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Real Talk From The Editor
For every issue of GOAT The Magazine, I had always released on a specific day when a really dope socioathletic event happened. The first issue debuted on Juneteenth, the second issue came out on Kobe Day, and so on. As I planned the calendar for 2025 release dates, the one tough month was February.
So in finding a release date, it didn’t matter because the whole month is historic. Whether it was the 1st or the 28th, the day, due to the month, is what was important. For a magazine that celebrates Black culture, sports, and history all wrapped into one, this month looks to be a perfect storm for the magazine and brand, content-wise.
On a different yet adjacent note, as I have opened myself up to a deeper knowledge of Black sports history in preparation for this issue and for this month's social media content, I have been reminded of something that I already knew. Being Black is not a monolith. I feel this needs to be said always but especially this month. Because, yes Black Lives matter in terms of not being killed by police but they also matter in terms of being acknowledged in general.
Black is smart
Black is intelligent
Black is nerdy
Black is gay
Black is trans
Black is hood
Black is bourgeois
Black is funny and goofy
Black sheds tears
Black is college-educated
Black is entrepreneurial
Black is unathletic
Black does not always have rhythm
Black is art
Black watches Seinfeld and Friends
Black wears colorful colors
Black is beautiful and always matters. Oh, and shout out to Robert Douglas and the Harlem Rens.
GOAT
Publisher Andre Brown
Editor-in-Chief Andre Brown
Creative Director Andre Brown
Writers Andre Brown Britney Collins
Advertising Andre Brown For Media Inquiries, Advertising Opportunties, Subscription Options please contact us at ajb@goatthemag com
Photo/art credits: Sam McKinniss, JTT, Almine Rech, PJ McQuaid, Xalapa2013.com, SBNation.com, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, HeroSports.com, TexasTech.com, MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images, iStockphoto, Myles Loftin/Vogue, Remi Pujol/Vogue, IMAGO / Newscom World, YouTube, CNBC.com, TMZ, 2News.com, Jonas Swyer/Reddit, Yahoo.com, Taelor and Sydni Scott/Essence.com, wsucm.store, wschronicle.com
GOAT The Mag is published six times per year (June, August, October, December, February and April). GOAT The Magazine is a subsidiary of GOAT Media. Any opinions expressed in The Mag are those of the writers and necessarily GOAT Media.
Ohhhh say, why do they sing?
The national anthem doesn’t show love to Black people so why do we show love to it?
For decades, the national anthem has been a lightning rod for controversy, hatred, patriotism, national pride, and everything else in between. Some don’t see the point of it being sung before each sporting event. Then some would lose their shit if it was not sung before each sporting event. The song was first a poem written by Scott Francis Key in September of 1814.
On March 4, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed the bill to officially adopt “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the country’s national anthem and away we went. After World War II, then-NFL commissioner Elmer Layden ordered that the song be sung before the start of every game. Thirty years before then, the song was performed at various MLB games, mainly the World Series. And in the coming decades, it just became the norm everywhere. The song was played at some schools across the country before the day started, at high school sporting events, and when televisions made their way into American households, the song would play after channels went off the air.
Then certain Americans started getting weird about the damn song. If it were to be performed, it had to be performed traditionally. Traditionally as in performed vocally and in the way the song was originally designed to be performed. On October 7th, 1968, before Game 5 of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals, Jose Feliciano performed the national anthem before the game.
Feliciano, a blind, Puerto Rican and New York native, gave an amazing rendition of the StarSpangled Banner. He sang beautifully and passionately using only an acoustic guitar and integrating the song with a Puerto Rican flair. That’s not how the white American public saw it. Following Feliciano’s performance, there were boos to be heard in the stadium. Many American radio stations blackballed him and refused to play any of his music which, back then was huge. Angry phone calls filed into the Tigers organization and his version was seen as disrespectful. Feliciano didn’t add any rude words or change the lyrics completely, he simply played the song in a way that was true to him. And that pissed them off.
