Ohio State freshman forward Cotie McMahon (32) high fives senior guard Hevynne Bristow (3) after No. 2 Ohio State’s (19-0) 84-54 win over Northwestern (6-12) in Columbus Jan. 19. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
For most people, February is a month to celebrate Black figures from the past and present. At Ohio State, Black History Month’s involvement spreads beyond the academic campus and into the body of its athletic department.
This year, the Ohio State women’s basketball team celebrated Black History Month through its involvement in apparel design, recognizing Black historical Ohio State figures through gameplay and its connection to Black fraternities and sororities on campus.
Sophomore guard Taylor Thierry said it means a lot to be a Black student-athlete at Ohio State, and she believes the team embraces the opportunity to represent its athletic department.
“I just think we take a lot of pride in being a Black female athlete,” Thierry said. “There’s a lot of us on the team, but we don’t really pay attention to that, but obviously it just feels good.”
Sydney Lambert, assistant director of marketing for the athletic department, said she began her role at Ohio State a few months ago. A former basketball player at Bowling Green State University, Lambert said she has seen changes in the way Black History Month is celebrated within athletics and has included those changes in the work she’s done at Ohio State.
Lambert said at the start of the year, she meets with the women’s basketball coaches and staff to discuss the themes important to the entire team. Within this program, they were passionate about celebrating Black History Month in February.
“This was one in particular that they wanted to do,” Lambert said. “They had a say so on what game they wanted it to be and any ideas that they might have had surrounding this game day.”
Lambert said they decided the Buckeyes would honor Black History Month in their game against Minnesota Feb. 8. The marketing team created videos of players expressing their thoughts and gratitude for their culture and posted messages on social media, highlighting Black players in Ohio State Athletics.
Ohio State Athletics creative team, coaches and administrators also designed and chose the Buckeyes’ warm up T-shirts for Black History Month, Lambert said.
This year, the design of the shirt used inspirational words — like “freedom,” “courage” and “inspire” — in scarlet and gray encircling “Black History Month” to outline the shape of the state of Ohio. This style was similar to last year’s T-shirt design.
While both players like the design of the Black History Month shirts, Thierry and redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris said they believe it is important for athletes to be included and provide input into the design process.
“Of course, it comes down to what the coaches want,” Harris said. “But I think they should definitely listen to our opinion.”
Lambert said the team typically collaborates with Ohio State’s coaching staff and tries something new each year. In February, Ohio State invited National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters to perform their stroll on the court during the Buckeyes game versus Minnesota, she said.
During halftime, Lambert said Ohio State showed on the jumbotron a video of the activities and groundbreaking work the Divine Nine — the NPHC’s nine Black Greek-lettered sororities and fraternities — did on campus this school year.
Harris said while she enjoyed watching the fraternities and sororities stroll, the team couldn’t fully focus on the performance, as it occurred while the Buckeyes were in a huddle. Harris said she wants to have a joint community event with NPHC and believes it could possibly attract more people to come out.
Harris said the team also met former Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell in February, and some of the team has had the opportunity to meet NBA players — including LeBron James, one of Ohio State’s most frequent athletics donors. James gifted the women’s team a care package in December that included custom sneakers and, for the first time ever, custom Buckeye Beats headphones.
“It’s always nice to see people you watch on TV,” Harris said. “I think the biggest [person I met] was LeBron because of who he is as a person and how much he means to the school.”
Thierry said celebrating Black History Month within athletics is another way for student-athletes to show their appreciation for Black athletes who have come before them. Harris believes the team has an obligation to celebrate it and wants to see more of its involvement within the community.
Lambert said she hopes in the next few years that all athletics will perform more informational research about Black History Month, so it spreads awareness to those who might not be knowledgeable in the history.
“I think that the special thing about sports is that it’s so inclusive,” Lambert said. “While the world may be divided, and at some times, sports bring people together, whether it’s as fans or as teammates.”
