S3|E1: The Value[s] of Sport: Ethically, Financially, and Socially
“The Value[s] of Sport: Ethically, Financially, and Socially” - focuses on the role of sports and athletes in developing and amplifying our ethical, financial, and social values and beliefs.
Joined By:
Tianna Madison, an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. She also was a pusher on the U.S. bobsled team in 2012, taking a medal at the World Cup. Tianna attended the University of Tennessee and is ranked first all-time in Tennessee’s history of the outdoor long jump at 6.89 m. Off the track, she is a fearless advocate for elevating voices. Her book - Survive and Advance - published in 2021 provides insight into why she keeps running, doing whatever is needed to survive life...moment to moment, to get to tomorrow to fight another day.
Jeremy Boyd, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, competing in baseball, football and wrestling. Focusing on football, the 6′4′′ young man worked his way up to the varsity team and played for a year at Delta State. In 2013 he started working in construction and loved working with his hands, the people and the sense of accomplishment. All that ended when on the night of December 8, 2016, he was shot in an attempted robbery and the bullet clipped his L-3 vertebrae resulting in an incomplete spinal cord injury. After a month in the hospital, frustration and hopelessness were taking over. Upon his release, on a trip to the local farmers market he met two women who - like him - were in wheelchairs. They encouraged him to try wheelchair tennis at a local clinic and he was immediately hooked. Demonstrating his natural athleticism and tremendous work ethic, he was able to gain admission to the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, he won three National Championships in wheelchair tennis. Majoring in African American Studies, Jeremy graduated in May 2022.
Curtis McDowald, competed at the Tokyo Olympics in epee fencing, taking his team to an impressive top ten finish. Encouraged by his mother, Curtis - a Jamaica / Queens, New Peter Westbrook Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the first Black fencer to win an Olympic medal for Team USA. Navigating the challenges of his neighborhood, Curtis vowed to fight his way to the top, winning a scholarship to St. John’s University. Curtis continues to compete on a global level, hoping to represent the US at the Paris Olympics in 2024, while also serving as a mentor, coach, and outspoken advocate against domestic violence and inequity.
Raven Thissel is an activist, communications consultant, and business strategist. Her education as a holistic health coach and her background in public relations and marketing have uniquely positioned her to exercise her passion for social advancement in a variety of ways. When she observed the climbing rates of suicide and stress-related illness among Black Americans, she founded Crowned & Calm, Co. with the mission of empowering Black communities with meditation and other holistic health tools. She serves as Marketing & PR Director of Athletes’ Voices Academic Partner and Turn Up the Mic Award Winner, The Doug Williams Center, creating solutions for racial and gender disparities in the professional sports industry. Raven is also the CEO of Thissel Consulting, where she provides executive leadership to cultural innovation initiatives and other solutions for impactful organizations.
Marcus Allen is a charismatic and passionate public servant, devoted to helping those less fortunate. As a visionary leader with more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit executive, he has worked tirelessly to improve life circumstances for disadvantaged youth and to advocate for equal opportunities for communities of color. He joined Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence in 2013 to further this platform as the organization’s first Black Chief Executive Officer in its celebrated 106-year history. It is through Big Brothers Big Sisters that Marcus has been able to enact a vision of innovative youth mentoring programs designed to help positively transform the lives of children facing adversity in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.