Meet Minneapolis president and CEO Melvin Tennant was integral in landing the 2028 NFL Draft for the Twin Cities, continuing a quiet legacy of bringing major events to Minneapolis that the mainstream media rarely credits him for.
Sports
Local and national sports reporting and commentary by the state’s leading African American sportswriters, including award-winning columnists Charles Hallman and Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald, with a special emphasis on the local prep scene and disparities in sports administration and media coverage.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Maya Caldwell: Right where she’s supposed to be
Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Caldwell has navigated waivings, overseas stints and four WNBA clubs in five years on a journey built on faith, perseverance and a belief that she is right where she is supposed to be.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
50th Annual Winfield Awards
The 50th Annual Winfield Awards honored 20 student athletes from 10 St. Paul high schools on June 1 at the Intercontinental St. Paul-Riverfront Hotel, with Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield serving as keynote speaker.
Posted inAnother View
Royce and Kaelen: Working their way back to the show
Royce Lewis is working to rediscover his game after a demotion to the St. Paul Saints, while top prospect Kaelen Culpepper is making a case for a promotion, and the two Black teammates are leaning on each other along the way.
Posted inSports
From Rondo to Cooperstown: St. Paul Honors David Winfield With Bronze
A bronze statue of Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield now stands at Toni Stone Field in St. Paul, honoring the Rondo native and 22-year MLB veteran who credits his upbringing in the heart of St. Paul’s Black community as the foundation for everything that followed.
Posted inAnother View
The NFL blinked. Now what?
Charles Hallman examines the NFL’s rollback of minority hiring mandates under pressure from Florida’s attorney general, and the NAACP’s new Out of Bounds campaign calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott SEC programs in states targeting Black voting rights.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Rachel Banham delivers for Chicago Sky in Minneapolis return
Rachel Banham returned to Minneapolis and delivered 13 points off the bench to help the Chicago Sky past the Minnesota Lynx 86-79, continuing a decade-long WNBA career built on delivering buckets when her team needs them most.
Posted inSports
Trailblazing NFL coordinator denied a head coaching shot, dies at 83
Sherman Lewis, a Heisman Trophy finalist, three-time Big Ten track champion and 12-year NFL offensive coordinator who was repeatedly passed over for a head coaching job, passed away May 15 at age 83.
Posted inNews
Lynx home opener
The Minnesota Lynx dropped their 91-90 home opener to the Atlanta Dream on May 9 at Target Center, as guards Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride lead a 3-2 squad averaging big numbers early in the 2026 WNBA season.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Lynx veteran Nia Coffey is her father’s daughter
Nia Coffey, St. Paul native and nine-year WNBA veteran, is back home with the Minnesota Lynx, bringing a decade of professional experience and a commitment to pouring into younger players on a roster that is 71% new this season.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
50th Annual Winfield Awards to Be Held
The 50th Annual Winfield Awards will honor 20 St. Paul student-athletes of color on Sunday, May 31, at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel, with Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Paul Central alum Dave Winfield as keynote speaker.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Gopher running backs Coach Mohamed Ibrahim and Tennis Coach Lois Arterberry
Former Gophers star Mohamed Ibrahim returns to Minnesota as running backs Coach Mo, while tennis head coach Lois Arterberry reflects on a difficult 2026 season and former Hamline coach Chip Taylor lands at Lehigh.
Posted inSports
Playworks brings 1,000 young leaders to Saints Park for End-of-Year Celebration
Nearly 1,000 Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota elementary school students gathered at the St. Paul Saints ballpark to celebrate their participation in the Playworks Minnesota Youth Leadership Program, which serves more than 25,000 students statewide.
Posted inEvents
Minnesota Selected to Host the 2028 NFL Draft
Minnesota has been selected to host the 2028 NFL Draft, bringing one of the biggest events in sports to downtown Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium in partnership with the Minnesota Vikings and local community partners.
Posted inTwins/MLB
LaTroy Hawkins: From the Mound to the Dugout
LaTroy Hawkins, now in his first season as the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen coach, is the franchise’s first Black bullpen coach in history and the first Black pitching coach since 2018, bringing a 21-year playing career and a hard-earned college degree to his new role.
Posted inBlack College Sports Report
HBCU baseball makes history at Wrigley Field
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman reports from Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field, where Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M made history as the first HBCU teams to play baseball at the iconic ballpark during the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Softball in color
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman covers the 2026 Summit League Softball Championship at the University of Minnesota, spotlighting the Black players who stood out, including Omaha’s Bailey Sample and St. Thomas sophomores Zoe Trotter and Miley Wichman.
Posted inAnother View, Twins/MLB
Two Black aces, one rotation: Taj Bradley and Simeon Woods Richardson make history in Minnesota
Twins pitchers Taj Bradley and Simeon Woods Richardson are one of the rarest sights in MLB, two Black starting pitchers on the same team, and both say the bond they have built is making them better.
Posted inOdds and Ends
WNBA season 30 tips off Friday with a revamped Lynx roster and a new TV deal
The 2026 WNBA season tips off Friday, May 8, with two new teams, a new CBA and a Minnesota Lynx roster that looks drastically different after key departures and new additions including rookie Olivia Miles.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
Minnehaha Academy, Apple Valley back among the elite
Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald looks back at the legacy of Apple Valley and Minnehaha Academy boys basketball, from NBA-bound alumni to their impressive 2026 state tournament runs.