“The Heart of Sports” is a weekly column that curates the stories, pictures and moments that provide a window into the beating heart of sports:
- The father-son bonds forged in sport.
- The tender moments among teammates.
- The thrilling moments from your childhood that you never forget.
- The surprising moments that make us smile or gape in awe
- The parts of sport that are way bigger than any sport
It’s why we watch. It’s why we play.
It’s the stuff that rises up out of sports and settles down into us.
This week’s Heart of Sports comes out of All Elite Wrestling. Pro Wrestler and Executive VP of AEW, Cody Rhodes, was speaking to a gaggle of reporters on some topics that some might find surprising for a macho white professional wrestler: racism and diversity.
Cody, the son of WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Dustin Rhodes, is married to a black woman, Brandi Rhodes. Brandi is a legend in her own right. She was the first black ring announcer of a WrestleMania (in 2015), and last year became the first African American woman to hold an executive position in a North American wrestling organization.
Rhodes spoke of how his relationship with Brandi helped him to grow in understanding these issues:
“I told Brandi one time that I don’t see color and she said ‘well, then you don’t see my experience,’” – @CodyRhodes on how being in an interracial marriage has helped with diversity in @AEWrestling and why diversity will be a way of life and not a publicity stunt. pic.twitter.com/bucN8KBVUM
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As Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, remarked, it was a powerful moment: “This exchange is a promising peek into what growth looks like in our national discourse on race.”
It sure does.
Thanks, Cody.
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Photo Credit: YouTube/ProWrestlingSheet
If you have a moment that you think should be featured in the Heart of Sports, please contact me at [email protected] or @michaelkasdan.
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