High school football player Ronald Jenkins

Crack, snap, and pop. That it is all you hear on the football field as Ronald Jenkins, known to his friends and teammates as RJ, drives his shoulder into the waistline of the ball carrier for the opposing team. With a huge thud that sounds like a body breaking in half, they both hit the…

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Competing to compete: The rise of Oakland student athletes

Skyline High School football player Ronald Jenkins.

Some athletes have a strong passion for their sport, and play it recreationally. Others play their sports because they rely on them to escape the stress of their daily life. And still thers depend on their performance to land them an athletic scholarship, and compete within the Oakland Athletic League hoping to get recruited to college…

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East Bay Guardians prep for 2017 semi-pro football season

Football season doesn’t necessarily end with the Super Bowl. Semi-pro season in Northern California is set to get underway with two leagues, the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and the West Coast Football Alliance (WCFA) kicking off this month throughout Northern California. The semi-pro football scene is made up of players from all ranks—former high…

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Castlemont players find their voice through football

The Castlemont Knights call their plays with this sign.

Someone snapped a photo of the Castlemont team kneeling, and it quickly spread on Instagram and Twitter. At the next game against The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, Castlemont’s players took their protest one step further: they laid down on the ground as if they were dead and raised their arms in the “don’t shoot” position. This time, there was another body in the end zone: Colin Kaepernick’s.

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California considers a new law for cheerleader pay, in wake of three suits against Oakland Raiders

California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) has authored a bill to grant professional cheerleaders minimum wage and overtime compensation.

A state bill to grant professional cheerleaders a minimum wage, workers’ benefits and overtime compensation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, has passed the Assembly and is now in the state Senate for a vote. Among those watching the outcome are the Oakland Raiderettes. Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, introduced AB 202, an amendment to…

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NFL stars give scholarship to Oakland gunshot victim

On Thursday Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson gave a $500 scholarship to Oakland gunshot victim Gerald Williams, a former Castlemont High School student who will be studying business management at San Diego State University this fall. Nearly 200 people attended the ceremony held to recognize Williams’ achievement…

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