Hours before the National Champions will cut down the nets in San Antonio, the NBA, TNT and others will team up with the Sports Equality Foundation to provide an LGBTQ inclusion event at the Men's Final Four. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
The NCAA Men’s Final Four this year will feature a March Madness event designed to welcome gay, lesbian and other LGBTQ people to San Antonio. It’s being sponsored by some of the biggest names in American sports, and it’s open to young athletes across the LGBTQ community.
The NBA — through NBA Cares and Jr. NBA — are sponsoring the Men’s Final Four event, along with the San Antonio Spurs and TNT Sports. The inclusion of the support of these organizations lends powerful credibility to LGBTQ inclusion at the Final Four.
The event will be held at the Spurs practice facility on April 5, hours ahead of the first gameout of the Men’s Final Four and the semifinals of March Madness.
The clinic at the center of the outreach will include on-court basketball training, a resource fair for families and community-empowerment opportunities.
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The efforts are being spearheaded by the Sports Equality Foundation and San Antonio Pride Center. Anthony Nicodemo — the rare out gay high school basketball coach and SEF Board member — has been a major factor in bringing the event to the Final Four.
“This clinic will give them and allies the opportunity to engage in basketball activities and the important message of belonging in sports.” said Anthony Nicodemo, clinic organizer and Board Member of the Sports Equality Foundation. “The amount of support from partners speaks volumes about the purpose of this clinic.”
That public support from the NBA, TNT Sports and the San Antonio Spurs is not lost on a community that has watched trans people targeted by anti-trans forces, particularly in the last few months. Other companies are seemingly withdrawing — or at least scaling down — their Pride efforts.
Events like this have taken place before. A decade ago, various advocates were part of a Men’s Final Four conversation about LGBTQ inclusion. Nicodemo has been instrumental in bringing LGBTQ inclusion efforts to college basketball events in the past. Collins has previously been part of local LGBTQ-youth outreach at events.
With the major-sports support from brands like the NBA and TNT Sports, LGBTQ-non-profit groups like the Sports Equality Foundation and participation of former NBA player Jason Collins and gay high school coach Anthony Nicodemo, the event is a powerful statement about LGBTQ inclusion in major sports.
While some companies are questioning their support for gay and lesbian people, this event sends a clear message about the inclusion of the LGBTQ community in sports: We are not going anywhere, and major American sports money will continue to support us.
You can register for the event here.
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