Anthony

NEW: Youth sports is now costing parents as much as $25,000 a year. Private equity and corporations are turning a childhood pastime into something only the wealthy can afford. Youth sports has become a $40 billion industry, and the steep costs are crushing American families.

There was no reason I should have been at the USA Basketball tryout. I was a kid from a tiny school in Delaware with only 52 girls in my entire class. I was not really that good in my small town, but my dad knew the reality of playing at the next level. He forced me to go, uninvited I may add, to the team USA Basketball trial just so I could see the next level of competition. The crazy part? He didn't send me there to make the team. He knew that wasn’t happening. The real reason he sent me was to learn how to fail. Normally, I stood out as the tall one, but in a gym full of giants I was the outlier. Every single girl there was faster than me, stronger than me and way more advanced. The doubt in my own head was loud: You don't belong here. When I realized I didn't make the cut that day I just stood there and cried. I didn’t know what to do. But someone was watching. The Stanford coach, Tara VanDerveer, saw those tears and realized I wasn't just sad — I was a competitor and that's all she needed to see. That failure at the trials is exactly what led to my scholarship offer, two National Championships, and eventually the WNBA. It is a great reminder that everything happens for a reason. The "no" at the trials led to Stanford. Stanford led to 2 NCAA championships. The championships led to the WNBA. The struggle with mental health led to my Master’s degree. And all of it led me right here, helping the next generation find their grit. From crying after being cut to years later having a poster dedicated to my basketball career at the NCAA tournament, I am exactly where God wants me to be. Have you ever felt like you don’t belong somewhere?

I think every HBCU should work harder in gaining their surrounding communities support for sports over chasing for Alumni to come back. Alumni will always be around but you gotta make raving fans out of them again, meaning consistent marketing and fan interaction

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Getting rid of a young coach after 3 years is disgraceful, Bridgette is a rising star, and just like the last coach they let go, she will go on and do GREAT things! New AD trying to make his mark..