Just nine days later, in Mexico City, at the 1968 Olympics, track runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the medal podium. With black gloves on and their heads bowed, as soon as the national anthem started both men, simultaneously, raised their closed fists in the air as the song played through. As they exited the stadium, they were pelted with boos.
What were their repercussions? Being suspended from the U.S. Olympic Team and banned from the Olympic Village. Death threats to them became the norm for a while. Getting employment was damn near impossible for the two. They were public enemy No. 1 with no one willing to help. Their lives were flipped upside down because they protested during a national anthem???
In 2016, you all already know the story of Colin Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem, so there is no need to discuss it in depth. So now, we are with the viewpoint that the national anthem is much different than it was 40-50 years ago. Instead of being a beacon of solidarity for all Americans, it has become a symbol of those who want to “make this nation great once more.”
So with the divide, new, alleged, information about a hidden verse in the song, and so much noise surrounding what the anthem represents, here’s a fun question: why do Black singers still sing the national anthem? Now I’m not saying they shouldn’t. Everyone in this country can sing along when it comes on or shut up. They can stand up for it or stay seated. This isn’t about right or wrong but more about curiosity.
Whitney Houston and Marvin Gaye performed two of the most iconic versions of the national anthem. One version makes you cry and the other version makes you groove. They’ve both left us far too soon so why they chose to sing it can’t be answered. Maybe it’s because they’re both wellknown entertainers and it seems to be that that’s just what you do when you’re a major recording artist.
Artwork honoring Marvin Gaye’s Star Spangled Banner rendition Courtesy of PJ McQuaid
Now don’t get me wrong, just because you are a Black American does not mean you have to hate the national anthem. And if you’re a Black American who is a singer, you can still perform the song AND agree with Colin Kaepernick and his stance. The internet may not agree but in reality, which matters, you certainly can.
“The original meaning behind the practice was to ‘unite the audience before the game, rep the country when it's an international situation.’ said Tymara Walker, a vocalist who has become a Las Vegas staple in singing before many Vegas sporting events and shows.
Now, that’s a good point. Usually, when the anthem is performed, you can see people of all ethnicities coming together to unite for a song that means so many different things to different people. For veterans, it might mean a symbol of what they fought for. For people who believe in the American Dream (I don’t know why), the song could represent that they truly are American. But after that minute and 19 seconds or more, depending on the variation, we go back to our differences. So, why do Black singers sing the national anthem?
“...the NOT so humble answer is simple - because we sing it better. The movements, the styling, even the way we place our breaths... it's more fun and interesting to listen to..” said Walker.
That’s a bold and strong statement. There’s no denying Black singers and entertainers put their spin on it, vocally. Marvin and Whitney have already been mentioned but Jill Scott’s remix in 2023, Jon Batiste in this past Super Bowl, James Earl Jones at the 1993 MLB All-Star Game and….I can’t believe I’m mentioning him but, Robert Kelly before the 2005 fight between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor, have all brought something different to the table. Something good? Something bad? That’s for others to have an opinion on, which they will.
Perhaps, Black singers and entertainers perform the anthem because us making lemon drops out of rotten limes is what we do best. In other words, performing a song that didn’t have us in mind to begin with while adding our rhythm and blues to make it our own. Because that’s how we see America, in a very non-traditional way. I don’t know guys. I’m just assuming here but, let me ask you, why do Black singers still sing the national anthem?
What if...the WNBA Started in 1986?
This May, the WNBA will enter its 29th season. The league has seen a hell of a lot in those 29 years. Teams have come and gone, some never to return—up-and-down attendance records coupled with different venues hosting games. Games were being shown on Lifetime and Facebook Live at a certain point. And now, the league is enjoying the benefits of the golden age of women’s college basketball plus financial success that only looks to get bigger.
The league’s 13th team, the Golden State Valkyries, starts their inaugural season this year. The Toronto Tempo and the Portland franchise, teams 14 and 15, debut in 2026. And it seems like cities are lining up to get a team; Denver, Philly, Detroit, Houston, and Cleveland. The league is well on its way and damn has it endured and overcome.
