Tag: sports

Activists Demand Reparations for Latinos for Land Under Dodger Stadium

Activists are demanding reparations for land in the Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles that currently sits under Dodger Stadium, part of a broader movement across California that has focused thus far on African Americans.

The New York Times reported Wednesday on “the growing call for reparations from descendants of the people who lived where Dodger Stadium was built.” It cited reporting earlier this month by Jesus Jiménez, who wrote:

[I]n the early 1950s, the city of Los Angeles began displacing the residents of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop, through voluntary purchases and eminent domain, with plans to build a housing project in the area.

It was never built, and eventually, after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, the team acquired the deed to the land. A condition was that the team build a stadium with capacity for at least 50,000 people.

…

The last of the families were forcefully evicted by sheriff’s deputies in May 1959. One woman, Aurora Vargas, who was known as Lola, was infamously photographed being carried out of her home by deputies. An article in The Los Angeles Times on May 9, 1959, described the scene as a “long skirmish.” Vargas was kicking and screaming and children were “wailing hysterically,” the newspaper reported.

The activists formed an organization in 2018 called Buried Under the Blue. They drew encouragement from the successful effort to obtain restitution for the original black owners of Bruce’s Beach. As Breitbart News noted:

The owners, Willa and Charles Bruce, purchased the land in 1912 and created a beach resort catering to black clients before the city used eminent domain to seize the property.

The land was dormant for decades until the city built a park in 1960 and later renamed it Bruce’s Beach. Descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce sued, claiming the eminent domain program was racially motivated.

The website for Buried Under the Blue states that the group’s mission is “to preserve our history of our three destroyed communities” and “[t]o empower and educate all people to create healthier communities, sustainable communities, and maintain historical documents for self-determination.” While the Times describes the group as “Latino,” the website refers to the former inhabitants of the area under Dodger Stadium as “indigenous.”

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NBA Takes Steps to Ease Cannabis Restrictions: This Week in Cannabis Investing

The NBA took a major step forward this week by allowing players to invest in and promote cannabis brands. 

Michele Roberts, a former executive director of the NBA Players Association and now a member of the board of directors at Cresco Labs (CRLBF(opens in new tab)), previously predicted that NBA would consider changing its policies around cannabis. 

As of the terms listed in the leagues’ new collective bargaining agreement, cannabis will also be removed from the banned substances list for players. This is a welcome change for a cannabis industry seeking additional sources of capital while it continues to erode the old-world stigmas created by previous generations. 

We’ve seen a number of professional athletes getting involved in the cannabis industry after their sports careers. They are a group that is keen on the benefits cannabis provides for pain and inflammatory management, and many are also passionate about making a difference. Former NBA veteran Al Harrington’s Viola Brands(opens in new tab) immediately comes to mind as a trailblazer here. We’re excited to welcome more athletes, especially those as passionate about building their brands and business ventures as they are about their active profession.

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Supreme Court rules West Virginia transgender athletes can compete on female sports teams

The Supreme Court has ruled that transgender athletes in West Virginia can compete on female school sports teams in response to a challenge by the state to allow it to enforce a law that prohibits such athletes from doing so.

In a brief, unsigned order, the justices denied the state’s emergency request to lift an appeals court’s injunction, which enabled a transgender girl to compete on her middle school’s female teams until the three-judge panel reaches a final decision.

The appeals panel is now set to hear the student athlete’s appeal in full, and the case could ultimately return to the high court.

Justice Samuel Alito in a statement joined by Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting from the decision said the case “concerns an important issue that this Court is likely to be required to address in the near future.”

West Virginia in 2021 became the seventh state in the nation — and the sixth that year — to enact a law prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams. The measure, officially titled the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” bars transgender female athletes from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity in public elementary schools, high schools and universities.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) could not cite a specific example of a transgender athlete with an unfair competitive advantage in his state when asked during an interview following his approval of the bill, but he said his experience as a girls’ basketball coach led him to believe the legislation is fair.

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Former NFL Player Eric Johnson Among 8 People Arrested For Human Trafficking & Gang Charges

Former NFL defensive back Eric Johnson and seven others were charged with human trafficking and other gang-related charges last Friday.

Johnson, 46, played in The League from 2000-2005 with the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals. He’s now part of an apparent trafficking ring that stands accused of multiple acts involving four adult women and one female minor.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says the LOTTO Gang members – including Johnson – are facing charges of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act, conspiracy to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, aggravated assault and kidnapping.

Eric Johnson and the other seven suspects were indicted by the grand jury on Feb 8.

“Throughout our state, gangs are actively engaged in human trafficking as a primary means to make money, and we are using all available resources to fight back and protect our most vulnerable,” Carr told FOX 5 Atlanta. “By combining the strengths of our Human Trafficking and Gang Prosecution Units, we are working to ensure that those who lead, promote and encourage this unlawful activity are vigorously pursued and held accountable for their actions.”

“This indictment is just the latest outcome in our ongoing efforts to keep our children and our families safe, as we seek to root out violent crime wherever it occurs.”

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The Pat Tillman Story Was Hijacked During the Super Bowl

Advocates of peace, truth, and basic human decency on Sunday excoriated the National Football League’s “whitewashing” of former Arizona Cardinal and Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan by so-called “friendly fire” and the military’s subsequent cover-up – critical details omitted from a glowingly patriotic Super Bowl salute.

As a group of four Pat Tillman Foundation scholars chosen as honorary coin-toss captains at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona were introduced via a video segment narrated by actor Kevin Costner, viewers were told how Tillman “gave up his NFL career to join the Army Rangers and ultimately lost his life in the line of duty.”

