Richard Lapchick facts for kids
Richard E. Lapchick is a special person who has spent his life working to make the world a fairer place. He is known as a human rights activist and a sportswriter. He believes that sports can bring people together and help create positive change.
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How His Journey Began
Richard Lapchick's passion for fairness started when he was 14 years old. He was visiting Germany and saw the Dachau camp, a very sad place where many people suffered during World War II. This experience deeply affected him.
Later, while in Europe for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, he realized how powerful sports could be. He saw that sports could connect people from different backgrounds, no matter their race, color, or religion. This is when he decided he wanted to use sports to help make society better.
His early life also showed him how important this work was. His father, Joe Lapchick, was a basketball coach for the New York Knicks. In 1950, his father signed Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, who was the first African-American player to join the NBA. Richard remembers seeing people protesting against his father because of this. When he was just five years old, he saw a picture of his father hanging from a tree, which was a scary image used by people who were against Black athletes playing in "white" teams. These experiences made him want to fight for equality.
Working for Change
Fighting for Fairness
In the 1970s, Richard Lapchick began fighting against apartheid. Apartheid was a system in South Africa that kept people of different races separated and treated Black people unfairly. He helped lead a movement to stop South Africa from participating in international sports events, like the Davis Cup tennis tournament.
His work was so powerful that some people tried to stop him. In 1978, he was attacked in his office. Despite this, he continued his important work. From 1978 to 1984, he worked for the United Nations, an organization that helps countries work together for peace and human rights. Because of his efforts, Nelson Mandela, a famous leader who fought against apartheid, personally invited Richard to his presidential inauguration in 1994. This happened after the anti-apartheid movement successfully ended the unfair system.
Creating Important Programs
In 1984, Lapchick started the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) at Northeastern University. This center helps people understand how sports and society are connected. He is now the Director Emeritus, meaning he is a respected former director. In 1993, he also helped create the Mentors in Violence Prevention program, which teaches people how to prevent violence.
One year after starting the CSSS, Lapchick wanted to help even more people. He created the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS). For 40 years, the NCAS has worked to "create a better society." It does this by encouraging education and using the popularity of sports to bring about positive social change. The NCAS is now called the Institute for Sport and Social Justice.
Lapchick also helped start National Student-Athlete Day in 1988. This day celebrates high school students who are good citizens, good scholars, and good athletes. More than 2.6 million students have been recognized since the program began.
Addressing Important Issues
In 2014, the NBA asked Lapchick for his help. This was when racist comments made by Donald Sterling, who owned the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, became public. Lapchick helped explain why Sterling's continued ownership was harmful to the NBA.
..... He added "Shut-Out Trafficking" to the NCAS's efforts. ..... Since 2014, these programs have reached over 54,570 people on 28 campuses. The program works with UNICEF and the US Olympic Committee's Athletes Advisory Council.
Richard Lapchick also writes regularly for ESPN.com and the Sports Business Journal, sharing his ideas about sports and society.
His Work in Education
Becoming a Professor
Richard Lapchick earned a special degree called a doctorate in international history from the University of Denver. This means he studied how different countries and their histories are connected.
He taught political science at Virginia Wesleyan College from 1970 to 1978. Then, he worked as a senior liaison officer at the United Nations from 1978 to 1984. After that, he led the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University for 17 years.
Leading Sport Business Programs
In 2001, Lapchick became a professor at the University of Central Florida. He led the DeVos Sport Business Management Program. This program teaches students how to manage sports businesses. In 2009, it was named the best MBA program in the country for volunteer service. In 2015, it was recognized as one of the top three graduate sports business programs in the United States and one of the top five internationally. During his time at DeVos, Lapchick was named "One of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sport."
Lapchick retired from the University of Central Florida in August 2023. While there, he continued to be the President of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS). He also started The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). TIDES is a place that provides information about fairness related to gender and race in all kinds of sports, from amateur to professional. He writes the Racial and Gender Report Card (RGRC), which is published by TIDES. This report looks at how fair sports organizations are regarding race and gender.
Helping Communities
In December 2006, Lapchick, his wife Ann, their daughter Emily, and some students from the DeVos program started the Hope for Stanley Foundation (HFS). This foundation has helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. HFS has also helped people affected by the tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York. They also helped people in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after the flooding in August 2016. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the group spent 58 weeks in New Orleans and worked on 155 homes.
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Rev. Jesse Jackson honored Richard Lapchick for his "lifetime achievement in working for civil rights." His longtime friend, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, presented the award to him. In 2023, Lapchick won an ESPY award and was named the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year. This award recognizes people who use sports to make a positive impact on the world.
Books He Has Written
Richard Lapchick has written many books about sports, society, and fairness:
- 100 Trailblazers: Great Women Athletes Who Opened Doors for Future Generations
- 100 Pioneers: African-Americans Who Broke Color Barriers in Sport
- 100 Heroes: People in Sports Who Make This a Better World
- New Game Plan for College Sport
- Smashing Barriers: Race and Sport in the New Millennium
- Never Before, Never Again: The Stirring Autobiography of Eddie Robinson, the Winningest Coach in the History of College Football
- Sport in Society: Equal Opportunity or Business as Usual?
- Five Minutes to Midnight: Race and Sport in the 1990s
- Rules of the Game: Ethics in College Sport
- On the Mark: Putting the Student Back in Student-athlete
- Fractured Focus: Sport as a Reflection of Society
- Broken Promises: Racism in American Sports
- Oppression and Resistance: The Struggle of Women in Southern Africa
- Politics of Race
- International Sport: The Case of South Africa
