Sport

Patrick Mahomes: $500 million man

To kickstart our spotlight on formidable Black sports figures, Michael Amolo Otieno reflects on the historymaking year for the Texan quarterback.

Michael Amolo Otieno

For many, the 6th July 2020 is as unremarkable a date as any other during this year’s lockdown period, but for Patrick Lavon Mahomes II, that date may stand as one of the most important days of his life. The 25 year old Kansas City Chiefs quarterback signed a 10-year contract extension valued at a maximum of $503 million – the highest value contract ever signed in North American sports history.

Despite the achievement, Mahomes may not even remember 2020 primarily for his record-breaking contract. On February 2nd, he led his team to an against-all-odds victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, subsequently winning the Super Bowl MVP Award. The win gave the Kansas City Chiefs their frst Super Bowl victory in 50 years. Mahomes is undeniably a Chiefs legend and many are unsurprised by his rise to the top.

The 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft was always touted for greatness – as are most high draft picks. He spent the 2017-2018 season as the back-up quarterback behind Chiefs’ then starting quarterback Alex Smith, but didn’t play a secondary role for too long as Smith was soon traded, freeing up the coveted starting quarterback slot. Mahomes, now a starter, took his game to the next level. Spearheaded by Mahomes, Kansas were the AFC West champions

Papa Kuranchie

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has had its fair share of champions and superstars throughout the years. The likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and The Diaz Brothers have won the hearts of MMA fans across the world through either sheer power, technical ability or their determination to leave their hearts in the octagon after each fght. One rising star that cannot be overlooked is Middleweight Champion Israel ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya. Adesanya has accumulated 100 combat sports victories with his latest being a successful title defence against another undefeated fghter, Paulo Costa, on September 27th , 2020.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Israel Adesanya boasts a 20-0 record in Mixed Martial Arts and fghts out of Auckland, New Zealand. He initially decided to get into martial arts after being heavily bullied at school. After being inspired by the Muay Thai flm Ong-Bak at 18 years old, Adesanya went on to build an impressive kickboxing record of 32-0, before amassing an 11-0 professional MMA record fghting in Hong Kong, Australia and China before being recognised by the UFC.

In just six fghts, Adesanya propelled himself from mediocre standing in the middleweight roster to undisputed champion. Making his debut at UFC 221 in 2018, Adesanya advanced his record to 12-0 after following a record-breaking season in 2018-2019. He earned the title of league MVP, becoming only the 2nd African-American to do so.

Looking back at the results Mahomes posted, it becomes easier to understand exactly why Chiefs’ ownership tied him down on a 10-year $503 million contract extension in the middle of a pandemic which caused world economies to crash. The actual value of Mahomes’ contract is $477 million with $25 million in incentives, in winning the AFC championship and Super Bowl ($1.25 million for each accomplish for 10 years). Essentially, this is Mahomes betting on himself to be able to deliver and earn the incentives. He received a $10 million signing bonus as well as his 2020 base salary of $825 000. The base salary is set to increase nearly ffty-fold over the next ten years to $38 million with the rest of his salary being roster bonuses (Bonus for being listed in a particular season’s 53-man Kansas City Chiefs Roster).

Mahomes, son of a former MLB baseball player, is accustomed to the bright lights that come with holding a starting quarterback position in the NFL, but the scrutiny he will receive in the upcoming years will expose him to a diferent kind of pressure than he has ever experienced before. He has continued the work of the few who have come before him in pushing racial barriers at the quarterback position, with his current form only serving to inspire a generation who making quick work of his opponent Rob Wilkinson; winning the fght by TKO. In his post-fght interview, he made his mark stating: “To all middleweights, there is a new dog in town.” Adesanya then went on to have dominant wins against Marvin Vettori and Brad Tavares. It was after this that Israel was given his frst Top 10 contender in Derek Brunson at UFC 230. Known as a heavy hitter, Brunson was predicted to be a test to a young, fresh ‘Stylebender’. However, Israel disposed of him in the 1st round. Image: talksport.com

The UFC then proposed what fans touted a dream match-up between Israel and legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva, with Adesanya often professing Silva to be his idol. Although past his prime, Silva didn’t will watch him play at the highest level. So far, the Chiefs have three victories from three matches in the 2020 NFL season.

Only time will tell whether the new face of the NFL will deliver for Kansas and lead them to a second consecutive Super Bowl Victory. One thing we know for sure is that we are watching history being written in front of us, and Patrick Mahomes is the author.

The ‘Last Stylebender’: Israel Adesanya

Image: CNBC.com disappoint as both fghters traded combinations of kicks, punches and elbows for three rounds. Nonetheless, Israel was victorious against Silva.

