Athletes' Voices | Pitch for Change Speaker Series | 2020 - 2021 | EPISODE SEVEN (Webcast)
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 | 5:00 PM ET - 6:30 PM ET (2:00 PM PT - 3:30 PM PT)
PLAY EQUITY | Access to Physical Education and Youth Sports: A Social Justice Issue
“Participating in youth sports can positively affect feelings of enjoyment; influence perceived competence, confidence, and self-esteem; and provide an avenue for the development of social skills, teamwork, leadership, and life skills” (National Youth Sports Strategy - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 19 September 2019).
In communities and populations where there is a lack of access, the impact is striking. Never has the need been greater than it is right now. In a post-COVID world, the divide between youth with and without access to resources has increased, the prevalence of social-emotional challenges is staggering and all-encompassing and the rate of obesity is continuing to skyrocket.
A provocative and action-oriented conversation, featuring athletes and practitioners who are on the front lines of this important topic:
Marsha Blount | Women's American Basketball Association (WABA) (Chief Executive Officer), first female African-American owner of a men's professional basketball team (2005) - Newark Express (Jersey Express) of the historic American Basketball Association (ABA), former coach of the Lady Diamonds - a precursor to the WNBA, one of three captains of the Mount Vernon High School girls basketball team that won the first New York State Girls Public School Championship while going undefeated at 25-0 - she was the team MVP and her jersey was later retired.
Phaidra Knight | Women’s Sports Foundation (President); World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee and 18-year member of the US Women's National Rugby team with 35 international caps, 3x Women's Rugby World Cup participant, 2x All-World Team honoree, USA Rugby's Player of the Decade (2010) sports media talent, and mixed martial artist. Lawyer. Founder of PSK Collective activewear; founder of PeaK Unleashed, focusing on LGBTQ rights, race and anti-bullying.
Brandon A. Logan | The Doug Williams Center, an affiliate of Grambling State University (Executive Director), social entrepreneur leader of the Center building an ever-growing network of solutions for diversity and inclusion in collegiate and professional sports in partnership with the NFL and Learfield IMG College; named to Essence Magazine's "50 Baddest Brothers in America" list, winner of Rotary Club's "Service Above Self" award, graduate of Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program.
Alana Nichols | 3x Gold + 1x Silver + 1x Bronze medalist in Paralympics for Alpine Skiing and Wheelchair Basketball; first woman to take Gold in both Summer and Winter Paralympic games (2008, 2010). Competed in sprint kayaking (paracanoe) at the 2016 Paralympic games. Won first ever all-female adaptive surf competition, placed 5th in Surfing America USA Championships and advocating for inclusion in 2028 games in Los Angeles. BA in Education from University of Arizona, MS in Kinesiology from University of Alabama. Board member at: espnW, The Women’s Sports Foundation (past-President) and an advocate of sporting opportunities for girls and women.
Renata Simril | LA84 Foundation (President + CEO). Past roles include: SVP for the Los Angeles Times, SVP of External Affairs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, overseeing the restoration of the Dodgers brand and the Dodgers Foundation; Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Housing, Military Police Officer in the U.S. and Germany with the United States Army. Serves on the Boards of United Way, Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, LA 2028 Olympic Bid Committee, Loyola Marymount University; awards and accolades include: Orange County Register (50 Most Powerful in Southern California Sports), Los Angeles Business Journal (The Los Angeles 500 Most Influential People), CSQ Magazine (Visionary in Sports and Entertainment), Women in Sports and Events (WiSE) (Women of Inspiration Award - 2016).
Patrick Willis | NFL Legend (San Francisco 49ers) (2007 - 2015), Philanthropist, Businessman; 7× Pro Bowl, 5× First-team All-Pro, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Butkus Award (pro + college), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2007), SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2006), 2× First-team All-American, 2× First-team All-SEC, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, National College Football Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame 2x Semi-Finalist (2020, 2021); graduate of University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
With this seventh installment of our Pitch for Change Speaker Series, Athletes' Voices continues to inspire impact and amplify athletes' voices as influencers around a wide range of topics, including the role sports plays in motivating young scholars.