OZY’s Top 10 Week: The Sports Stars

www.ozy.com [OZY]() The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Jan 06, 2022 TODAY There are few things more exciting than seeing the next big name in sports take off. Witnessing young athletes come of age and realize their potential on the field, court or ring elicits special feelings. That’s why in today’s Daily Dose we’re highlighting, in no order of priority, some of the top names in sports who have or are set to make headlines in the months to come. Our list is decidedly international and profiles athletes from sports that may not be particularly mainstream in the eyes of some. But that’s the point of OZY: Delivering fresh, bold and sometimes left-field perspectives for you to chew over and make you think. Who should be on our list? Drop us a line at ozycommunity@ozy.com and we’ll feature your suggestions next week. 1 - Nasima Akter (surfing) Only [67 percent]( of Bangladeshi girls attend high school and roughly two-thirds are married by the age of 18. [Akter]( — whose family pressured her to take to prostitution at the age of 7 to support them — decided to chase a different future … by chasing the waves of the Bay of Bengal. Now in her early 20s, Akter has ignited a growing turn to [surfing among teenage girls born into poverty](. They’re challenging social norms and expectations each time they step into the water and onto their boards. 2 - Thiago Almada (soccer) The [20-year-old]( soccer midfielder who currently plays for Argentina’s Vélez Sarsfield has already been dubbed the new [Carlos Tevez]( — the Argentine superstar who grew up in an environment marred by drugs and murder. Almada was born in the same marginalized Buenos Aires neighborhood as Tevez and has now been valued at more than $16 million. Reports suggest he is set to join Major League Soccer side Atlanta United in April and should the move go ahead, it would make Almada the most expensive MLS signing ever. 3 - Mina Kimes (sports presenter) Not an athlete, but this 36-year-old Korean American former business reporter is not who you’d expect to see calling NFL games. But Kimes is an ESPN rising star who knows her X’s and O’s, as well as the broader context. Get her take on gender inequality in sports analysis and how race and football have collided in recent times. A guest of The Carlos Watson Show, you may be surprised to hear who this expert calls the GOAT. [Watch now](%20Kimes%20(sports%20presenter)) 4 - Mikey Williams (men’s basketball) Though still uncommitted, the[No. 2 overall men’s basketball prospect]( in the high school class of 2023 has said on several occasions he’s seriously considering several HBCU programs. Half of the 10 colleges he previously stated he was considering were HBCUs, including North Carolina Central, Tennessee State and Alabama State universities. He’s opened his recruitment up a bit more, but his[father said in July that Williams is leaning toward an HBCU](. If that plays out, the move would be monumental. Actions, of course, speak louder than words: Other[top recruits have recently championed HBCUs]( only to go down a more[traditional path](. 5 - Ons Jabeur (tennis) She doesn’t play the odds — in fact, the 27-year-old Tunisian enjoys trying “crazy shots.” Which makes sense since her rise to the leagues of tennis’ elite has meant defying the odds. Africa’s top female player is also the highest-ranked woman ever from the Arab world, making her an icon of two regions that have historically been underrepresented in the sport. Like Nadal, she isn’t shy to show emotion on the court. A decade after she won the juniors at the French Open in 2011, is the [World No. 10]( ready to conquer the big stage? 6 - Randolph Ross (track) North Carolina A&T had a built-in advantage in recruiting its star athlete when[he signed in 2019](. North Carolina A&T’s director of track & field, Duane Ross, is Randolph’s father. That’s why it was such[a magical moment]( when the younger Ross qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 400-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials on June 20 last. “That victory lap and that smile just brought me to tears,” Duane Ross told[Runner’s World](. “When he came up and gave me a hug, he said, ‘Happy Father’s Day.’” Duane himself competed in the Olympics 18 years ago in Athens. 7 - Laurel Hubbard (weight-lifting) Laurel Hubbard, a 43-year-old New Zealand weightlifter, was the first openly transgender athlete to be selected for the Olympics, after she represented New Zealand in last summer’s Games. Yet some of her fellow athletes have called Hubbard’s participation “[unfair](” and a “bad joke.” Until she turned 23, Hubbard competed as a man but never at the international level. She transitioned at 35 and meets the[current International Olympic Committee requirements to compete in the Tokyo Games](. “For a long time, it really wasn’t fair because it was based on where you were in your transition, as opposed to where your hormone levels are, which is really what it should be,” Charley Cullen Walters, an LGBT Olympic analyst, told OZY. At Tokyo, Hubbard struggled, and failed to feature in her competition. In a short time, Hubbard has profoundly changed the world of sports. 8 - Maria Toorpakai (squash) For Pakistan’s[most successful female squash player](, her sporting journey is itself the ultimate protest. Growing up in an ultra-conservative region where girls are discouraged from playing sports,[Toorpakai hatched an outrageous plan]( with her supportive father. She put on her brother’s clothes, had her hair chopped and started playing disguised as a boy. Today the 31-year-old is a torchbearer of[Pakistan’s storied squash legacy](.[Death threats]( haven’t deterred her. “I was born a warrior. I will die like a warrior,” she says. 9 - Aqeel Glass (football) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alabama A&M University’s football team played just four games last spring. That didn’t stop quarterback Aqeel Glass from putting up monster numbers, garnering 2021 SWAC Offensive[Player of the Year]( honors and leading his team to an undefeated record. The St. Louis native went for over 3,000 yards in just nine games last year. At 6 foot 5 and 215 pounds, Glass is the size of a prototypical NFL quarterback and is[considered a sleeper]( ahead of this year’s draft. Beyond the gridiron, he’s known to speak up on issues of race. “I’m biracial – my mom’s white, my dad’s Black – so without social justice, without all the influential people in civil rights, I probably wouldn’t be here,” Glass told the[Alabama News Center](. 10 - Ayesha McGowan (cycling) She became the first female African American pro cyclist at the elite level after joining [Liv Racing]( as a trainee on its UCI Women’s World Tour team last summer — fulfilling a dream the 34-year-old has chased for years, while also [raising the names of others]( as an activist for greater equity in the sport. Her team, A Quick Brown Fox, which hosted “Thee Abundance Summit” for Black and brown cyclists in March, continues to pave the way for others following in her treadmarks. [Anthony Hamilton on 'The Carlos Watson Show']( Anthony Hamilton is usually behind the chair giving haircuts to celebrities like Common, Terrell Owens, and our very own Carlos Watson. Today, Anthony steps in the chair to give us a real look at how he learned to read at 26 years old and becoming a better father to his superstar son Todrick Hall. [Watch Now]( ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Welcome to the New + the Next! [OZY]() [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( A Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](