Black student groups hold basketball tournament for all skill levels
Black Student Athlete Council, MacAfricans and Blackprint collaborated to put on their first-ever McMaster Madness event, a three-on-three basketball tournament for students
In an effort to engage the student population and foster connections, McMaster University’s Black Student Athlete Council, MacAfricans and Blackprint teamed up to create a new event: the McMaster Madness tournament.
The tournament was an all-day event where students played three-on-three basketball in a tournament-style format, with a DJ playing music and spaces for students to connect.
Haben Yohannes, president of BSAC, spoke about how the idea came to life.
“We were just thinking in the early days, what can we do to have a big event or how can we do something that's just different? We thought of bringing people in with our shared love of basketball or sport and music, and we were like, ‘let’s do a three-on-three tournament,’” said Yohannes.
Before the event, Yohannes added that in addition to the tournament itself, they partnered with Drop Spot Vintage, a local thrift store in Westdale. Drop Spot set up a vintage market at the event for students who were not participating in the tournament, providing another opportunity for students to connect.
“Drop Spot Vintage will be in the mezzanine, and they'll continue their $20 sale there. . . . It's not about the actual sport, it's about the community around sport and trying to bring Black or all student-athletes, all people of all walks of life to integrate within the community of enjoying sport,” said Yohannes.
It’s not about the actual sport, it’s about the community around sport and trying to bring all people of all walks of life to integrate within the community of enjoying sport.
Haben Yohannes, President
McMaster Black Student Athlete Council
Providing a space for Black student-athletes to connect with others has been a central focus for Yohannes and BSAC. He explained that by building connections outside the Black community, Black student-athletes can garner more support and visibility.
“We're students, and we need to bridge this gap because it's important for our support. It's important for other people to know that if we exist in a silo and there's an issue in the silo, we don't have support elsewhere,” said Yohannes.
We need to bridge this gap because it’s important for our support. If we exist in a silo and there’s an issue in the silo, we don’t have support elsewhere.
Haben Yohannes, President
McMaster Black Student Athlete Council
Through events like McMaster Madness, BSAC aims to strengthen relationships between Black student-athletes and students not involved in athletics. The event also sought to provide a fun space for all students while maintaining competitive balance by limiting the number of student-athletes per team.
“Those opportunities to compete and have that structure—once you're not a varsity athlete or once you abruptly stop sports—you don't get that replicated very often. So to be able to replicate that and have people who want to play enjoy that structured, competitive atmosphere, but also people who just want to observe and have an opportunity to de-stress and enjoy, that’s key. Again, that idea of bridging student-athletes and students. That's why there's a limit of student-athletes per team,” said Yohannes.
Events like McMaster Madness help BSAC connect with all students, creating spaces for community and connection through sport. The tournament represents the growth of BSAC, with more events planned for the future to continue fostering inclusivity and engagement at McMaster.
