February 8, 2023
Page 7
S portS
Keeping Girls in the Game
AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson/ Matt Rourke
Kansas city chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
Women compete in track and field event. Photo courtesy of Sports Oregon
Sport Oregon
Offers $125,000
in Grants
Sport Oregon today announced
that the organization is opening
its 2023 SHE FLIES Communi-
ty Grant cycle Thursday, Feb. 2,
with $125,000 available this year
through the Sport Oregon Founda-
tion. Grant-seeking organizations
aligning with the SHE FLIES mis-
sion and corresponding focus areas
are encouraged to apply for 2023
grants at SHEFLIES.org.
SHE FLIES is the flagship ini-
tiative of the Sport Oregon Foun-
dation, with a mission to connect
girls and women across Oregon
to sports, and to create inclu-
sive communities through its
programs, partnerships and net-
works. It aims to do so through
three focus areas: keeping girls in
the game, empowering women in
coaching and promoting fitness
for life.
For Sport Oregon COO Mai-
ka Janat-Vennemann, “Last
year was really about building a
network and constructing what
SHE FLIES is, and can be. As
a connector and trusted voice in
sports, Sport Oregon is unique-
ly qualified to uplift girls and
women in sport. When girls are
in, we all win.”
In 2022, SHE FLIES award-
ed grants to six deserving
groups, including Active Chil-
dren Portland, The Children’s
Course, Hood River Outrigger
Canoe Club, Ophelia’s Place,
the Rose City Rollers and Skate
Like a Girl.
Thanks to a substantial finan-
cial commitment from Alaska
Airlines, Sport Oregon has in-
creased the amount awarded
through the SHE FLIES Com-
munity Grants program, from
$25,000 in the program’s first
year to $125,000 in 2023. Alaska
Airlines has committed $200,000
in support of the SHE FLIES
Community Grants program over
the next two years ($100,000 per
year for 2023 and 2024).
“At Alaska Airlines, we be-
lieve everyone deserves the
opportunity to play, grow and
thrive in athletics,” said Harry
Cheema, public affairs manag-
er at Alaska Airlines. “We are
proud to support Sport Oregon
through the She Flies Commu-
nity Grant program to level the
playing field for girls and wom-
en in sports. Alaska is commit-
ted to improving access to sports
and contributing to the growth
and development of athletes,
and this partnership allows us to
reach communities all across the
great state of Oregon.”
The application period for this
year’s SHE FLIES grants will
end Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m. and
applicants will be notified in ear-
ly May. Sport Oregon will recog-
nize the 2023 SHE FLIES grant
recipients during its second-an-
nual SHE FLIES Festival later in
May, and funds will be distribut-
ed to grantees in June.
In addition to the community
grants program, Sport Oregon
annually produces a number of
special events and relevant pro-
gramming in support of the SHE
FLIES initiative.
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First Black Quaterbacks
to Meet in Super Bowl
Philadelphia Eagles
and The Kansas
City Chiefs face off
(AP) — Black quarterbacks
have come a long way in the NFL
since Fritz Pollard became the
first to play in the league in 1923
and Doug Williams was the first
to start and win a Super Bowl
following the 1987 season. Now,
Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts
will be the first Black QBs to face
off in a Super Bowl. It’s fitting
that a season which began with 11
Black QBs starting in Week 1 will
end with a historic matchup.
Mahomes can become the first
two-time winner if he leads the
Kansas City Chiefs to victory
over the Philadelphia Eagles on
Feb. 12. Hurts aims to become the
fourth Black QB to win the Su-
per Bowl, joining Williams, Ma-
homes and Russell Wilson. Steve
McNair, Colin Kaepernick, Cam
Newton and Wilson also started in
the Super Bowl and lost.
Michael Vick was the first
Black QB selected No. 1 overall in
the draft in 2001. McNair became
the first Black QB to win MVP in
2003. Mahomes and Lamar Jack-
son won it back-to-back years.
They all had to overcome
stereotypes to get to this point.
Hurts began his NFL career in
2020 as an all-purpose QB after
the Eagles took him in the sec-
ond round. Playing behind Car-
son Wentz, Hurts had 12 rushing
attempts, one catch and threw
just three passes in his first nine
games before taking over as
Philadelphia’s QB.
He clearly has not forgotten
that the decision to draft him in
the second round of the 2020 draft
was widely criticized by reporters
and fans.
“My first year here, (people)
probably didn’t even want to draft
me here,” Hurts said Sunday. “It
was probably one of those things.
But it always handles itself.”
Neither Hurts nor Mahomes
celebrated their conference cham-
pionship wins too much. The main
goal remains ahead. They each
want one more win.
“I know I’ve been through a
lot personally, but I don’t want
to steer away from the direction
of how good this team has been
at playing together, being togeth-
er, and challenging one another,”
Hurts said. “When we experience
some painful times and some
tough times, we always found a
way to overcome. You want to be
going into a situation like this, and
we have a chance to go out there
and win it all, so we want to pre-
pare to go do that.”
Mahomes battled through an
ankle injury to help the Chiefs
beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-
20 to advance to their third Su-
per Bowl appearance in four
years. He had no intention of
lighting up a victory cigar after
a hard-fought win.
“I don’t think we have any
cigars, but we’ll be ready to go
at the Super Bowl,” Mahomes
said, poking fun at Joe Burrow’s
penchant for puffing those after
big wins.
Only one QB can win the Super
Bowl. Whether it’s Hurts or Ma-
homes, it’s another victory for the
Black QBs who were overlooked
throughout the years.