An inspiring story by the New York Times highlights the road to inclusion for the deaf community in sports. Underdog No More, a Deaf Football Team Takes California by Storm captures the emotion and importance of including the Deaf community, specifically for this California football team.
After undergoing serious scrutiny as a Deaf team, they have pulled through undefeated this season. Why? They have taken what may be thought of as a deficit to some and transformed it into their edge. The players heightened visual senses make them more alert to movement.
According to coach Aaron Williams, from an opposing team, their communication is better than any team he has ever coached against. He said, “I would say be careful in thinking you have an advantage.” Trevin Adams, the Cubs’ quarterback expresses that when he played in a league with hearing people it felt more like a team, whereas the Cubs feels like brotherhood.
ASL is the newest addition to the NYU SPS Center of Applied Liberal Arts (CALA) Languages portfolio, with American Sign Language: The Basics launching this spring. CALA ASL instructor Azadeh Malekan noted, “Interesting fact: the huddle in American football comes from Deaf players. Because the other team could see their signing, and therefore understand their plays, one of the players created a huddle to shield the other team from seeing their signed discussion. This concept then spread to hearing teams and ultimately, the NFL. I love having these discussions in class – as Deaf players have made quite a few contributions to the rules of sports!”
Also at NYU SPS, the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport prepares individuals from around the world for careers in the sports industry. Both the undergraduate and graduate degrees promote the transformative power of sport, which encourages students’ propensity for humanities by providing them with opportunities to be engaged and affect change.
No matter your discipline, come give yourself the edge of learning ASL with us.
Join us for a FREE trial ASL lesson on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 from 6:30-7:15 pm. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/FreeASLClass
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Registration is Open for Spring 2022! Check out our courses here: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways.html