Oakland’s Maxwell first MLB player to kneel during anthem

OAKLAND, California — Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland Athletics became the first Major League Baseball player to kneel during the US anthem on Saturday, pulling the league into a polarizing protest movement that has been criticized harshly by President Donald Trump.

Before a home game against the Texas Rangers, Maxwell dropped to a knee just outside Oakland’s dugout, adopting a protest started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in response to police treatment of blacks. The rookie catcher pressed his right hand against his heart, and teammates stood in a line next to him. Teammate Mark Canha, who is white, put his right hand on one of Maxwell’s shoulders, and the two hugged after the anthem finished.

“Everybody watches sports and so everybody loves sports, so I felt this was the right thing for me to do personally,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell’s protest comes after Trump blasted American football players and rescinded a White House invitation for NBA champion Stephen Curry in a two-day rant that targeted top professional athletes.

“That’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for,” Trump said of kneeling through the anthem. He added, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired’.”

Maxwell informed A’s manager Bob Melvin and general manager David Forst of his intention to kneel before Saturday’s game. He also held a team meeting in which he addressed questions from teammates. Maxwell did not play in Oakland’s 1-0 win.

Canha approached Maxwell after the meeting to offer his support.

“I could tell he was getting kind of choked up and emotional about his beliefs and how he feels about the racial discrimination that’s going on in this country right now,” Canha said. “I felt like every fiber in my being was telling me that he needed a brother today.”

The Athletics released a statement on Twitter shortly after the anthem, saying they “respect and support all of our players’ constitutional rights and freedom of expression” and “pride ourselves on being inclusive.”

The league also issued a statement: “Major League Baseball has a longstanding tradition of honoring our nation prior to the start of our games. We also respect that each of our players is an individual with his own background, perspectives and opinions. We believe that our game will continue to bring our fans, their communities and our players together.”

Maxwell was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, while his father was stationed there in the Army, but he grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, which is where Trump made his statements at a rally on Friday.

“The racism in the South is disgusting,” Maxwell said. “It bothers me, and it hits home for me because that’s where I’m from. The racism in the South is pretty aggressive, and I dealt with it all the way through my childhood, and my sister went through it. I feel that that’s something that needs to be addressed and that needs to be changed.”

League executives and star players alike condemned Trump’s words on Saturday, and Maxwell predicted on Twitter that athletes would begin kneeling in other sports following “comments like that coming from our president.”

A few hours later, he followed through.

“This now has gone from just a BlackLives Matter topic to just complete inequality of any man or woman that wants to stand for Their rights!” Maxwell wrote.

Maxwell is decidedly patriotic and comes from a military family. His agent, Matt Sosnick, told The Associated Press that “the Maxwells’ love and appreciation for our country is indisputable.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Visa to unveil ‘debit rings’ in Rio Olympics

There’s a sixth ring that will roll out in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

International financial services company Visa announced on Thursday that it will unveil NFC (near field communication)-enabled payment rings to 45 Team Visa athletes representing the company. Prepaid money is stored in the rings, which can be reloaded and hovered in 4,000 NFC-capable POS terminals in the different Olympic venues.

In a report by CNN Money and Techradar, these rings, which come in white or black ceramic, are waterproof–they can be submerged underwater up to 50 meters (164 feet), and do not require either electronic charging or batteries.

Using its Visa Token service, the wearable prototype can be used when it is scanned over the sensor on a card reader for payment.

Missy Franklin, a four-time Olympic gold medalist for swimming, mentioned in a statement, “As an Olympian, rings have a special meaning to me. The Visa ring is a great innovation that I know all the athletes competing in Rio will enjoy as it will be.”

“It’s great to go from a competition to purchase [something] without having to carry a wallet or card.”

Visa is the only card accepted at the Rio Olympics, which will begin on Aug, 5, and the company is notable for experimenting cutting-edge prototypes in every sponsored event such as the Olympics.

It is expected that Visa will develop the technology for its millions of clients later this year. Gianna Francesca Catolico

source: technology.inquirer.net

Under Armour announces regional fitness challenge Test of Will

Triple Pte Ltd, the exclusive distributor for U.S. high performance sportswear label Under Armour in Southeast Asia, announces a Southeast Asia-wide fitness challenge in celebration of human performance, functional fitness and the training lifestyle. An elite event that is accessible to everyone with the will to train, the Under Armour Test of Will 2016 is a distinctively modern and uniquely urban fitness challenge for the growing community of advanced athletes, high achievers and fitness aspirants across Southeast Asia with a drive for competition.

Kicking off in Singapore, national heats will be staggered over the month of April in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Built around a series of challenges that assesses pure, functional fitness through callisthenic motion using only body weight and simple gear, each Test of Will competitor will have to complete a 4-minute circuit testing his or her balance, speed, agility and power.

The circuit challenge comprises of four sets of exercises: burpees, squats, dumbbell presses and pull-ups (inclined pull-ups for women). For every exercise, each competitor will have to complete the maximum number of reps they can achieve within 60 seconds. The highest scoring two women and the highest scoring two men of the national heats from each respective country will win a trip to Singapore to compete in the Under Armour Test of Will Grand Final held at Gardens by the Bay on 28 May 2016.

The Grand Final will see contestants battle it out over a series of challenges in a specially built 14-metre Tower. Each level of the Tower will contain a fitness zone with callisthenic exercises that will test mental and physical strength, endurance, determination and will. The highest overall point leader in each category wins.

The overall winner will receive an Under Armour sponsorship package for 12 months. In addition, the winners in the male and female categories will be featured in leading health and fitness magazines Men’s Health Singapore and SHAPE Singapore.

The launch of Test of Will creates a platform that is authentic, resonant and engaging for people who are passionate about fitness.

 For more information or to register, please visit http://testofwill.tripleready.com. ADVT.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net