It's official. President Barack Obama can now add "Sports Announcer" to his resume.  Just days after giving the State of the Union speech and meeting with the GOP House of Representatives, President Obama joined the CBS Broadcast announcing team Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellog for a brief moment to commentate the Georgetown v. Duke match-up.

Supposedly, the crowd went berserk when they found out our President was in attendance. And why not? Whether you like his politics or not, Obama is, indeed a rock star.  If I knew President Obama was in the stands watching me play ball, I'd probably go berserk too.

Check out the video below.  Peep my favorite part of Obama's commentary as he puts the Ohio State Buckeyes on blast for "bragging" about beating an Ivy League team. (Starts at 2:29)

"First of all, if the Buckeyes are bragging about beating an Ivy League team, that doesn't say much."

Ha! Indeed, Mr. President.

Today I'm recovering from a few too many steals out of Santa's midnight stash of cookies and milk. As the quantity of available chocolate chips now approaches a dangerous low, I am tasked with figuring out a new holiday activity.

Fortunately, the City of Chicago already created a solution to my problem by transforming a schmancy convention center, McCormick Place, into an accessible multi-sport venue. The Chicago Sports Fest—or as I would call it, the Chicago Inflatable Bouncy Castle Wonderland—is a two-day sports extravaganza designed to give city residents a warm space to run and play during the cold of winter. Better yet, it is free and open to the public.

The range of available activities is nothing short of impressive. They've got tennis, skateboarding, ping pong, golf, rock climbing, and gymnastics. You can check out contortion shows, watch volleyball competitions, and take aerobics or salsa dancing classes. The Sports Fest also provides coaches to help you learn any new sport you'd like to try, regardless of skill level. Most sports at the event are geared towards beginners, and no one is turned away for not knowing how to play. It's a nice casual environment to try kicking around a hacky-sack, or to make your first attempt at parrying an attack with a foil.

It's too easy to get caught in the "it's-really-really-cold-outside-and-there's-nothing-to-do" syndrome that spreads like a nasty virus every winter. The best remedy is to get out of the house and do something. Here are some snapshots from the Inflatable Bouncy Castle Wonderland, ahem, Chicago Sports Fest:



The yellow box catches your speed as you run by. Most times were around 11 - 13, though I saw one runner hit 15mph.



I thought this was an interesting approach to weight training. Instead of barbells, these young athletes have stretchy bands tied to both ends of a stick, and looped around their toes. They increase or decrease the resistance by rotating the stick, thereby wrapping the band around the stick and shortening/lengthening the band.



Bouncy slide.



Bouncy obstacle course.



Bouncy soccer goal. Notice blurry ball heading towards the target.



Bouncy climbing wall with climber kid rocking out at the top.



My favorite bouncy room, filled with about a dozen bouncers. Okay, enough of the bouncy castle pictures.



Exercise the brain with some mammoth chess.



Some good old-fashioned b-ball. Never gets old.



They had an indoor skate park with skateboarders, rollerbladers, bmx kids, and freestyle unicyclists all sharing the same space. This blurry kid is about to land his jump on the other side of the gap, smooth as peanut butter (not the chunky kind, but the smooth kind).



My personal favorite was a little obstacle course for "drivers" who use pedal-power to get around town. Awesome.

There you have it: something like 18,000 ways to entertain yourself in the middle of winter. And you totally thought that life beyond Christmas cookies was gonna be boring...

Yesterday a California renters' rights organization, Tenants Together, launched a new campaign called NBA: Show You Care.

Their goal? To prompt the NBA to discipline LA Clippers owner and big-time landlord Donald Sterling for his willful engagement in housing discrimination. A Tenants Together press release said this:

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Sterling “Engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating on the basis of race, national Origin, and family status.” The DOJ stated that Sterling “refused to rent to African Americans” and that his conduct was willful.

Indeed, Sterling was forced to pay a whopping $2.725 million in the largest housing discrimination settlement to date. But even this sizable chunk of change isn't enough to compensate for the damages caused by many years of racial discrimination and unlawful activity in the housing market. Many would like to see further discipline for Sterling's actions. Many would like to see the NBA acknowledge and take action to address racism within its ranks.

Political sportswriter Dave Zirin added: "Court testimony claimed that Sterling had said he did not like to rent to Hispanics because "Hispanics smoke, drink and just hang around the building." Witnesses testified that he also said, "Black tenants smell and attract vermin."

Woah. Is this really the type of leadership that we want to see in the NBA? I sure hope not.



Housing discrimination is insidious and largely invisible to enforcement agencies. Most people of color won't start a lawsuit after experiencing housing discrimination on a personal level. It's expensive and difficult to prove. If you're renting, you probably don't have the cash to hire a lawyer or the time to research tenants' rights. Most folks will just silently wonder: Is it just me? Is it a personal fault? Is it my credit score? My references? But then there's that nagging question: Or could it be the color of my skin?

