Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/30/2024.
Numerous times over the course of his Hall of Fame career, Chicago White Stockings baseball player Cap Anson, refused to play if the opposing team had Black players. He carried this prejudice with him to his managerial career and his time as part owner of what is now the Chicago Cubs. In his 1900 autobiography, "A Ball Player's Career," Anson refers to one of his team's mascots as "little darkey" and with other racial slurs but makes no reference to the great Black baseball players he pushed to exclude.
Similarly, LGBTQ athletes have historically been excluded from sports, in policy, and more importantly, in culture. From slurs on the court to painting locker rooms pink, to banning trans athletes—all of the wonderful benefits that come from participating in sports are far too often kept away from queer athletes. This is a conversation about how that hurts everyone.
Through humor and candid personal stories, ESPN columnist and TV personality LZ Granderson shares his journey from poverty, physical abuse and gang culture in Detroit to becoming the most visible openly gay man working in sports today. In his commentary LZ has tackled taboo subjects such as usage of the N-word in the black community, the presence of gays in the locker room, and the truths and lies about reverse racism. He spares no one. Not even himself.
LZ Granderson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Sports is My Orientation and Dare You to Move. The estimated speaking fee range to book LZ Granderson for your event is available upon request. LZ Granderson generally travels from Los Angeles, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Geena Rocero, Kylar Broadus, Jason Collins, Shane Ortega and Nikki Giovanni. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling LZ Granderson for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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