CWNNewsFeed

• Isha Johansen's rise to FIFA's corridors of power as an African woman

  May 19, 2021 CWN Publisher 0 Comments

  Source: CNN

  For Isha Johansen, a journey that began by helping to give kids displaced by war a semblance of a normal childhood, has led her to become the first West African woman elected to soccer's world governing body's FIFA council.

   

  Well, it seems like FIFA has been one step ahead, dipping their hands right into the core. FIFA together with UEFA and  IMD formed the Women in Football Leadership Programme. The aim of this program being to empower women to take up leadership positions.

  This great initiative by the trio has already inspired some women to assume leadership positions from all over the world. 

  The 2019 edition of the program brought together 24 participants in Zurich from 18th to 20th of November 2019. FIFA along with other governing bodies have been continuously working on a common aim. The aim has been to enrich the industry with different and valuable opinions as well as backgrounds and experiences. With the achievement of this aim comes the ability to make the game as inclusive as possible to women as well as embracing diversity in gender, perspective, race, religion, and social status. The most essential goal for the achievement of the prior mentioned aim is, therefore, the representation of women in football leadership.

  You all know how men always say “women are complex creatures,” which applies in football as well. No man in power can fully understand the needs of women, only a woman can. Therefore, women play vital roles in the success of organizations where women are involved, especially if the aim is to be diverse and inclusive. The genesis of this program is a win-win situation for both male and female organizations. As much as the program provides a platform for women to grow and improve their decision-making skills, it also allows them to create a balance, allowing maximum sharing of ideas and progress.

  The Women in Football Leadership program seeks to use a powerful leadership training week to support the careers of women who have a great influence on the today and tomorrow of football as a game and an industry. The program allows participants to work on and discuss aspects of leadership for continual career development. At the end of the WFLP, every participant takes home leadership skills, extended networks and strong links with other women in positions of authority as well as the confidence to set and pursue career goals. 

  The program includes plenary discussions, role-playing, and one-on-one coaching. Teaching and professional skills development, as well as team dynamics, are also part of the package. The training week creates a good training environment, conducive for personal, professional growth and promotion of self-awareness and team spirit in a bid to enhance leadership skills.

   

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• 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament - The Mix

  May 17, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  

   

  With yesterday being the last day of this year's 72-game NBA season, the next thing fans have to look forward to on the schedule is the play-in tournament, which officially starts tomorrow, May 18th. This is the first season where they're implementing this format, which grants an extra opportunity for teams who would ordinarily be out of the playoff picture by now.

  Here's how it works: the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th seeded teams for each conference will compete for the last two spots in this year's postseason. The 7th seed and the 8th seed will play each other, with the winner claiming a spot in the playoffs, and the 9th and 10th seed will play each other, with the loser being eliminated. The loser of the first game and the winner of the second game will then play each other for the eighth and final spot.

  For the Eastern conference, the teams who wound up in this year's play-in tournament are the Charlotte Hornets at 10th, the Indiana Pacers at 9th, the Washington Wizards at 8th, and the Boston Celtics at 7th. The Celtics in particular are a surprising addition; most fans certainly wouldn't have expected them to land the 7th seed with a .500 record at the beginning of the season, just coming off a conferences finals appearance, but here they are. Meanwhile, the Hornets and the Wizards also have a shot at making the playoffs, for the first time in quite a few years.

  For the Western conference, the teams who made the tournament are the San Antonio Spurs at 10th, the Memphis Grizzlies at 9th, the Golden State Warriors at 8th, and the Los Angeles Lakers at 7th. The Warriors missed last year's playoffs due to Curry and Klay Thompson being out with injuries; Klay is still out, but the team has bounced back with Steph at the helm. The Lakers, on the other hand, were by no means expected to be here – the defending champs with a roster straight out of 2k who debatably got a better roster in the off-season, at least on paper, are now fighting just for a playoff appearance. But things happen – injury, chemistry issues – especially since both LeBron and AD were out extensively this season. Portland's win against Denver last night was what ultimately cemented them in the play-in tournament.

  Everyone has their predictions, but what this season has taught me, with the Knicks in the fourth seed and the Jazz with the best record in the league, is that anything can happen. The play-in tournament starts tomorrow evening with the Wizards @ Celtics and the Hornets @ Pacers.

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• BallCourt - Lamelo Returns | LaMarcus Aldridge Retires | Aye Nike, Mamba Out!

  May 3, 2021 CWN Publisher 0 Comments

  This week on BallCourt - The World of Basketball, Coach Drew talks about the changing faces and business partnerships in the NBA.   Vanessa Bryant's decision to end a longstanding relationship with Nike shakes up the game.   Additional topics include:

  ◦    Brooklyn Nets  LaMarcus Aldridge calls it a career.
  ◦    Return of La Melo.
  ◦    A Coaches Look
      ◦    How Spicy is Curry looking?
      ◦    Lynx release Lexie Brown
  ◦   Word from our Coach : The failures of AAU. By Kendrick Perkins
  Kendrick Perkins goes off on AAU basketball: ‘It’s not even about basketball anymore.

  Click the image above to listen to the full podcast.