How could one possibly know the precise motives behind an isolated decision to deny housing to a family or an individual? Generally, you don't know. That's why Sterling's case required a major lawsuit to look into broad demographic information and testimonials over a period of years. When lawsuits like this actually come to fruition, you know that there's something very wrong.

I'm hoping that this case involving a high-profile NBA team owner will serve as a warning to landlords all over the country that housing discrimination won't be tolerated. I'm also hoping that the NBA will step up its game and start a dialogue about how the organization plans to address racism in sports and beyond.

In the meantime, there's a petition that you can sign over at NBA: Show You Care "to urge the NBA to condemn racist housing discrimination and discipline Donald Sterling."

Go ahead; sign it.

Growing up in northeast Ohio meant a few things: bearing rough winters, longing for spring, and anticipating the next game or track meet.  I was a child athlete.  I lived and breathed basketball and track.  I was also a firecracker.  No doubt, I need guidance.

My first ever experience with coaches was when my dad and older brother taught me how to play basketball. Both taught me strategy, form, mental toughness - and how to play rough with the boys.  My father taught me to mentally visualize winning the night before a game or a track meet.  He also taught me that winning wasn't necessarily everything, and that it's okay to cry even when no one's looking.

My first experience with organized sports was around 4th grade (eleven-years-old) playing AAU basketball. (I had to wait two years before the school would let me run track - and it felt like an eternity!).  Ever since then, I've had amazing coaches; men and women who not only taught me how to shoot a basketball or run fast, but also taught me the importance of work ethic and sportsmanship.

Needless to say, my experience with coaches - especially from middle school on up to high school, have been amazing.  I always felt as though each one of my coaches saw something special within me that no one else did.  Like for instance, my high school basketball coach, Calvin Washington.  When I tell you that Cal had to 'deal' with me, I mean, he literally had to work with me.  It was never easy for me to accept what I deemed as failure on the court, whether that be in the form of a missed lay-up or foul shot, or that always-unforeseen technical foul.  I was taunted a lot on the court because the opposing team knew that I had a short fuse.  Yep, I was a hot head and everyone knew it.  But Cal knew how to calm the beast. He always managed to help me focus at my most vulnerable times on the court, and for that, I'm grateful.

Like my dad and brother who came before him, Cal taught me mental toughness.  He, along with the Solon High School coaching staff, helped me understand the meaning of playing smart both on and off the court. 

And this is why we celebrate coaches who understand that their roles influence not just the player but the person as well.  These people have incredible insight into what the future holds for their athletes beyond the court or field.  They choose the rigors of coaching in spite of over-zealous parents, under-appreciative athletes, and reluctant school boards.  There's a reason why we make movies and documentaries about inspirational coaches - and there's a reason why folks like me with a public platform mention my father, my brother, Cal Washington, and Chad Ramlow (my high school track coach) years after all is said and done with my athletic career. 

It's because these folks deserve our recognition for making us the people we are today; still imperfect, but nonetheless better people.

This upcoming week, YouthNoise will spotlight the amazing coaches in your life with our Play It Forward campaign.  In partnership with Nike, LinkTV, and Up2Us.org (an organization that promotes individuals, organizations, and research that support youth development through sport), YouthNoise will be looking to you - the inspired - to help celebrate coaches that have changed our lives.

Tell us about your favorite coaches!

Image courtesy of PositiveSports.net

Yes, it's another Friday in July. The sun is kickin' it in the sky, the sounds of flip-flops fill the city streets, and gravity pulls dribbles of chocolate ice-cream down the chins of the little ones, staining both shirts and shorts. There's no excuse to be bored on a day like today, especially when you've got programs like B-Ball on the Block bringing basketball and soccer to your doorstep.

Every Friday from 4 - 8pm in the summer, Chicago nonprofit Beyond the Ball closes a street to traffic and sets up some hoops. They construct a makeshift street soccer area and bring in coaches, volunteers, sports equipment, and—most importantly—the local community. This traveling basketball and soccer league mainly serves the Little Village and North Lawndale neighborhoods, but the teams also travel all over the city for the Finals tournaments at the end of the summer.

In addition to being a whole lot of fun, B-Ball on the Block also helps to break down barriers in the community. The locations cross rival gang territories and bring together participants of varying ages, races and ethnicities. Through community sports, B-Ball on the Block encourages Chicagoans to "come out and see how much they actually have in common."

[Below: Video from last Friday's event. Yeah, these guys know how to play.]

If you're in Chicago, you should check out the calendar and think about becoming a volunteer for Beyond the Ball. It's a good excuse to get outside and enjoy the summer while helping to build your community.

Also, if you have two seconds right now (and I know you do), click here to help Beyond the Ball raise $500 for programs like B-Ball on the Block. The Just 1 Click campaign won't cost you a cent, but it will help Chicago youth to keep playing in the summertime. That's right - click it.