The idea for the WNBA came out in the early 90s through a combination of side conversations, remarks here and there, and the slow growth of women’s basketball in the U.S. It was brought to fruition on the backs of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team who HAD to win gold for the investment in the league to be taken seriously.
But what if the WNBA got their legs a decade earlier, in 1986? Maybe that 1996 Olympic women’s team wouldn’t have had to go on that global tour to get people to know, much less care about, women’s basketball. Also, we would get to see what a full career from Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, and Teresa Edwards would look like. And we’d get to see Lynette Woodard, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers, and Anne Donovan play ball in their prime years. And that aforementioned ‘96 team with Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Jennifer Azzi, they’d have a league to go to and thrive as soon as their legendary college careers were done. So let’s explore the WNBA starting in 1986.
On April 24, 1986, the concept of the WNBA was approved by the NBA Board of Governors and it came as a shock to the entire sports world. David Stern just became the NBA Commissioner two years prior and many thought there were more pressing needs for him to focus on first. But what was done was done and the WNBA was on its way to debuting the following summer.
Eight teams were announced; Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm, Denver Pioneers, Houston Angels, New York Liberty, Chicago Stars, Boston Blizzard, and Cleveland Rockers. The inaugural WNBA Draft was held on April 12, 1986, in New York City. There were two separate drafts; a rookie draft for the incoming WCBB senior class and the player allocation draft for international and college players, with the former having run out of eligibility ran out prior to the WNBA being formed.
In the rookie draft, USC’s all-world player, Cheryl Miller went first to the Sparks. Georgia’s AllAmerican guard Teresa Edwards went second overall to the Liberty. And the third pick was Katrina McClain, Georgia’s other All-American, to the Boston Blizzard. In the player allocation draft, former Kansas great, Lynette Woodard went No. 1 to Denver, former UCLA great Ann Meyers went No. 2 to Seattle, and former Old Dominion great Nancy Lieberman went No. 3 to the Chicago Stars.
The first-ever WNBA season tips off on June 21st, 1986. There’s a tripleheader on NBC with the Sparks-Liberty, Angels-Rockers, and the Blizzard-Storm. At the Blizzard-Storm game, there was a moment of silence in honor of Len Bias, the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics who tragically died two days earlier.
The inaugural season was a runaway success as viewership was solid for all televised games on NBC. In-game attendance doesn’t set records but it’s definitely healthy. Surprisingly, the WNBA merch is a huge winner in terms of jerseys being sold.
On the court, the results are what you would think from an inaugural league full of future Hall of Famers. Cheryl Miller was the WNBA Rookie of the Year but not unanimously as Teresa Edwards was right on her heels. The WNBA Defensive Player of the Year was Janice Lawrence who led the league in rebounds and blocks. The league MVP was actually a tie; Denver’s Lynette Woodard and Seattle’s Ann Meyers shared honors.
For the rest of the decade, the attendance dropped a bit, as did viewership, but the play remained amazing. Miller established herself as one of the best basketball ever in the early days of the W. She followed up her Rookie of the Year campaign with three straight MVP seasons with All-Star and All-WNBA selections. And she and the Sparks won three straight titles from 1988-1990.
The next generation of great women hoopers would flood the WNBA in the 90s which forced the league to look at expansion much sooner than they originally anticipated. The 1990 WNBA Draft had a great 1-2 at the top with Stanford’s Jennifer Azzi and Louisiana Tech’s Venus Lacy both projected to be the top two picks in the draft. Azzi was drafted No. 1 to the Angels and Lacy went No. 2 to the Rockers. Both ladies were immediate impact players with both making the All-Star team in their rookie years. Lacy won Rookie of the Year and both ladies were All-WNBA honorable mention.
In 1991, the league expanded to three cities: Phoenix (Moon), Philadelphia (Soul), and Atlanta (Dream). The 1992 and 1993 WNBA Drafts were known for teams “battling” for the No. 1 pick in the respective drafts to select Virginia’s All-American guard Dawn Staley in 1992 and Texas Tech’s alleverything guard/forward Sheryl Swoopes in 1993. Staley was drafted by her hometown, Philly Soul, and Swoopes was drafted by the Phoenix Moon, both No. 1 overall obviously.