It was fnally time for Adesanya to stake his claim as the best Middleweight in the world when he received his frst title fght against Kelvin Gastelum for the interim title in April 2019. In this highly anticipated fve round slugfest, both fghters showcased their durability and warrior spirit with blood staining the ring. Adesanya managed to capture the belt via unanimous decision after knocking Gastelum down twice near the end of the ffth. Adesanya then proclaimed himself “ready to die in there”, further marking his status in UFC royalty.

The 6th October 2019 marked the day that Adesanya etched his name into the UFC hall of fame, upon facing Robert Whitaker to unify the Middleweight titles. Though many predicted a kickboxing masterclass, Adesanya once again shocked the world and provided Whittaker a narrow escape at the end of the frst round after landing a clean uppercut, before knocking him out early in the second round, fnally claiming the Undisputed Middleweight Title.

In such short time, Adesanya has risen to superstar status whilst making a substantial impact on MMA, becoming the second Nigerian champion since Kamaru Usman and putting the middleweight division on the map. After beating Paulo Costa in September, the sky is the limit.

Levi Davis: ‘Be unapologetically yourself’

Dom Friel

Last month, the Ealing Trailfnders and ex-Bath rugby player Levi Davis told the world that he is bisexual, having previously come out to his thenBath Rugby teammates in April. He is now one of only a few players within the men’s game to have come out, and comfortably the youngest.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday in September, Davis shared how he initially panicked after sending a group Whatsapp message to Bath players telling them of his sexuality.

“Hi guys. I just want to tell you something that’s been eating away at me for four years now. I want to be open and honest with you boys, as friends and team-mates. I’m bisexual. It’s something I have known since I was 18… none of you lot are on my radar… so it’s OK.”

Choosing to sign of with a light quip is indicative of Davis’ general demeanour. However, in the months leading up to his decision to come out, his mental health had deteriorated, with mounting anxiety and depression arising from “a sense of shame.” Speaking later to Ugo Monye in an interview for BT Sport, Davis spoke of how keeping his sexuality secret had “been

Millie Frain

The Black Lives Matter movement is circulating across the footballing world, with players such as Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling using their infuence to raise awareness of racism that they face on and of the pitch. From racist chants from fans to banana peels being thrown at Arsenal captain Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang, the football world can be rife with racially motivated discrimination. But how many players that feature in the English squad are non-white?

With the new English squad being announced just days ago, the number of Black players picked has dramatically increased from years ago. Out of the 30man squad, 11 of the footballers are classed as eating away at [him] slowly” over four years, and was a factor that lead to a deterioration in his behaviour and on feld form following a stint on the Celebrity edition of the X Factor last year. “I felt I needed to be this macho man, which I still am, but it felt like I needed to reinforce this more.”

Since coming out, Davis has found support from those in the game. Firstly, his teammates quick to ofer words of support. “Mate, we support you”, “You’re really brave”, “This changes nothing”, “Fair play to you”. The understanding of his teammates, the club and his family has helped Davis improve his mindset and has spoken of the need for people to express their true selves.

“Thankfully we can now discuss mental health more openly. And in the same way, I want people to feel that they can be who they are and that it is OK to be who they are.” “Hiding who you are can kill you – and has killed people.”

Davis is well aware that he has never quite fallen into a traditional stereotype: “I realise, though, that I am a bit niche and difcult to categorise: a black, bisexual, privately educated rugby professional. Even black people who hear me on the phone sometimes say, “You don’t sound Black, you sound white.””

‘BAME’, a fgure which would essentially make up a starting line-up.

This marks a dramatic diference from the past, with only six Black English players travelling to the 2014 World Cup. This diference is something to celebrate, with some Twitter users pointing out that ‘England wouldn’t even reach the qualifying stage’ without some of their most vital players who, coincidentally, are Black. Yet as more and more Black players dominate the pitch, some fanbases across the world are not as accepting as you would expect our generation to be.

Hence footballers beginning to ‘take the knee’, a movement popularised in 2016 by Colin Kaepernick, an American football player who knelt during the US

Relieved of the weight of his secret, and grateful of the “overwhelming” support from the Rugby community, Davis is “excited” for the year ahead with Ealing, his music and, most importantly, himself. “I don’t know yet where I am going, but by talking today I can walk hand-in-hand with whoever I want and it won’t matter anymore because it’s out there.”

Record number of non-white players in England Team

Image: newschain.uk National anthem before a game, in protest against police brutality. This was criticised by some and viewed as ‘disrespectful’ to his country. However, this movement has been replicated by football teams in England, with it now becoming common to ‘take the knee’ moments before the starting whistle.

