Nunnie on the Sideline

By Nunnie Robinson, WG Sports Editor

In keeping with my Polisports perspective, essentially a personal decision to combine sports and politics based on my lived experiences, it is proving to be profoundly relevant in today’s America.

As more evidence comes forth in the suspicious death of 18-year-old Mississippian Nolan Wells, Governor Tate Reeves, in typical 47 style, has threatened Attorney Ben Crump and Civil Rights activist Al Sharpton with bodily harm for seeking justice on behalf of Nolan’s parents. In essence, he has insinuated that they are carpetbaggers disrupting the tranquility and peace of the great state of Mississippi.

Popular New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has been vilified for publicly accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing war crimes against the Palestinian people, including women and children, and for asserting that Netanyahu, in lockstep with 45–47, cajoled the United States into starting an illegal war against Iran.

Nevertheless, sports at every level and in all its variations continues to have a firm grip on the American psyche.

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has passed, with several significant deals impacting the pennant races. The Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of consecutive World Series championships, traded for Detroit Tigers two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal, strengthening an already formidable rotation. In return, the Tigers received three highly regarded prospects from the Dodgers’ loaded farm system: outfielder Zyhir Hope (No. 5) and right-handed pitchers River Ryan (No. 7) and Brady Smith (No. 17), according to the Dodgers’ prospect rankings.

The WNBA is in the midst of a compelling and competitive season, with veteran and rookie stars leading the charge.

The Indiana Fever, led by Caitlin Clark, hold a slight advantage over the Atlanta Dream and superstar Angel Reese in the Eastern Conference, while Napheesa Collier and rookie sensation Olivia Miles have the Minnesota Lynx in a commanding position in the Western Conference. There are currently 12 teams divided into two conferences with six teams each. The Western Conference appears to be the stronger of the two, with four teams ranked ahead of Eastern Conference leader Indiana: Minnesota, Las Vegas, Golden State, and Dallas.

The advertising and promotion for the Orange Blossom Classic, featuring defending Black college football champion South Carolina State against the famed FAMU Rattlers and new head coach Quinn Gray, has been phenomenal. I trust that you are as excited as I am for what appears to be two evenly matched teams vying for early-season supremacy en route to a Black college football championship.

And the racist political gamesmanship continues. Here’s what I mean: the only evidence of voter fraud and election cheating rests squarely in the laps of Republicans. Nevertheless, they continue to accuse Democrats of election fraud. Similarly, they want to sue Ben Crump for defamation and threaten Nolan Wells’ parents , accusing them of racial divisiveness, simply for seeking truth and justice for their son. Go figure!