be the perfect fit for the downtown arena.
“They want to expand. Just like any other business, you have to pick and choose how,” he said. “Obviously, you’ve seen the last few years the WNBA has grown. We feel like Kansas City is a great place to continue that growth, but we have to battle other cities to show them that this is the right place.”
Los Angeles sees city
bus burned, store thefts and rowdy crowds
LOS ANGELES | Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting off fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police Thursday, but officials emphasized that most fans celebrated peacefully.
Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area late Wednesday after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 5 in New York.
Other video showed someone standing atop a bus waving a Dodgers banner and people running from a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing the merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.
Despite some unrest, “the overwhelming majority of celebrations last night were joyful and peaceful,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a Thursday news conference discussing the logistics of Friday’s planned victory parade.
“We will work to keep Angelenos safe as always,” Bass said, emphasizing that “violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
The mayor, who wore a Dodgers jersey with her name on the back, noted that the parade will be held on what would’ve been Fernando Valenzuela ‘s 64th birthday. The beloved Dodgers pitcher died last week.
Bass said she will be sending a Dodgers jersey to New York Mayor Eric Adams to wear at his City Hall “because he has lost the bet.”
Officials said the Los Angeles Police Department will be on high alert throughout the week to protect communities and businesses in the city, which has been the site of previous unrest after championship wins by both the Lakers and the Dodgers.
There were some “unruly, and at times violent and hostile celebrations” after Wednesday’s win, with several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, LAPD spokesperson Officer Drake Madison said in an email.
Arrests were on charges such as failure to disperse, receiving stolen property or commercial burglary, Madison said. There were also several instances of street takeovers downtown and police used less-lethal munitions to control several hostile and violent crowds, Madison said. In the coming days, detectives will attempt to identify those responsible for crimes, he said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his deputies would be on full alert for various events, including the celebrations of the Dodgers’ win, Halloween festivities and the upcoming elections. He urged fans to not shoot off illegal fireworks, take over intersections or spin out cars, all of which happened Wednesday night.
“The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community because most of them were out celebrating because they love their Dodgers,” Luna said.
The Dodgers plan to commemorate their championship Friday with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium. The team said Wednesday that because of logistics, traffic and timing, fans won’t be able to attend both events.
The parade was expected to include members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses along a 45-minute route on city streets.
Officials urged people to work from home and to use public transportation when possible Friday.
Japan celebrates as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto win World Series
TOKYO | The World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but there’s a hearty celebration going on across the Pacific Ocean in Japan, too.
People milled around the edge of the Ginza shopping area in central Tokyo on Thursday afternoon as single-sheet, special newspaper editions rolled off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees.
The headline in Japanese in the Sports Nippon newspaper, set in yellow and blue type — with red highlights — read: “No. 1 in The World. Ohtani beats the Yankees.”
“I want to thank my Japanese fans for coming all the way to cheer me this season,” Ohtani said on Japanese television. “That cheering gave me some energy so I’m glad I could return the gratitude my winning.”
The newspaper handouts are a Tokyo tradition when Japan celebrates a big event. And it was a scramble, as usual, with men and women — young and old —sprinting up and down the sidewalk to get their free collector’s items.
The Yomiuri Shimbun headline read: “Dodgers No. 1; Ohtani, Yamamoto in first season.”
Yasuko Shibata, an 80-year-old woman who said she faithfully watches Ohtani’s games, said she admired “Ohtani’s personality.” Not to mention his great play.
“His presence is huge,” she said. “He is a source of my energy. When he doesn’t do well, I also feel blue”
Another fan echoed her thoughts, standing near the Ginza underground entrance.
“He is the pride of Japan,” said Hideki Shinohara, who called himself a hardcore fan. “You cannot describe him with just ‘amazing.’ You need to invent a new word.”
Shinohara added: “He went through many things this year, and I didn’t expect him to come all this way. I am very pleased with what he has achieved. “
The Japanese pride in Ohtani is a huge one for a country whose players were once considered too small, or only good pitchers. Now, there is strong pride in the fact that their players are among the best in the game.
Japan defeated the United States in the World Baseball Classic final last year in Miami, another sign of the country’s prowess in the American pastime.
It was also a victory for Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan — Oshu City — where fans have been gathering all week and anticipating their superstar hero would help deliver the title.
About 38,000 special edition newspapers were also published in Iwate Prefecture, the northern area where Oshu City is located.
John Fisher pledges $1 billion to construction of A’s stadium
LAS VEGAS | Athletics owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas and U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, club executive Sandy Dean said Thursday.
Dean made his remarks to a special meeting of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board.
Dean said four letters will be presented at the Dec. 5 authority meeting asserting construction details and financing will be in place. Final approvals are expected to be made at that meeting to allow construction of the $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed ballpark.
“We feel like we’re on the right path and it will become clearer in the months ahead,” Dean told the board.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring with a targeted opening before the 2028 season. As much as $380 million in public funding will go into building the stadium, which will be on the Las Vegas Strip on the site of where the recently demolished Tropicana stood.
The A’s will play at least the next three seasons in West Sacramento, California.
They played their last of 57 seasons in Oakland, California this year.
—From AP reports
