‘Let’s go, kid! Come on, kid!’: Chant that broke barriers brings Benito Juarez baseball closer together
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports Freshman Jesus Estrada walked to the batter’s box, inserted into the lineup as a pinch hitter with his team, the Benito Juarez Community Academy Eagles, already leading Back of the Yards College Prep by 14 runs. As he was taking practice swings, getting ready for his only at-bat of the […]
The silent self-confidence of Brendan Steele: How UCR bagged its best golfer in university history
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports Brendan Steele flashed signs that he could be successful as a professional golfer as early as his college years at the University of California, Riverside. Although he didn’t look the part of a superstar golfer, he had a strong work ethic and improved his game every year. Despite Steele’s failure […]
Ayo Dosunmu takes key role while biding time as rookie with Bulls
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports Ayo Dosunmu is like many 22-year-olds. If you overlook the fact he’s making millions of dollars a year to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls, the comparison makes a lot more sense. That’s hard to overlook, of course, even though Dosunmu lives with his older brother Kube and spends most […]
Even at Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Weekend, Kobe Bryant’s shadow looms large over LA
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports LOS ANGELES — Super Bowl Sunday and the Rams taking the trophy on their home turf – it’s the one day you would expect LA to fully live in the moment. But someone was missing. With the champagne flowing as the Rams celebrated their Super Bowl victory, wide receiver Cooper […]
University of Illinois rabbi hosts talk between former NBA player Meyers Leonard, Jewish community after Leonard used antisemitic slur last year
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports Former NBA and Illini basketball player Meyers Leonard visited his alma mater Jan. 17 for what was supposed to be a 30-minute conversation with the student Jewish community this winter. Instead, the conversation lasted for about two hours, hosted by Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel, the director of the Chabad Jewish Center […]
Latino COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy indicative of systemic issues
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports LOS ANGELES — The Latino community in Los Angeles has been hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a sign of larger systemic issues within the medical field. While only 50% of Latinos had received a single COVID-19 dose through August 2021, there has seemingly always been seeds of […]
Behind the CPS shutdown: What happens to high school athletics when a district shuts down?
By Jonathan Fernandez Medill Reports Currently all high school sports at Chicago Public Schools are on track to continue through the spring season without missing a beat, but that was up in the air during the recent CPS work stoppage. On Jan. 4, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to work remotely instead of reporting for […]
