Sports Can Battle Racism. Sports are one of the best places to battle racism, and one of the best places to talk about what it means to belong. PCA’s newest workshops give coaches, leaders, and now athletes the tools they need to ensure a positive sports culture where everyone feels like part of the “we,” part of the team. Fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion ensures every member of the team belongs and contributes to the team.
In more than sixty PCA Sports Can Battle Racism workshops nationwide, the feedback has been powerful and uplifting. A few examples from here in New England:
“The feedback has been tremendous. Coaches really liked the interaction with presenters, they found the material not only informative but also could be put into action right away, and they liked the opportunities to talk with each other. The comment that keeps coming up is ‘they presented the information in a way that made it easy to open up.” Steve Kendall, Director of Athletics at Ayer-Shirley High School
“Let me first say that both presenters were terrific! They were engaging, relevant and kept our coaches’ attention. The feedback I have received so far has been nothing but positive. Everyone who has reached out since has been very appreciative and feel like they learned something. . . . We had 35 coaches on the zoom which for a small school is impressive.” Michael McGrath, Director of Athletics at Weston High School
“Thank you . . . for the words of support and encouragement for our coaches and program. We have a dedicated and caring group of coaches and Tuesday left us with a lot to think about and a good place to build from. We greatly appreciate all the time and work put in on your ends and for the insight and guidance provided.” Micah Hauben, Director of Athletics at The King School
To talk further about sports and race, PCA recommends the documentary Willie which tells the story about Willie O’Ree, who broke the color barrier in the NHL when he skated out on the ice for the Boston Bruins in 1958, and went on to a second career as the ambassador of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone campaign. See our Watching Willie blog here.
To learn more, go to our SCBR page here or contact Chris Fay at chris_fay@positivecoach.org.
