导出博客文章PHILADELPHIA -- Andrea Lawful-Sanders has a ritual for cheering the black heroines of the Summer Olympics.
Joe Ledley Jersey .She gets into her corner of the living room, sets up her chair, demands silence before screaming at the top of her lungs, flails her body wildly and -- in keeping with her Jamaican-American heritage -- bangs pot covers together to celebrate victories.From Simone Biles gravity-defying flips to the history-making medal trifecta of the U.S. women racing in the 100-meter hurdles, many of the Olympics most memorable moments have come courtesy of African-American women. Their accomplishments in Rio have spurred excitement and pride at home in the U.S., particularly for black women who say they are seeing themselves in the Olympic Games like never before.While everybody else is talking, we are doing, said Lawful-Sanders, 50, of Philadelphia. When we excel, nobody can take that away from us -- ever. They may try to marginalize us, but how can you marginalize excellence?With competition continuing through Sunday, Americas black female athletes have won more than two dozen of the 100-plus U.S. medal haul.Black women havent just shined in this years Olympics; theyve been ubiquitous -- from gymnastics to water polo, fencing to swimming. Previous Summer Games featured black women mainly in track and field and, more recently, in gymnastics. Fans at home had to wait days to cheer on sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner or gymnast Dominique Dawes.It is very interesting to see black women going into areas where you really dont see black women competing, with all different body shapes, complexions and hairstyles being represented, said Kaye Wise Whitehead, a professor at Loyola University who studies race and gender. Black women see and feel that there is no door closed to us ... and that were not just walking through those doors, but were dominating.In Rio, the two Simones -- gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Simone Manuel -- both stood atop the podium on a night that made history, with Manuel becoming the first black woman to win an individual medal in swimming. In all, she took home four medals and Biles five. Biles was chosen to carry the American flag for the U.S. team in Sundays closing ceremony.Michelle Carter became the first American woman to win gold in the shot put. Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who won a bronze medal in the womens team sabre event, was the first Muslim-American woman to compete for the U.S. in a hijab.On the track, Dalilah Muhammad became the first American woman to win gold in the 400-meter hurdles, and three black women -- Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin -- became the first Olympians from the same nation to finish 1-2-3 in the 100-meter hurdles.Jacqueline Wills has loved rooting on female gymnasts since she was a child watching the Olympics. During these games, as she lost count of the numerous black women winning, her cheers went beyond just Biles.At this point, its like too many to name, said the 38-year-old who lives in Brookhaven, Georgia. Its the same reason we cheer Michelle Obama when she does something fabulous: Its (a black woman) doing things well and on their own terms and being unapologetically black. Those images kind of reaffirm us.Some said the Olympics also provided a much-needed respite from racial tensions at home.It is a good distraction and a good way to celebrate our successes, even as the world may not appreciate us, said Luvvie Ajayi, a pop culture blogger and author. In a Facebook post, Ajayi quipped: Black women had a secret meeting before (hash)Rio2016 and the only thing on the agenda was: `TAKE ALL THE MEDALS. And it was done.Black women are showing that weve always been a force to reckon with, but now ... were showing that we kind of are superheroes that are real, Ajayi said in an interview. We are really unstoppable; we can dominate at anything we want to do.Black women have also felt the struggles of their athletic counterparts at the games. Many took to social media to defend veteran gymnast Gabby Douglas amid remarks that she lacked patriotism for not placing her hand on her heart during the national anthem, that her hair was not polished enough and that her attitude was unsportsmanlike.The stereotype of the angry black woman was familiar to Wills.That is one of the things that comes with being a black woman in this country, she said, adding that she tried to shrug off the criticism in a Facebook post.I said, `People are just mad at her bold lip, Wills said, referring to Douglas lipstick color.As the games come to a close this weekend, Lawful-Sanders is warming up her pot covers for a few more chances to cheer.We have made up our minds that we are going to give it the best that we have, and we are watching it manifest in the Olympics, she said. Its black girl magic. We are tired of being told that we couldnt or we shouldnt. ... Were taking no prisoners, and Im enjoying every second of it.---Errin Haines Whack covers urban affairs for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at
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Ashley Williams Jersey. And even then, they wanted me to get a different surgery. I ended up saying I was going in for the surgery either way, and I think that put pressure on them.Iaquinta acknowledged it hasnt been long since he signed his current four-fight deal. He has completed only one of those: a split-decision win over Jorge Masvidal in April 2015.His mindset, however, has changed tremendously in that time. After he was initially told hed have to pay for knee surgery out of pocket, Iaquinta said he came to grips with the possibility that his career was over. Now that hes accepted that once and prepared accordingly (he received his real estate license earlier this year), it frees him to demand a new deal.They sell you on the dream, Iaquinta said. You end up fighting for less than youre worth, hoping one day you can make it. Ive already made it. Im in the UFC.At first, the dream is making The Ultimate Fighter. When youre in The Ultimate Fighter, its about making the UFC. Get into the UFC, the dream is making it to that next contract. I got to the next contract and was told, Stay in the good graces of the UFC. Dont piss them off, because if you ask for more money, theyre not going to give it to you anyway, and God forbid you lose a fight -- theyll cut you.Now, I really dont give a s--- if they cut me. I could f------ care less.Iaquinta did not reveal the exact figure hes seeking, but he said the UFC has shown no interest in renegotiating his current deal.Playing into his decision, Iaquinta said the UFC informed him he is ineligible for the promotions highly sought-after fight night bonuses, which usually consist of $50,000 and are awarded at every event.Iaquinta said he was told his ineligibility stems from several violations of the UFCs code of conduct.Im really just fed up, Iaquinta said. Im fed up with the sport. I dont even call it a sport anymore. They treat the wrong people right and the right people wrong.I went to UFC 53 [in 2005] and I had such a different idea of this. Its where I wanted to be. I watched every fight when I was young. This is all I wanted to do. I thought these guys were superstars. I thought these guys were making money, being on TV -- and now Im here and its totally different. I keep saying, It cant be like this. This cant be how it is.Iaquinta fights out of Serra-Longo Fight Team. He is 7-2 overall in the UFC with three knockouts. ' ' '