In 1994, the league expanded again to three more cities, Miami (Deco), St. Louis (Royalty), and Charlotte (Gold). Also, that spring another can’t-miss prospect was about to enter the league. Lisa Leslie had finished a legendary career at USC and was ready to tackle the WNBA. Drafted No. 1 overall by St. Louis, Leslie helped lead the expansion team to the playoffs in her rookie season en route to ROTY honors.
Great players continued coming into the league for the rest of the decade. The competition was absolutely elite, and the fans were getting great games every night. The league was growing just in time for the birth of the internet, which would later prove to be a transformative way to grow the game. In 1996, the league celebrated 10 years but also said goodbye to four of its pillars as Miller, Woodard, Meyers, and Lieberman retired. The WNBA was in great hands moving forward with Chamique Holdsclaw, Rebecca Lobo, Charlotte Smith, Nykesha Sales, and so many more.
In reality, the WNBA started in 1996 and is flourishing today. But if the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball team hadn’t won gold in Atlanta that summer, who knows if the league still would have received the green light? Or would the league have been delayed? With it hypothetically starting a decade earlier, fans would have gotten to see the great women’s college basketball players of the 70s and 80s play out their careers. It’s also great to think about if the league was created with no caveat but simply because there was a desire and a want for women to have their own league. It’s always fascinating to think what if…
from top left to right: Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Jennifer Azzi
CULTURE DIARY FEAT. FLO JO
Florence, or Flo Jo, as I’m sure you were called by loved ones, writing this is immensely bittersweet. Not that you would know me or anything if you were still alive. But you not being with us anymore just ensures that you don’t get your well-deserved flowers in this instance. So I’ll have to settle for your spirit picking this up. I wish you could see how women in sports are absolutely BOOMIN right now! Not only that, but today’s woman athlete is becoming more and more marketable by the minute.
And you, are one of the foremothers that made it happen. As a track & field athlete, especially in the pre-internet era, your biggest stage happened every four years at the Olympics. So it wasn’t easy for you to make a name for yourself. But you had three things going for you; winning on a dominant level, ahead-of-its-time fashion, and an all-time great nickname.
Your track career was short-lived with you only participating in two Summer Olympics. You won a silver medal in 1984 in the 200m. And then in 1988, your dominance came to light in front of the whole world! The 100m? A gold medal with a world record that stands to THIS day. The 200m? A gold medal with a world record that stands to THIS day. Then you ran the 4x100 and the 4x400. A gold in the former and a silver in the latter. Brought your historic total to three gold medals, a silver, and two world records. Not bad for someone who just returned to full-time running in April of the previous year (1987).
Like other great athletes before and after you, you left while on top. You saw the business opportunities ahead of you, especially in Japan where you had a Barbie-like doll made in your likeness. In 1989, you designed jerseys for the Indiana Pacers! The first athlete to design a jersey for any sports league in the world! Okay, that might not be true but I didn’t see anything that said otherwise so And of course, can’t forget about the TV appearances and you serving as co-chair of Presiden’s Council of Physical Fitness from 1993-1998.
You know I can’t end this without talking about you being a fashion icon in depth just a bit. That sounded oxymoronic but whatever. The suits were IN.SANE. The hooded speed skating suit and the suits with one bare leg out. The nails and hair were 100% authentic to you and the culture and to this day, it’s still revered. No other woman track & field star looked like you before you. But after you? Gail Devers, Sha’Carri Richardson, Allyson Felix, and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce. Also, Serena Williams, who didn’t run track & field but dominated tennis.
You should still be here Flo Jo. And it absolutely sucks that you aren’t for a multitude of reasons. What IS here is your legacy and your impact that has been felt and seen for decades after you left. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us.
With love and respect,
What’s In A Name?
People wondered when the women’s college basketball game would surpass the men’s. We’ve arrived.
