This week in COVID Quarantine 6/8/20

Last Wednesday, NASCAR announced that it would be banning all Confederate battle flags from the races and NASCAR properties amid a nationwide call to fight racism after the tragic death of George Floyd. This came days later after Darrell Wallace Jr., the only black driver in 50 years to win one of NASCAR’s national touring series, called on the league to ban the flags completely. Now NASCAR and racing are not subjects Pittstop usually writes about, but I felt that in times of racial unrest in our country currently, it was important to include this in my blog, and to show how sports plays a crucial role in racial awareness in this country.

In other news, a group of African-American athletes, led by NBA star LeBron James, are coming together to create a group designed to protect the voting rights of African-Americans all over the country. This is coming after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police and after the abysmal voting circumstances last Tuesday in Georgia. The name of this group is “More Than a Vote”, and will gear towards reaching out to African-Americans about the importance of voting, especially casting a ballot in the both local elections and the Presidential election in November. Athletes such as NBA star, Trae Young, retired NBA veteran Jalen Rose, and WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith are among those supporting the cause as well. 

Lastly, Adidas, a sportswear company, has taken measures to increase the diversity of their employees, as workers within Adidas hope to not only increase the amount of African-Americans in their workforce, but also to ensure they will be treated fairly and with respect just like any other employee. Adidas promises a 30% increase of African-American and Latino hires, and pledges to fund 50 university scholarships a year for black students over the next five years. Many black employees are worried that despite Adidas continuing to sponsor black athletes and black artists, the company as a whole won’t acknowledge racism within their own community. They are also upset that Adidas has not come out with a statement following the death of George Floyd. Pittstop hopes that other companies such as Jordan, Nike, Puma, and others will follow suit and take it among themselves to address racism not just in the world but within their own respective communities.