A Brief But Spectacular take on changing the lineup

By — Brief But Spectacular Brief But Spectacular Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/560003/mason-thomas Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio Playing sports teaches more than just the game, it helps kids build confidence and navigate challenges both on and off the field. Mason Thomas brings that philosophy to Harlem Lacrosse in Compton, California, where he mentors students on and off the field. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on changing the lineup in lacrosse. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Geoff Bennett: Sports have always taught lessons that go far beyond the game, helping young people build confidence, channel their energy, and overcome challenges. Mason Thomas brings that philosophy to Harlem Lacrosse in Compton, California, where he mentors students on and off the field, creating opportunities for them to succeed in sports in school and in life. Tonight, he shares his Brief But Spectacular take. Mason Thomas, Program Director, Harlem Lacrosse: The biggest stereotypes that come to mind with lacrosse is that it is a rich, preppy, white boy sport on the East Coast for New Englanders. It's one of the saddest things about the sport, knowing that it started as a Native American sport. One of the first things kids do notice whenever we watch college film or take them to college games is that a lot of the players don't look like them. And the best way that I found to navigate that is to not see that as a deterrent, but to see that as a way to empower them to be some of the first. Harlem Lacrosse is a nonprofit organization that is based in five cities across America. A lot of the kids that I work with at Davis Middle School down in Compton are a very rowdy bunch. I love the energy that the kids at that school bring. It's predominantly a Black and brown community. We have a lot of kids that come from different Hispanic communities. We have a lot of families that have been in Compton for generations. And so it's really cool to be able to provide them with an opportunity lacrosse that they haven't necessarily seen or heard of before. We are on campus five days a week. We do a lot of cool things classroom push-ins and pull-outs, where say a kid is struggling a little bit academically or maybe behaviorally. I'm at the point with some teachers where, before they call a dean or someone disciplinary, they will call a coach. At my school in particular down in Compton, our principals and our teachers love to send us a lot of kids that have a lot of energy and maybe are struggling to focus in the classroom. We have them playing lacrosse at lunch so they get some of their energy out. We place our program specifically in these communities that may not have as much access to sports or may not have as much access to other programs. That's why Harlem Lacro