Page 27 - Florida Sentinel 7-15-16 Online Edition

Sports
Minnesota Cops Walk Off Job After WNBA Players Warm-Up In Black Lives Matter Shirts
LeBron James On Social Activism: 'We All Have To Do Better'
CARMELO ANTHONY, CHRIS PAUL, DWYANE WADE AND LEBRON JAMES
Players from the WNBA team the Minnesota Lynx are taking a stand against police brutality, choosing, like many others have done, to warm up in shirts making a political statement.
The shirts, according to the Washington Post, read, “Change Starts With Us— Justice and Accountability” on the front. On the backs of the shirts were the names of two of the most recent vic- tims of fatal police-involved shootings—Alton Sterling and Philando Castile—the logo of the Dallas Police De- partment and the phrase, “Black Lives Matter.”
The Minnesota Lynx play- ers wore Black Lives Matter shirts during warm-up.
However, four off-duty police officers who were pro- viding security for the home game over the weekend were not impressed by the team’s warmup shirts, walking off the job following pregame
comments by some of the players and after seeing the shirts.
And, the Post notes, the president of the Minneapolis Police Federation “com- mended” the officers for their decision to quit, warn- ing that other officers may decide to take the same stance in similar situations should the need arise.
“If [the players] are going to keep their stance, all offi- cers may refuse to work there,” the president of the Minneapolis Police Union, Lt. Bob Kroll, said Monday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Floyd Mayweather Opening Strip Club In Las Vegas
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Floyd Mayweather
won't have to worry about strip club cover charges or outrageously overpriced vodka ... we've learned he's starting his own.
Floyd is opening a "high- end, classy" Vegas club called Girls Collection. It's opening on the Strip, next to Sapphire and Spearmint Rhino. Dom and Moet will flow like the wads of cash hurled at the girls.
And speaking of the girls, we're told all of the dancers are locked. The place is cur- rently being renovated and the doors will open in a few months.
Four of sport's biggest stars used the opening mo- ments of Wednesday night's ESPYS broadcast as a call to promote social change.
Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James took the stage together at the Mi- crosoft Theatre in Los Angeles and urged their fellow athletes to be active socially.
"Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe and countless others, they set a model for what athletes should stand for," said Paul, the Los Ange- les Clippers' star point guard. "So we choose to follow in their footsteps."
The message comes after high-profile shootings in Dal- las, Orlando and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
"The system is broken, the problems are not new, the vi- olence is not new, and the racial divide definitely is not new, but the urgency for change is definitely at an all- time high," said Anthony, the New York Knicks star who has been outspoken in the wake of the high-profile shooting deaths last week of two African-American men and five Dallas police officers.
Added Wade, who re- cently agreed to a deal with
his hometown Bulls in Chicago, where violence has surged in recent years: "The racial profiling has to stop. The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of black and brown bod- ies has to stop. But also the re- taliation has to stop. The endless gun violence in places like Chicago, Dallas, not to mention Orlando, it has to stop. Enough. Enough is enough."
James, who went on to win five ESPYS, including best male athlete and best NBA player, closed the speech by calling out to all athletes.
"Tonight we're honoring Muhammad Ali, the GOAT (greatest of all time)," he said. "But to do his legacy any jus- tice, let's use this moment as a call to action to all profes- sional athletes to educate our- selves, explore these issues, speak up, use our influence and renounce all violence and, most importantly, go back to our communities, invest our time, our resources, help re- build them, help strengthen them, help change them. We all have to do better."
ABC will air a Town Hall meeting with President Obama on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET from Washington, D.C. "The President and The People: A National Conversa- tion" will be shown commer- cial-free on ESPN and ABC, and streamed online at Watch ESPN and Watch ABC.
How Barry Bonds Has Helped Giancarlo Stanton Find His Swing
GIANCARLO STANTON AND BARRY BONDS
What you see when Miami Marlins outfielder Gian- carlo Stanton steps to the plate is a hulking 6-foot-6 and 245-pound star, blessed with the combination of power, speed and athleticism that makes scouts' eyes water.
His natural attributes are only fortified by the insa- tiable work ethic that has al- lowed the 26-year-old slugger to emerge as one of the top young talents in the game--andtocashinona historic 13-year, $325 million payday in 2014.
During this time he leaned on someone within his own dugout for advice --Barry Bonds. Who better to ask than the all-time home run leader, in his inaugural stint as the Marlins hitting coach?
"He's like a technician; he'll get as technical as you can understand or as simple as you need," Stanton told ESPN.com, laughing when asked which he preferred. "I'd say we grew together with that. Now, I want every last bit of knowledge -- which he knows some may not un- derstand -- but I wanna be as far into it as I can."
Bonds also chuckles when asked about his "tactician's approach," and how that is received within a clubhouse
that has myriad different learning styles and personal- ities.
"I just look at it this way: You either look at it right, or you like it wrong," Bonds said. "That's their choice. That's the bottom line."
Stanton Slams 61 To Become Home Run Derby Legend
Giancarlo Stanton is going to hit 60 home runs someday.
What we never imagined, though, was this. We never imagined there would come a time when Giancarlo Stan- ton would hit 61 home runs in one day.
But then came Monday evening, in a ballpark where home run balls were sup- posed to go to die. Instead, Petco Park would become the place where the legend of the great Giancarlo was born, in a Home Run Derby show that will shine on forever. And why does it feel as though we will never look at him the same again?
"He hit 61 home runs in 131⁄2 minutes?" gulped the pitcher who served up those 61 home runs, Miami Marlins coach Pat Shine. "That's al- most inhuman.
LeBron James Scores 7th Ave. Spot For Clothing Company
After four years of sales, the urban wear store launched by LeBron James and buddies, Unkwn, has taken office and showroom space in New York.
The retailer is within Space 530, a co-working and private work space on the mezzanine of 530 Seventh Ave. in the Gar- ment Center.
Founded by James and five friends, the original store was to be located in Akron, Ohio, but traveled south to the Aventura Mall near Miami when the basketball star bounced there to play for the Heat.
Now with James back in a lovefest with the Cleveland
LEBRON JAMES
Cavaliers fresh off its NBA championship, the New York City space, a private office within Space 530, has become a buyers’ hub for its e-com- merce and retail.
Unknwn carries urban and sports brands from Nike to Bathing Ape, Comme des Gar- cons and even its own label.
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 15-A