Words by Britney Collins
Legacy. History. A story. The more people whisper your name, your legacy tends to echo. It etches itself in the halls of the collective memory of those who bore witness to your rise. Names used to matter in sports. Narratives used to matter in sports. Because story gives way to moments. Moments give way to memories. When people are sold a story and are bought in from start to finish, there’s no eraser fine enough to erase what will remain forever.
College sports like basketball used to be where your name became great. Watching a player hungry enough to grind their way just to make it to the big stage in April and then subsequently realizing their dream after 4 years of toiling, of grinding, of hustling, of practicing, of studying all to make their name great. You used to watch those players grow up and develop year after year before they went pro, before the money, before the fame. This fact remains true for women.
The names: Juju Watkins, Chamique Holdsclaw, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Arike Ogunbowale, Hannah Hidalgo, Angel Reese, will land with anyone who has watched even a fraction of college sports in the last 30 years. Those names didn’t become known overnight. The building up of their name, their legacy took YEARS of winning at the collegiate level captivating hardcore and casual audiences. The storytelling that was able to happen because of the rivalries between UCONN and Tennessee, Geno versus Pat, their players, was made effective because of the players they helped develop through the years they honored their commitment to them.
What names of men basketball players that have played 2+ years can you name in college right now outside of Cooper Flagg? Don’t worry. I’ll wait. Because men’s college sports in particular have turned into a NIL war zone. The new get money quick scheme if you’ve shown an ounce of talent. Call me an old timer, make this out to be some Greg Cote-esque back in my day article, but when the NCAA asks why women’s ratings are on the way up, while men’s basketball is on its way down, it’s because there is nothing to sell anymore.
The art of storytelling died with the NBA making it possible for athletes to be eligible after 1 year of college basketball or playing in some random pro-am league and foregoing college altogether. Now college is seen as a mere impediment to where they really want to go even if longevity professionally and financially is not promised to them.
With all things, life is a gamble. You shoot your shot when you have the slightest of green lights and you pray it goes in. Boys are growing up looking up to their favorite pro athletes who are 1015 years older than them and thinking if they could do it, then they can too. It’s a false promise, one that only secures less than 2% of those who throw their names in the NBA’s draft. And even if your name is selected, you’re not guaranteed anything beyond that. So then what?
top L: JuJu Watkins, R: Hannah Hidalgo, C: Fllau’jae Johnson & Lil Wayne
Thank you, Stuart
There aren’t many public figures that you can call a trailblazer. That rule doesn’t apply to Stuart Scott.
words by Andre Brown
Some sports broadcasters are recognizable by certain phrases. If I say, “That’s awesome baby!”, you know that’s Dick Vitale. If I say, “Whoaaaa Nelly!”, that’s Keith Jackson. If I say, “BANG!”, that’s Mike Breen all day. But, there aren’t many, if any sports JOURNALISTS that have catchphrases much less one. Stuart Scott was that one.
In 1993, a burgeoning sports network called ESPN brought Scott on as an anchor and it was ON from that point. There were great anchors on the channel but no one sounded like Stuart. Not even a little bit. You can’t say that he sounded “Black” because being Black isn’t a monolith but he did sound very hip-hop. And very jazz. And very gospel. In a decade when Tupac, Jay-Z, Biggie, and Snoop were becoming household names, he brought that energy and vernacular to ESPN. Minus the wild language.
Catchphrases like “Boo-yah!”, “Holla at a playa when you see him in the street!”, “I ain’t gon say nothin but, but…that ain’t right.”, and “see…what had happened was…” catapulted Scott into being one of ESPN’s most popular anchors, if not the most popular.
Born in Chicago but raised in North Carolina, Scott immersed himself in sports early on as he played football and track in high school. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a B.A. in speech communication. Never has a degree been so apropos with a person.
After graduating from UNC, Scott worked at various news stations in the Carolinas and Orlando perfecting his sports journalist craft. Al Jaffe, ESPN’s VP for talent, discovered Scott through a producer who was doing a story on the Orlando Magic. Scott sent his tape in to Jaffe and the rest is history.
