Sports & Politics Intersect: POTUS trumped players in anthem policy decision

Need to know now: 

• Chiefs’ Reid to campaign, raise money for governor  - In Kansas’ Republican gubernatorial primary, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is supporting incumbent governor Jeff Colyer by appearing at two separate fundraisers in the state. The announcement does not come without criticism, even from other GOP candidates.

• Senate issuing subpoenas for sexual abuse hearing - Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny and former Michigan State president Lou Anna Simon were served with subpoenas to testify before a Senate subcommittee that’s looking into the failures of reporting sexual abuse among Olympic athletes. The process wasn’t as simple with Simon as her attorneys refused to accept the summons, compelling U.S. Marshals to track her down and serve her directly. Meanwhile, FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests have flooded the university since the allegations against Larry Nassar first became public.

• Bidding for 2026 World Cup enters final stretch - The battle to convince FIFA to award the 2026 Men’s World Cup to either Morocco or Canada/U.S./Mexico is getting more intense leading up to the June 13 announcement. And though the tension within the North American nations is concerning, there’s another way politics have entered the fray in this contest — just follow the money.

• Judge overseeing concussion settlement could appoint fraud investigator - The NFL urged federal court judge Anita Brody to appoint a special investigator to look into potentially fraudulent claims on the $1 billion concussion settlement. The league stated that there have been hundreds of bogus claims to the money.

• NHL owners continue to deny presence of CTE - Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs was one of several team owners who testified that he hadn’t heard of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, discussed in league meetings despite being discovered among recently deceased former players. Jacobs’ 2015 deposition, among others, are seeing the light for the first time as the league faces its own lawsuits over traumatic brain injuries.

• Report: Super Bowl LII brought $370 million to Twin Cities - A recent report from Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s office claims that Super Bowl LII brought $370 million of “new spending” to the Twin Cities region, $50 million more than initial projections. Looks like the money from Philadelphia Eagles fans was good enough in Minneapolis, after all.

• Serena’s return sparks maternity leave debate - Serena Williams returned to the French Open, her first major tournament since having her baby last year. Yet, the three-time champion, who was ranked No. 1 upon taking maternity leave, came back ranked No. 453 and unseeded at Roland Garros, inspiring a heated debate about the WTA’s leave policy.

• Transgender high school athletes grapple with law, opponents - In Texas, a transgender athlete must compete against the gender on the birth certificate. In Connecticut, an athlete can compete against the gender most identified with. The differences between individual states creates fear, anger and resentment among the athletes, families and organizers.

• CWHL champs to be celebrated by Trudeau - For the first time ever, the champions of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League will visit Parliament Hill to be feted by the Prime Minister as Justin Trudeau will host the Clarkson Cup champion Markham Thunder.

• Vegas success, Quebec City envy? - As Gary Bettman continues to bask in the glow of the Vegas Golden Knights’ incredible inaugural season, the NHL commissioner was pressed by famed hockey commentator Don Cherry on the chances that the league will bring a new team to Quebec City. The Quebec Nordiques left for Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995.

• Trump hosts Sports and Fitness Day at White House Not since “Saturday Night Live” spoofed Bill Clinton’s waist size in the early 1990s has a sitting president’s health made news, but as President Trump hosted his first Sports and Fitness Day at the White House, questions about the 71-year-old’s own health remain unanswered.

• Player declines USWNT invite over Pride month jersey - Jaelene Hinkle, who plays professionally for the North Carolina Courage, recently declined to play for the United States’ women’s soccer team because she did not want to wear kits which showed solidarity with the LGBTQ community during Pride month. Citing her devout Christianity, Hinkle said “I felt so convicted in my spirit, that it was not my job to wear this jersey.”

• Famed women’s baseball league was not welcoming to gay players - The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own,” but some of what was depicted had a hidden story - the league had rules in place to fight the perception that the women were lesbians (although many of them were).

• Alternate ‘cheerleaders’ dealt with harassment, too - Sexual harassment lawsuits from former NFL cheerleaders have gotten widespread media attention, but they were not the only ones to deal with unwanted advances. Several teams employed non-cheering, non-dancing cheerleaders that served almost in a Hooters-like role to be eye candy in the stands and suites for male fans.

• Russell Wilson investor in MLB-to-Portland pitch  - Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, R&B star Ciara, are  among the investors in Portland Diamond Project , a civic group leading the charge to bring a Major League Baseball team to Oregon’s biggest city. Quite a few Seattle Mariners fans must be conflicted.

• Family squabble over future of Broncos’ ownership  - Beth Bowlen, daughter of the Denver Broncos’ owner Pat, was told by the family trust that  she is not capable of taking controlling interest of the franchise at this time. The trust, which is operated by team CEO Joe Ellis along with team counsel and another Denver-based attorney, has run the team since the ailing Pat stepped away in 2014.

• Delaware to open sportsbooks, fantasy sports in North Carolina remains in limbo - Delaware has a head start on most other states as it will start full-scale sports gambling operations in its three casinos on June 5. (Go for broke in the tax-free state!) Meanwhile in North Carolina, another Hail Mary attempt to regulate fantasy sports failed again in the state legislature thanks to resistance from lobbying Christian groups which argued that the activity feels too much like gambling.

This week in sports and politics history: The Supreme Court rules golf carts are covered on the links by the Americans with Disabilities Act 

“I wasn’t a great pro — and I had a lot of obstacles obviously, so I don’t want to berate myself — but I felt like I didn’t achieve maybe what I could have.” - Casey Martin looking back on his career

In May of 2001, Casey Martin sued the PGA Tour for his right to use golf carts during competition — a rule that the establishment of the sport were incredibly strict about. Martin, who had a degenerative condition called Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome in his right leg, felt he should be able to use carts under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Martin 7-2, allowing him to use carts in competition. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said, "The use of carts is not itself inconsistent with the fundamental character of the game of golf. From early on, the essence of the game has been shot-making."

In the dissention from Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, Scalia felt the majority was expressing "a benevolent compassion" in a ruling that should not be made by the highest court in the country. 

Because of the ruling, many wondered whether a grey area of what is considered a disability versus what is considered an injury in all those who come in the future wanting to use golf carts, but it largely has not been a problem in the years since the ruling. Leading up to the case, some of the game’s legends weighed in, all believing that Martin should have to walk. 

Martin would eventually win not just in court, but with his peers in the game with many changing their minds about the rule over the years. Since his playing days, Martin is now the head coach at the University of Oregon, winning Coach of the Year in 2016 with an NCAA D1 title in the same season. 

*Update: Earlier edition had Jeff Colyer as governor as Missouri. He is governor of Kansas.