Sports networks often have some interesting programming around Martin Luther King Jr. Day each January, but what Fox is doing this year stands out. On their broadcast network Monday, they’ll be airing a women’s college basketball doubleheader titled The Coretta Scott King Classic. Airing live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, that will feature the No. 1 UCLA Bruins against the Baylor Bears at 3 p.m. ET, followed by the No. 7 Texas Longhorns against the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins at 5:30 p.m. ET.
The CKSC was founded in partnership with The King Center, and represents the first time the names of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King have been licensed for a sporting event. And Fox plans to spotlight key moments from the Kings’ lives and careers throughout the broadcasts, including Coretta Scott King’s signing of MLK Day into law in 1983, Dr. King’s famed 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, historical addresses from the UCLA and Texas campuses, and more.
It is a landmark occasion for a women’s basketball showcase to license the Kings’ names. The full King Center name is “The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change,” and while it’s a traditional memorial and National Historic Site in Atlanta, it’s also a programmatic nonprofit “dedicated to educating the world on the life, legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspiring new generations to carry forward his unfinished work, strengthen causes and empower change-makers who are continuing his efforts today.”
The King Center’s vision is “to empower people to create a just, humane, equitable and peaceful world by applying Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology.” And Coretta Scott King carried out educational and community programming along those lines from the center’s 1968 opening until her 1990s retirement.
On the just and equitable front, that’s long been a conversation around women’s college basketball in particular. And while there’s unquestionably still a divide in the amount of resources that sport gets, some progress is being made. And a key component there is increased exposure.
Regular-season women’s college basketball games airing on a broadcast network are now commonplace. And the results, including 2.3 million viewers for a USC-UConn WBB game on broadcast Fox in December, show it’s often worth it. They also show that there’s still plenty of interest in the women’s college game even after Caitlin Clark left for the WNBA, something some pundits were skeptical of.
A big-Fox slot here for a doubleheader on a holiday weekday helps to further show just how important women’s college basketball is these days, to say nothing of the further resources invested in this as a four-team event in partnership with The King Center. Here’s what King Center CEO Bernice King said in a statement on this to the AP back when the games were announced in September:
“My mother, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, is often thought of and honored as my father’s dedicated spouse and life partner. But she was also a civil and human rights stalwart in her own right,” said Bernice King, CEO of The King Center. “She lived for almost four decades following my father, Martin Luther King Jr.’s, assassination and continued the work to create a humane, just, equitable and peaceful world through ‘Kingian’ nonviolence.”
Bernice King said honoring her mother with a women’s basketball event was timely and fitting.
“She was a leading advocate and activist in the causes of women’s equality and empowerment,” King said in a statement, noting that “recognition of female empowerment is on the rise, and the fight for gender equality in sports is beginning to bear fruit.
“Her enduring message of love and nonviolence is sorely needed during the challenging times we currently face. I pray the use of her name for this event further fosters the perpetuation of her indelible legacy.”
Following the basketball games on their broadcast network, Fox plans to air an encore presentation of MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues on FS1. That special broadcast from June was centered around the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals’ game at the historic Birmingham, Alabama ballpark, and it celebrated the Negro Leagues and their impact on MLB today.
When that game first aired, it drew notable praise for production flourishes like a vintage black-and-white broadcast for half an inning, plus the overall approach to weaving stories with game action and showing off the park’s history and uniqueness. That broadcast also stood out for comments from Barry Bonds and Reggie Jackson in particular, with Jackson’s remarks on the racism he faced playing in Alabama illustrating how fresh some of the history here remains.
That broadcast may definitely be worth a watch for those who didn’t catch it the first time, or worth a rewatch for those who want to see it again. And it’s notable to see it being rebroadcast on MLK Day, and in conjunction with this new Coretta Scott King Classic.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