The video did not say how Tillman died, what he thought about the Iraq war, or how the military lied to his family and the nation about his death. This outraged many viewers.

“Obviously the army killing Pat Tillman and covering it up afterwards is the worst thing the U.S. military did to him, but the years they’ve spent rolling out his portrait backed by some inspirational music as a recruiting tool is a surprisingly close second,” tweeted progressive writer Jay Willis.

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DAMAR HAMLIN FANS THINK ‘NEW HAND TATTOO’ TIES INTO ‘CLONE’ CONSPIRACY THEORY

Damar Hamlin fans think his ‘new hand tattoo’ ties into a ‘clone’ conspiracy. The ridiculous theories first circulated around the time of his cardiac arrest in early January.

The NFL Honors took place on Thursday evening in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual awards ceremony acknowledges standout achievements and accomplishments from the recent NFL season.

A whole host of NFL stars were in attendance at the event, which saw Patrick Mahomes awarded NFL MVP. However, the most memorable moment of the night came when Damar Hamlin accepted the Alan Page Community Award.

The Bills safety suffered an on-field cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals on 2 January. He was listed in a critical condition for over a week before he thankfully recovered.

One of the more bizarre things to emerge from Hamlin’s incident was the theory that he died on the field and was replaced by a clone or body double.

As reported by The Independent, conspiracy theorists at the time hypothesised that the FBI and NFL quickly dispatched Hamlin’s body to Cincinnati Medical Centre to hide his death, replacing him with someone else.

Needless to say the theory is completely baseless. However, the theories have once again emerged following the appearance of Damar Hamlin’s ‘new hand tattoo’.

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IRS Targeting Fantasy Sports (and much more) with New Tax Code Change: “Most Americans are about to get run over, and they have no idea.”

The IRS continues to be in the news cycle due to a continuous back and forth about how much power it will continue to have, and whether or not it will be weaponized even further against the average American. Even with the current delay of the onerous attempt to hit gig workers with a $600 threshold for reporting, they forge ahead, empowered by an $80 billion investment under the Inflation Reduction Act and some new code changes.

First it was reported that a new IRS alert went out to explain that there would be a new question to answer regarding “digital assets” and how to stay in compliance. Failure to answer accurately could spark and audit and attendant consequences.

“All taxpayers must answer the question regardless of whether they engaged in any transactions involving digital assets,” the agency cautioned.

It is a legal requirement to accurately report all income, including income from digital assets, on federal income tax returns. Failure to do so could result in non-compliance with tax laws and possible penalties. – Source:  The Epoch Times

Now there is a new target for tax oversight: your friendly fantasy sports league. Clearly not intending to wage war against billionaire tax cheats as advertised, this latest code change is set to “cause a sizable increase in audits and taxes on Americans, especially those using transaction services like Venmo and PayPal for fantasy sports, according to tax experts,” reports Fox News.

One tax expert, Bruce Willey, even likened it to being put in the path of an oncoming truck.

“Most Americans are about to get run over, and they have no idea. If they’re not prepared for it, things could get pretty ugly for people,” he said.

The same previously mentioned mechanism for gig workers is finding its way into fantasy sports for those who use online apps as their payment systems. Additional scenarios and specifics were described by BakerHostetler Nationwide Tax Chair Jeff Paravano. As one should quickly see, it’s vague, extremely burdensome on all parties involved, and will likely do nothing except drive up the numbers of audits and extortion that will result.

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A Good Democrat: Liberal NBA Player Stephen Curry Opposes Affordable Housing Development Near His Mansion

NBA player Stephen Curry is a liberal, Biden-supporting Democrat. He is also a hypocrite.

Despite being part of a nonprofit that “aims to promote economic equality and opportunity,” Curry and his wife are opposing the construction of an affordable housing development near their multi-million dollar mansion.

It’s classic NIMBY – Not in my back yard.

The Washington Free Beacon reports:

Lib NBA Star Stephen Curry Opposes Affordable Housing Near His $30 Million Mansion

NBA superstar and Biden-supporter Stephen Curry is opposing the proposed construction of a low-income multifamily unit proposed for construction next to his $30 million mansion, saying he has “major concerns” for his “privacy” and “safety.”

Curry, who joined a nonprofit in 2021 focused on “bridging the racial wealth gap,” wrote a letter with his wife Ayesha to the city of Atherton, Calif., asking that it reconsider the construction of a 16-unit property near their estate.

“We hesitate to add to the ‘not in our backyard’ (literally) rhetoric, but we wanted to send a note before today’s meeting,” the couple wrote in the letter. “Safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority.”

While the Golden State Warriors guard opposes affordable housing in his own neighborhood, Curry in 2021 joined the nonprofit NinetyToZero, which aims to promote economic equality and opportunity…

Curry is a longtime Democrat. He joined former president Barack Obama for a town hall on racial equality in 2019. A year later, he put his kids in front of a camera during the 2020 DNC to endorse Joe Biden. He gave $10,000 to Colin Kaepernick-linked charities and called Donald Trump’s 2024 run a ‘threat.”

He wants to help the little guy, as long as it doesn’t happen in his neighborhood.

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No, Damar Hamlin was not replaced by a body double

Activists who blamed NFL star Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse this month on Covid-19 vaccines have concocted another baseless conspiracy theory – that the player has been replaced by a “body double” or even a “clone”.

It’s an escalation of rumours that circulated after Mr Hamlin’s injury.

The latest allegations claim the player is dead and has been “replaced”.

The anti-vaccination activists stoking the wild claims on Twitter have provided no proof.

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