Scott worked his way up the ESPN ladder with quickness thanks to his charisma, wit, and oncamera charm. Starting on ESPN 2’s SportsSmash and eventually the lead on SportsNight. Then he landed the coveted primetime chair on SportsCenter and it was up from there. His profile blew up and he hosted many ESPN primetime shows; NBA on ESPN, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown, and NFL Primetime.
artwork courtesy of Jonas Swyer
His influence was far reaching and it definitely hit me. Seeing a Black man speak the way I talked and not get penalized for it but thrive was so dope to me. He was allowed to be himself and not be told to “tone it down”. At least not by ESPN. Stuart was just as cool as the other side of the pillow and I was a fan from day one.
A lot of people know ESPN for having 24-hour programming with shows, game replays, and allaround content ranging from a 30 For 30 to a version of DETAIL. But in the 90s when the network was in its “underground niche” phase, the programming was very limited. Their only TV deals then were college basketball, MLB, and the NHL. The NBA and NFL would not arrive with their huge money bags until the following decade.
So after a college basketball, baseball, or hockey game, SportsCenter would have its primetime show at 11 PM EST which, for me living in Southern California, came on at 8 PM. From 8 PM PST to 6 AM PST the next day, SportsCenter was on a loop, and the 90s kid that I was, loved it.
And when I got to watch hours of SportsCenter on the weekends, I’d hoped that Stuart Scott was an anchor of the primetime show that aired. When he was, I was geeked. Scott was a hero of mine but I didn’t see him as that when I’d watch him. I saw him as the coolest guy on television who loved sports as I did and talked the way I talked to my homies and the way rappers talked. Some of them.
I wasn’t sure what his occupation title was. SportsCenter was so revolutionary because seeing people on TV bring sports highlights and news as if it were the local news was mind-blowing at that time. But seeing him on TV speaking the way he did and being ACCEPTED for it, I just knew there was a place for me in the sports world as a Black man. Like who was saying “holla!” or calling JayZ, “Jigga” on television to a mixed audience watching? He was the epitome of cool.
As ESPN got bigger and bigger, the anchors started to become celebrities in a sense. But unlike athletes or actors, how would you meet an ESPN news anchor as a random fan? There’s no red carpet for them before they do a show and they don’t perform on a court or field or sign autographs afterward. They don’t show up and meet with the media after a show to field stupid questions about what they just did. So there was really no path for me to meet Stuart Scott. Unless I ran into him at the airport or something. And I damn sure wasn’t going to Bristol, Connecticut.
So it was just accepted that meeting my hero and career inspiration probably wouldn’t happen. But maybe if I got into the sports journalism world and made a name for myself, he’d recognize the hustle and give me a shout out and I’d take it! Before e’rybody and they mama had a damn podcast, my friend and I started one in 2013, I believe.
Stuart Scott with his two heartbeats, Taelor and Sydni
It didn’t do much but we were two young Black adults who loved sports and loved to talk about it. But as I got more and more into sports journalism and realized that’s what I wanted to do with my career, it became less and less about a chance meeting but more about finding my own voice after being inspired by Scott. In 2007, hearing that his battle with cancer had started, I was saddened but also hopeful that he’d kick cancer’s ass with no issues.
In 2013, news came out that his cancer had returned for a third time. Even through that, he was still a visible figure on ESPN broadcasts. And the admiration from me had reached a new level. On July 16, 2014, Scott received the Jimmy V Award at the ESPYs in which he gave a masterful speech including the legendary quote, “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live." Then he asked for a hug from his daughter “because I need one”.
That was his last public appearance. On January 4th, 2015, we lost Stuart Scott in human form. But what we didn’t lose were the memories, the legacy, and the impact from him on not just me, not just sports, but pop culture and the world. He’ll never know how much of an influence he was on me. But in sharing the greatness that he had, which is corroborated by those that actually knew him, that’s a way for others to know about his influence in general. Thank you, Stuart.
First member of the NBA’s 40/40 club