Open Thread: Spurs and Nike launch Game Growers in San Antonio

Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images

A new program invites girls to create the inclusive, meaningful experiences in sport that they deserve.

The San Antonio Spurs and Nike have teamed up to introduce Game Growers, a new program that encourages eighth grade girls to become invested in their community and to play sports.

“By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys. According to a 2018 study from the Women’s Sports Foundation, nearly 40 percent of girls don’t participate in sport, versus 25 percent of boys.”

Through collaboration with participating WNBA and NBA teams, Game Growers strives to inspire girls to be game changers in their hometown.

Last night, Penn State’s Keke Sullivan, WNBA’s A’ja Wilson, entertainer Sky Katz, and Terri Jackson, Director of Operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, held a streaming conversation on Facebook to kick things off.

Here is the rest of the timeline per the Spurs press release:

Game Growers Timeline

• Program tip-off is Oct. 18, 2019 at 7 p.m. EST with a conversation and co-stream hosted by former collegiate basketball player Keke Sullivan and featuring Sky Katz, actress and rapper; A’ja Wilson from the Las Vegas Aces; and Terri Jackson, Director of Operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. Tune in to @Nike YouTube or @WNBA on Facebook. To sign up to stream the conversation, go here.
• Teams of two eighth grade girls can apply now until Nov. 15, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PST at www.gamegrowers.com.
• Game Growers participants will be notified by Dec. 15, 2019 and will earn a chance to develop their idea to get more girls playing sports in partnership with a WNBA or NBA team and Nike; they’ll also have the opportunity to attend the Game Growers Training Camp at Nike World Headquarters in January 2020.
• Selected Game Growers Game Plans will be shared during the Game Growers Showcase at the 2020 WNBA Draft in April.

The Spurs, in their continued efforts to inspire and shape their community, are the the first city to participate in Game Growers.

[On a personal note, today is my birthday and I will be spending my night doing what I love to do when the Spurs are off. I’ll be performing tonight at The Cove with The Gunslingers as well as my new project Me and a Couple of Friends. The show is free and The Cove has great food, atmosphere, kid-friendly playscape, dozens of tap beer, and air condition (which shouldn’t be as big a deal mid-October, but it is). I hope you can make it out and join us in singing a chorus of “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.”]

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Open Thread: Spurs and Nike launch Game Growers in San Antonio
Open Thread: Spurs and Nike launch Game Growers in San Antonio