Whether it was Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem to bring awareness to racial justice or NBA stars wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts before every game, sports have been at the forefront of social justice issues for quite some time. It’s no different with Xavier Prep’s softball team.

Over the last year, while the COVID-19 pandemic raged around the world, the country witnessed a cop killing an unarmed black man by the name of George Floyd that sparked outrage and fury. 

In light of this incident, along with those involving Asian Americans getting beat up in the streets, there has been a focus on what white people can do to help fight the good fight and put a stop to hate crimes and racism.

Xavier softball coach Bradley Downes explained what his team has done to support people of color during such trying times in our society.

“We’ve had some individual conversations and folks have taken whatever actions they individually feel is appropriate,” said Downes. “At a team level, we’ve discussed some of the diversity including the fact that we’ve had a number of Native students on our teams throughout the years. And we have tried to provide a situation that’s comfortable and safe for sharing their experiences.”

Some of the Native students have dealt with the impact of the school they go to and how that may have an effect on the outside of it.

“There were experiences entailed in going to a private Catholic school and how that interacts with their life outside of school,” said Downes. “So it’s something that we have had to work diligently to help them have a setting to where they feel comfortable and welcomed to speak out on what they have experienced.”

Something that’s been uncomfortable to address is fair opportunities when it comes to women in the coaching ranks, as it has been very hard at times for women to find themselves at the top of the market in coaching.

Former Xavier Prep softball coach Mallory Belknap believes a different approach can change things for the better. 

“I know quota systems are definitely flawed,” said Belknap. “But if anyone who is hiring anyone in sports had a quota and had to hire the same amount of men and women or something like that so that there’s more of a female representation, more women will get involved, so I think starting with hiring practices within this quota system would be nice.”

With one idea for women being a focal point for social justice issues to change, the same can be applied for people of color in the coaching ranks, as they are also not getting enough opportunities in professional, college, and high school levels around America. 

Xavier Prep assistant coach Tom Sahhar believes that it comes down more to interest than it does to opportunities in the coaching profession.

“I think if it’s something that they are interested in then they should follow their desire and follow their dreams,” said Sahhar. “If the doors are closed for people of color that deal with these hardships, then identify why those reasons are and learn how to open those doors, whether it's the color, whether it's the training. Regardless of what it is, the people in charge of these decisions need to figure out how to help with these opportunities.”

Downes had similar sentiments about people of color within the coaching ranks while also emphasizing a silver lining approach with the issue.

“We should look at qualifications and at the same time I don’t think we should diminish the opportunities in any way that they have been afforded,” said Downes. “I will use myself as an example. I came from a small school and a small conference before I was hired at Xavier and it would be easy to say that he had some success at the small school, but I think it translates.”

What hasn’t translated, unfortunately, is equal rights for people of color. Downes knows there is only so much they can do but he wants to make it known that he’s doing everything in his power to shed light on his girls to help make this world a better place.

“We as a team have taken the position that no matter what your color of the skin is or anything like that, it’s if you can play you can play,” said Downes. “We then try to integrate that diversity from our team into the concept of rowing the boat together and doing things in a manner that’s inclusive instead of divisive and exclusive.”