Sports

Spotlight: How Women’s Soccer Head Coach Marsha Harper Breaks Down Barriers on and off the Field

BRANDON SMITH | Dec. 7

The American University Women’s Soccer team is in the midst of a resurgence, and it is thanks in large part to the culture change brought about by head coach Marsha Harper. Harper is in her third year as head coach of the Lady Eagles soccer team, and the team’s improvement is more evident with each passing year. The proof is in the pudding, as the team went from winless in her first year as head coach to three wins and eighth in their conference this past season.

Catfishing, Mental Health, and Homophobia in Football Culture

GENESIS KIDD | Nov. 10

Former Notre Dame and National Football League linebacker Manti Te’o is a victim of one of the most infamous catfishing scandals to date. This scandal is so well known, Netflix created a documentary, “Untold: The Girlfriend That Doesn’t Exist”. The documentary gives an amazing backstory on his life leading up to the scandal and the fallout it precipitated.

How Three Students of Color Are Redefining American University Wrestling

BRANDON SMITH | Oct. 30

Carsten, Max, and Breon are three students of color competing on a predominantly white team in a historically white sport, but the trio has not let the sport's noticeable lack of diversity deter them from achieving excellence.

How Three Students of Color Are Redefining American University Wrestling

BRANDON SMITH | May 9

Carsten, Max, and Breon are three students of color competing on a predominantly white team in a historically white sport, but the trio has not let the sport’s noticeable lack of diversity deter them from achieving excellence. Despite their young age, the freshman trio has racked up an abundance of accolades.

The Ins and Outs of Being A Black Male Basketball Athlete at AU

AMARIS LEVITT and TYLER MOORE | May 9

As American University’s Black community has grown there has been a large influx of Black men on the campus which has increased traction and motive to create insular and positive organizations and environments for Black men and athletes on campus to congregate and join in brotherhood. The strong sense of Blackness and commradie from freshmen Elijah Stephens [elijahstephens_], graduate students Marvin Bragg Jr. [messymarvv], and Stacky Beckton Jr. [4ep_beck] displays the pride, self-awareness, and rich experiences towards highlighting the embodiment of a Black man’s experience in America and at a PWI, such as American University.

Soccer: The U.S is Catching Up with the Rest of the World

TYLER MOORE | Apr. 10

Soccer, or commonly known to the rest of the world as “football”, was voted the #1 most popular sport in the world as of March 2022 by sports browser. With an estimated 3.5 billion fans, which is half the global population, it’s safe to say that the sport has earned its title. While it’s seen mass popularity in most parts of the world, soccer is just beginning to gain prominent notoriety in the U.S.

AU Excellence: Langston Carter and the Importance of Student Athlete Support

TYLER MOORE | Apr. 10

American University’s mens and women's swim team has a total of 47 players on their Division I roster including: Langston Carter (langstoncarter). Carter, a senior studying public relations with a minor in legal studies, has been a part of the team for all four years of his collegiate career and has been the only Black swimmer on American University’s swim team.

The Reckoning of the Rooney Rule

ADRIANA VILLATORO | Mar. 17, 2022

When former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a 58-page class-action lawsuit claiming racist hiring practices against the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and the NFL itself, all articles recalled one common denominator: the Rooney Rule

From PGC to DC: Getting to Know Basketball Athlete Colin Smalls

AMARIS LEVITT | Mar. 14, 2022

Any time you go to an AU Men’s Basketball game you can expect to see this Maryland born and raised player dominating the court, do you know who it is?

From BX to DC: Getting to Know Basketball Athlete Chris Gleaton

AMARIS LEVITT | Mar. 14, 2022

If I were to list three words that describe this AU Men’s basketball player, could you guess who? Ambitious, driven, and selfless.

History Made as Team USA’s Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman to win Gold in Olympic Speedskating

KENDEL BRABOY | Feb. 24, 2022

Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a gold medal for Winter Olympic speedskating or any medal, for that matter, in the event.

Score! How the AU Black Athlete Coalition is Fostering Community Amongst Black Students

BRANDON SMITH | Feb. 9, 2022

With the integral role sports play in American culture, athletes are often given an elevated platform to express their thoughts and opinions. At American University, the Black student-athletes are using their platforms to help make a difference

AU Excellence: Star Soccer Athlete Asia Horne Integrates Race and Sports

BRANDON SMITH and KENDEL BRABOY | Feb. 9, 2022

The American University athletic department is full of diverse and inclusive staff and athletes, and the women’s soccer team is no exception. American University graduate student, Asia Horne, is one of five Black women on the AU women’s soccer team.

The Sports World Has Ignored The Mental Health of Black Female Athletes

ONI CHAYTOR | Oct. 13, 2021

The discussion of Black treatment in sports through the lens of Biles, Osaka, and Williams. The similarities between these three athletes are very apparent: they are Black women and they have all been subject to critics' degradation of their character because they are Black women. Unlike their white counterparts, Black female athletes are expected to live up to "Black excellence" expectations and have to work twice as hard to prove their worthiness, all while having to cope with the intersections of race and gender-based violence that they experience, which can significantly deteriorate their overall well being.