   

  
  Stay active,  Stay Healthy , Stay Safe

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• MoJo Global Arts Signs Creative Partnership with Basketball Icon Pee Wee Kirkland

  Feb 26, 2021 CWN Publisher 0 Comments

  Magic Johnson said "Pee Wee Kirkland is to streetball what Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan is to the NBA."

   LOS ANGELES, CA, February 24, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Arts and entertainment company MoJo Global Arts, Beverly Hills, CA has entered into an agreement with Kirkland Holding Company to work with basketball icon Pee Wee Kirkland across international brands, creative projects, business and social impact programs. The agreement, developed by Mojo Executive Crystal Roney, covers international brand management and development of multimedia products.
  
  Pee Wee Kirkland is an international brand influencer and public speaker who turned his challenging life experiences growing up in Harlem, NYC, into positive community development programs. Pee Wee is known in Urban folklore as a "Legend in Two Games"; a legend on the basketball courts and a legend in the streets. Noting his accomplishment as one of the best basketball players of all time as well as being a former drug kingpin – who ran the largest operation in Harlem for decades. Kirkland - who invented the crossover - the first basketball player to perform a 360-degree turnaround jump shot and the spin move to the basket; has also done a 180 in life. Now, an in-demand speaker worldwide, he has received awards and recognition from the United States and the State of New York Senate. Awards include, Congressional Certificate of Merit from The United States House of Representatives, "The Dream of King Award" in Honor of Dr. Martin King, Jr., and "Change Maker Award" from King of Kings Foundation, Inc. Kirkland is credited as being one of the Top 10 HBCU Basketball Players of All Time as well as the Top 5 Streetball Players of all Time. He is also being honored by the American Basketball Hall Of Fame as the Greatest Point Guard Ever for the 2021 induction class.
  
  Kirkland has stayed in the forefront of fans' minds as indicated by his many mentions by musicians such as: Jimmy Peters and the Ring Dance, Ja Rule, Clipse, LL Cool J, Pusha T, ASAP Rocky and others. He has been the subject of numerous documentaries and has worked as technical consultant for major feature films including "Above The Rim'' starring Tupac; Uncle Drew - Kyrie Irving. His photo proudly hangs on the wall of Pop's Barber Shop in the Marvel Series, "Luke Cage."
  
  Magic Johnson said "Pee Wee Kirkland is to streetball what Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan is to the NBA." Mojo Global Arts Co-Founder and award winning filmmaker and Harlem native, Jordan Walker-Pearlman recalls "Pee Wee Kirkland was talked about with the same awe as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Malcolm X. In speaking with him I admire how he was able to go from revered, to written off, and to revered again keeping his head, growing his faith, and maintaining the culture and self-respect of Harlem, and putting his talents to greater good."
  
  Mojo Executive, Crystal Roney says "We are excited about working with Mr. Kirkland. This has been a few years in development. Mr. Kirkland is known for his forward thinking strategies which helped to propel him to the top of whatever he puts his mind to. He represents Black, Urban and Street culture at its highest level. This creative partnership converges media, technology and culture to create innovative advanced sports and entertainment products."
  
  The creative partnership will include a range of new media products using AR/VR and other advanced media technologies creating video games, documentaries, tv series, books in multiple languages and a new e-sports league.
  
  ABOUT MOJO GLOBAL ARTS
  
  MoJo Global Arts, co-founded by Producer Morris Ruskin, Movie-Maker Jordan Walker-Pearlman and Executive Producer Joseph Mellicker, is a new Global Arts and Entertainment company fusing the talents, resources, projects, and combined sixty four years film experience of prolific producer Morris Ruskin and award-winning filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman. The production division has over fifty projects in development, including film, television, documentaries and foreign language productions. MoJo also has a management division that represents writers, directors, actors, production companies and brands from all over the world with Alex Flores running a division that has a focus on Latinx talent and Latin American companies. The management division works hand-in-hand with MoJo's global advertising and branded entertainment divisions with an extra emphasis on companies owned by women of color.
  
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• BallCourt - The Lakers headed to the White House | Return of Sonics to the League | NCAA Bubble

  Jan 22, 2021 CWN Publisher 0 Comments

   

  There is a longstanding tradition with sports teams that win a championship taking a trip to the White House for a visit with the President of the United States. But since Donald Trump took office no NBA team has chosen to make that trip.
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers are looking forward to reconvening a post-championship tradition of visiting the White House at some point during the 2020-21 season after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office as the 46th President of the United States, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
  
  Waiting to see if Biden’s schedule will be freed up for the lone occasion the Lakers travel to take on the Washington Wizards, and gathering information on what the White House COVID-19 protocols will look like are all determining factors, sources said.

   This week on BallCourt - The World of Basketball, Coach Drew digs into the hot topic - The Lakers plan to go to the White House - After Trump Leaves.  Additional topics include:

      ◦    Possible return  of our Sonics to the league
      ◦     Clippers Paul George and Morris in favor of NBA shutdown amid turmoil at the Capitol.
      ◦     Beijing Duck’s Jeremy Lin to sign with Warriors' G League team in latest NBA comeback attempt, per report
      ◦    NCAA TOURNAMENT bubble set for Indiana
  
   A word from our Coach.The best person for the job. 

  To Listen to the full podcast, click on the image at the top.
  
  Stay active,  Stay Healthy , Stay Safe

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