While the University of Maryland's football season is likely to be scoreless following the Big Ten's decision to suspend gameplay amid the coronavirus pandemic, head coach Mike Locksley is still putting in work off the field in an initiative to bring more minority coaches to the next level in their careers.
Locksley, one of just 13 minority head coaches in the NCAA's top 65 football programs, started the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches that aims to help elevate qualified coaches on all levels, including youth programs.
"We have so many qualified minority candidates that have trained their entire careers for these opportunities and what the coalition wants to do is, the three pillars of it is: to prepare, promote, and produce the next level of coaches, or head coaches," Locksley told Cheddar.
The NCMFC's board of directors, according to Locksley, is made of football professionals, including executives and both former and current coaches. Some notable members of the coalition include the University of Alabama's Nick Saban and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin.
Among the obstacles that minority coaches face in leveling up their careers, Locksley said, is that they are not afforded the same opportunities as their counterparts.
"When we formed the coalition, our goal was to try to create [opportunities] and remove some of the roadblocks that we haven't been able to overcome with just being able to have the opportunity to get these jobs," he noted.
The idea behind the coalition is to provide a "viable list of candidates" to leagues that, with the backing of the coalition and its connections, are inclined to be interviewed and assessed.
While the NFL has established the Rooney Rule, a mandate that requires each team to interview minority candidates, the NCAA does not have a similar guideline in place.
For Locksley, the grind of preparing for battle on the gridiron translates to his fight for success in helping elevate more minority coaches. Slow and steady wins the race, according to the coach.
"There's a process that goes into winning and for me, that's what the coalition's job to do is: to focus on the process of one, removing roadblocks, two, creating the awareness that we do have qualified individuals that are minorities that can do the job," he stated.
BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down tonight's big Bucks-76ers matchup -- likely Philly's last game without James Harden.
Sponsored by BetMGM
While many are excited to watch the final two NFL teams square-off and see which one ultimately takes home the trophy, some, on the other hand, are there for another mian attraction -- the commercials. Companies during this year's game are looking towards the future From electric vehicles, to robots, and crypto-currency, several first-time advertisers are expected to join long-time advertisers like Pepsi, Budweiser and Doritos during the NFL's biggest game. Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA, joined Cheddar News' Big Game Special to discuss.
This week's Spring Training has been delayed as a result of the ongoing MLB Lockout. This past Saturday lead negotiators and lawyers from Major League Baseball and the players union met to discuss the economic hurdles needed to be cleared for a new labor deal, but from all accounts, it seems the sides are still far apart. Baseball Columnist and Publisher of "The Joe Sheehan" Baseball Newsletter, Joe Sheehan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Super Bowl might be over, but people are still buzzing about the players, commercials, halftime show, and more. Google tracks the top searches before and after the game every year, revealing the show-stopping moments of the biggest sporting event of the year. Sadie Thoma, Director of US Creative Partnerships at Google, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the top trends this year.
Private equity firms are taking a big interest in investing in NBA teams, the sports league showing the highest ROI over the last two decades according to Sportico, Forbes, and PitchBook. Wylie Fernyhough, lead analys for private equity at PitchBook joined Cheddar News to discuss the way firms are looking to get a piece of the action on the court. “There’s a certain amount of rarity, with these," Fernyhough said. "They’re not exactly printing new NBA franchises."
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
Drake gambled $1.3 million in Bitcoin on Sunday’s Super Bowl — and won. Some of the action that the rapper placed bets on included the LA Rams to win outright and Odell Beckham Jr. to score a touchdown.