This is not only efective in the English Squad, but also Premier League teams. The proportion of British Premier League players from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds has doubled since the league began in 1992, with teams such as Liverpool and Arsenal having multiple players in their starting 11 from ‘BAME’ backgrounds. However, in recent years, the increase in players from diferent cultures is having an adverse efect on the game, arguably igniting more racism than before.

Perhaps in future generations, one would look at Southgate’s team and not have to examine how many of his players are Black, but instead admire their talent on the pitch. This is echoed by former England striker Les Ferdinand, who, speaking of Black premier league players, said ‘I feel a sense of joy and pride that players are being recognised for their abilities rather than their colour at the moment.’ He also praises the likes of ‘Cyrille Regis, John Barnes and Viv Anderson’, who ‘took a lot of stick and paved the way for the future’.

Whilst it is true that the English Black footballers of ‘92 faced a lot of criticism, some of the racist ideologies remain. With Southgate examining his squad ahead of next years rescheduled Euros, footballers will be hoping to get crowds back in, backing their national team to victory. However perhaps not all footballers will want crowds back, for all the out-dated wrong reasons.

Marcus Rashford: The goal-scoring activist

Calum Pinches

We currently live in a time of uncertainty, upheaval and confusion. As a result of this, it’s of the upmost importance that as a society we show compassion and make genuine eforts to alleviate the stresses many disadvantaged families and individuals face. In July, amidst the height of a global pandemic, when the government attempted to scrap a scheme which entitled many working families to free school meals for their children, they showed a blatant disregard for the empathy and support millions undeniably required. This, unfortunately, is neither unsurprising nor uncharacteristic of the current crop ‘leading’ the country. At the complete other end of the spectrum however, Marcus Rashford exhibited a proactive awareness and caring attitude that is rarely seen from a 22-year-old footballer. His personal plea to the government to reverse their policy was listened to, initially rejected, and then subsequently accepted, much akin to their ‘fip-fop’ mantra of the past year.

Successful athletes possess a platform that is almost unrivalled. The phrase ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ comes to mind, but this responsibility is all too often either ignored, misused or downright abused. As an athlete and particularly a footballer, you have millions of people, many of them children, who follow your every post, video or interview with awe and wonder at what you might say or promote. The ever-critical eye of the tabloids is always watching, and it’s easier to avoid controversy through apathetic silence on social afairs, collecting your hefty wage and leaving others to the task.

poverty-stricken areas of Manchester, and personally knows the struggle that living with uncertainty about your next meal entails. The Manchester United forward attended a primary school where the number of pupils receiving free school meals is double the national average. Speaking candidly, he emphasises “what families are going through now, I had to go through that same system and its very difcult to get out of it”. Rashford’s mother Mel, raised fve children single-handedly whilst working full time, and he admits to often going hungry as a child, despite his mum’s best eforts. “If there was food on the table, there was food on the table. If there’s not, I had friends who understood my situation and maybe it was possible for me to go to their house to get some food.”

His own experiences in his upbringing clearly motivating him to change the agenda for so many families who fnd themselves in similar circumstances, Rashford has used his platform to full positive efect, and in doing so, made the government completely U-turn on their policy. “Now I’m in this position that I’m in, it’s very important for me to help the people who are struggling.” The will to use his position of infuence to promote values of aid and understanding is one that is wholeheartedly refreshing and admirable. It’s also one that completely undermines the untrue stereotype of young, successful Black men in this country.

Young Black footballers receive discriminatory treatment from large sections of the tabloid media; one only has to look at the Daily Mail or the Sun’s most recent scathing review of Raheem Sterling’s jewellery or tattoos to understand as such. In painting

Image Credit: nbcnews.com

many of them as ‘fash’ or ostentatious, they receive unwarranted abuse whether that be at the terraces, via social media, or directly to their face. With a number of Black players coming from underprivileged backgrounds, media outlets falsely depict them as out of touch with their upbringing. A narrative is created whereby it is acceptable to berate Black players for the very same actions and choices their white teammates make. It is vile, racist and wrong.

Hence why Rashford’s recent campaign for free school meals is not of importance only on a humane level, nor primarily for a responsible use of platform. His actions, attitude and words prove him to be a caring, socially aware and intelligent young Black man who uses his fame to help other people who come from poverty, a fact that considerable parts of the tabloid media either omit or misreport on.

Earlier this year, when discussing the murder of George Floyd, Rashford was as poignant as ever, “People are hurting and people need answers. “Black lives matter. Black culture matters. Black communities matter. We matter.” A statement so simple, yet powerful to its core.

The England International is a shining example of having a strong sense of responsibility, humbleness and a clear drive to change the misfortunes of others. He represents all that the modern footballer should aspire to be: a hugely talented player on the pitch, a humanitarian of it.