Richard Lapchick facts for kids
Richard E. Lapchick is a human rights activist and sportswriter. He has spent his life working to make sports a way to bring people together and fight for fairness.
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Early Life and Inspiration
Richard Lapchick's passion for fairness started when he was young. At 14, he visited a concentration camp in Germany. This experience showed him the importance of human rights. He also saw how sports could connect people, no matter their background. This inspired him to use sports to make positive changes in the world.
He also learned from his father, Joe Lapchick, who was a basketball coach for the New York Knicks. In 1950, his father signed Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, the first African-American player in the NBA. Richard saw how some people reacted badly to this. He even remembers seeing people protesting outside his house because of it. These early experiences taught him a lot about fighting for what is right.
Fighting for Fairness in Sports
In the 1970s, Richard Lapchick began fighting against apartheid, which was a system of unfair racial separation in South Africa. He helped lead efforts to stop South Africa from participating in international sports events, like the Davis Cup tennis tournament. His strong actions helped bring attention to the issue.
His work was so important that Nelson Mandela, a famous leader who fought against apartheid, invited Richard to his presidential inauguration in 1994. This was a big honor and showed how much impact Richard's efforts had.
In 1984, Richard founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) at Northeastern University. This center helps people understand how sports and society are connected. In 1993, he also helped create the Mentors in Violence Prevention program, which teaches people how to prevent violence.
A year later, he started the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS). For over 30 years, the NCAS has worked to use sports to encourage education and positive social change.
Richard also helped create National Student-Athlete Day in 1988. This day celebrates high school students who are good citizens, good students, and good athletes. Millions of students have been recognized since it started.
In 2014, the NBA asked Richard to help explain why the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, should not own the team anymore after he made racist comments. Richard's knowledge helped the NBA make an important decision.
Richard Lapchick's Academic Journey
Richard Lapchick earned a special degree in international history from the University of Denver.
He taught political science at Virginia Wesleyan College from 1970 to 1978. Then, he worked for 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.
In 2001, Richard became a professor at the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. This program teaches students about the business side of sports. Under his leadership, it became one of the top sports business programs in the world. During this time, he was even named "One of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sport."
While at the University of Central Florida, he continued to lead the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS). He also created The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). TIDES is a helpful resource that looks at issues of race and gender in all levels of sports. He writes the "Racial and Gender Report Card" (RGRC) for TIDES, which checks how fair sports organizations are.
In 2006, Richard, his wife Anne, and their daughter Emily started the Hope for Stanley Foundation (HFS). This foundation has helped communities rebuild after natural disasters. They helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, assisted tornado victims in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and helped people affected by Hurricane Sandy in New York. They also helped victims of the flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, Richard Lapchick was honored by the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Rev. Jesse Jackson for his lifelong work in civil rights. His friend, famous basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, presented him with the award.
Books by Richard Lapchick
Richard Lapchick has written many books about sports, society, and fairness. Some of his books include:
- 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
- Rules of the Game: Ethics in College Sport
- Broken Promises: Racism in American Sports
