Recent posts by Sonny Young:
Dikembe Mutombo: Helping Build Homes, Hospitals and Bridges
Whether he’s helping build a home or a hospital, Dikembe Mutombo isn’t afraid to “get his hands dirty,” as he said after putting on his hard hat and picking up a steel trowel in Ennerdale township in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 52-year-old Hall of Fame basketball player joined a group of 250 NBA and WNBA […]
Basketball Without Borders Africa: Amadou Gallo Fall
Born in Senegal, Amadou Gallo Fall played college basketball for “The Firebirds” of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) in Washington, D.C. And while he’s traveled all over the world since lining up at center for UDC, Amadou told me this morning here in Johannesburg how Washington is one of his favorite cities […]
Basketball Without Borders Africa – NBA Africa Game 2018
I’m looking forward to returning to South Africa where I’ll be covering Basketball Without Borders Africa activities and the NBA Africa Game 2018. This will be my second trip to South Africa. I traveled to the country eight years ago for coverage of the FIFA World Cup football tournament. The NBA Africa Game 2018 will […]
African Players in the National Football League – Pt. 3
***This is the third and final in a series of blog posts written by VOA intern Alex Hodge. Drafted two years apart, running back Jay Ajayi and defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah have made quick impacts in the National Football League and earned all-star honors. The 25-year-old Ajayi, born in London to Nigerian parents, was […]
African Players in the National Football League – Pt. 2
***This is the second in a series of three blog posts written by VOA intern Alex Hodge. The National Football League’s Kickoff Game on September 6, 2018, will officially kick off a new season and showcase top wide receivers with ties to Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, with receiver […]
African Players in the National Football League – Pt. 1
***This is the first in a series of three blog posts written by VOA intern Alex Hodge. With the National Football League (NFL) kicking off a new season in September, let’s take a look at the African influence on the popular American sports league. Thirty of the 32 teams currently have a native born […]
Remembering World Cup Hero Alcides Ghiggia
I’ve been counting down to the World Cup in Russia with occasional fun facts on my radio show about the international football festival. As I write this, it’s just over 23 days to the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia in Moscow. Twenty-three also was the age of Uruguay’s Alcides Ghiggia when he scored […]
Worldwide React to Ronaldo’s Wonder Goal
I received an email from my buddy Darren Taylor in Johannesburg after Cristiano Ronaldo’s spectacular goal in Turin: “Sonny, people who don’t know the difference between a watermelon and a soccer ball are talking about the goal.” The Portuguese star scored on an incredible, overhead bicycle kick for his second goal of the night to […]
50th Anniversary of the Olympics Black Power Salute
With the Winter Olympics about to begin in Pyeongchang, South Korea, I recently was reminded of one of the greatest political protests in Olympic history. During a visit to the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History & Culture here in Washington, I saw a statue depicting the powerful actions of American athletes Tommie Smith and […]
