A piece in the Chicago Tribune explores the legacy of Black sports pioneers. Only recently was a trophy named for George Jewett, the first African-American football player at the University of Michigan. Andrew Golden concludes: “We must demand that schools and programs do more to honor Black players and coaches. This is about more than just awards. It’s about the stories that need to be told and the figures who need to be recognized — because too many Black athletes have proved themselves worthy but haven’t gotten their proper respect.”

Read more at The Chicago Tribune.

Georgia Tech, University of Kansas, and University of Florida are at the top on a list of Division 1 sports team names in passwords. In a report from Specops, a research team presents its findings after combing through 800 million leaked passwords. It turns out, sports fans frequently use the names of their favorite sports teams and mascots in their passwords. Read more over at Specops.

A recent article in the New York Times explores “Sign Names” and Deaf culture.The article cites another that recounts how Vice President Kamala Harris received her name sign. Journalist Sarah Bahr writes “Name signs are an important component of “capital D Deaf” culture, a term used by some deaf people to indicate that they embrace deafness as a cultural identity. The signs consist of gestures that can reflect facets of an individual’s personality, physical features or background.”

Read more at The New York Times.

A recent expose in The New York Times Style Magazine explores the name “Karen” as it came to represent “an entitled and belligerent white woman”. The history of this epithet—and the inherent racism and sexism to the greater concept of “a Karen”—are explored in great detail. Read more about the history and possible utility of the epithet in The New York Times.

“Reach” was born aboard a C-17 military aircraft with the callsign “Reach 828” as it flew from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. After her parents learned of the callsign, they decided to name their infant daughter after the evacuation flight. According to USA Today, Reach is the first child born on an evacuation flight. Read more about this birth story on USA Today.

Forget Fido, Fifi for furry friends: “Fauci” finds favor following famous facemask facilitator. All alliteration aside, an article in The Washington Post explores recent trends in dog names and naming practices. The author provides anecdotal evidence of a rise in the name “Fauci”, though it remains to be seen if the name will end up on the 2021 top K-9 name lists.

The New York Times reports that Nike has renamed a building after coach Alberto Salazar was permanently banned from distance running. This is the third time Nike has renamed a building following revelations of serious abuse or wrongdoing—Salazar joins Joe Paterno and Lance Armstrong as former eponyms for the Nike corporation. Read more about the new name “Next%” at The New York Times.

A recent story in the IndyStar explores a study that named “Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish leprechaun” as the fourth-most offensive college football mascot. Though the list later disappeared from the website, its appearance has caused quite a stir and fostered several conversations about college sports mascots.

A recent article in the New York Times asks an important question: “Could assigning names to heat waves, the way officials do for hurricanes and tropical storms, help protect people from the warming climate?” In her article, Jenny Gross explores pros and cons of applying names to heat waves. While applying names to hurricanes and tropical storms increased a sense of awareness and urgency with these storms, it is also just as likely that applying names to additional weather phenomena might dilute the message overall. Read more at the New York Times.