It started with a phone call—one man in a time of need. Summer, 2020. Following George Floyd’s murder and the aftermath of the global Black Lives Matter protests and ensuing backlash, Ohio High School Hall of Fame football coach Al Powell called his friend (and fellow Hall of Fame coach) Jim Place to express his despair at how the country was being torn apart. From that rare, authentic, and open conversation between a black coach and his white peer, the Miami Valley Football Coaches Association Social Justice 7v7 tournament was born.

On the heels of a recent feature article in the Washington Post, Coach Powell and Coach Place join Nate Huffstutter on this episode to discuss that pivotal moment in which the foundation of the tournament was formed. From there, they detail how the event has continued to flourish and grow each passing year despite facing headwinds in the political landscape and the current US government’s hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Beyond the action on the football field, the tournament includes a workshop phase where athletes from different schools with different demographics are placed into small groups with a mix of white players and minority players and provided discussion prompts relating to racial understanding and—ideally—developing connection points to build trust among students from different backgrounds with a shared experience in high school football.

Why does it work?

“The kids want this, they want to talk about it,” Place says. “And the number one message I hear is this: we want a better world than the one that’s been given to us.”

The question, of course, is how to make it happen. Powell (who is also an acclaimed author, speaker, and trauma recovery coach) and Place (who also consults with educators on developing servant leaders through social emotional learning curriculum) focus on that how and leverage their many decades of success on the gridiron as sources of inspiration. Football is a game of field position, sometimes gained in small increments, and the same can be true of progress towards social change.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coaches and Their Mission

01:10 The Impact of George Floyd's Murder

05:54 Creating the Social Justice 7v7 Tournament

08:18 Core Values in Coaching and Diversity

12:04 Breaking Down Barriers in Sports

18:39 Workshop Experiences and Discussions

23:56 The Power of Selfies and Connections

29:51 Identifying and Addressing Racial Issues

37:21 Advice for Coaches on Promoting Inclusion

44:34 Defining Patriotism and Unity