RISE to Win is a national nonprofit organization that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. 

“We work with organizations at the youth, high school, college and professional ranks so that players feel more comfortable intervening in an act of racism, whether that be online or in person,” said Brian Lampman, an external facilitator for RISE. 

During the fall sports season, RISE worked with all of the Skyline Men’s Soccer teams. They learned how to use their platform to eliminate racism in sports.

“I think that RISE was really useful for applying the kind of morals that we get from our school and other…programs and institutions to the real world and the sports that we are playing,” Club Soccer team goalie Max Rosenberg said.

The Rise to Win program has worked with 41 states and has been able to work with big name universities and professional sports organizations. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has even worked with the RISE organization.

“I realized that you have a full day of school and then oh, yeah, you want me to sit through a 45 minute training and then I have to be at soccer and do homework late at night. You have to be able to empower the importance of the work that the Rise program does to players,” Lampman said. And players have to pay attention and be able to focus after a long day of school. 

RISE states that their programs build skills and create safe spaces to have important and often difficult conversations about race, perceptions and stereotypes that must take place in order for a community to grow. 

“We’re building a culture where we love to work together. You know we see it as a brotherhood or sisterhood…and this is our family,” says Lampman. “And then also going through the program, brings players together.”