The Missouri State University men’s basketball team is going to be a part of a new program:Bears, Badges and Kids, which will be starting at the end of June.
The team will play a monthly basketball game for a few hours on Saturdays with officers from the Springfield Police Department which children grades K-6 will be able to participate in for free.
Men’s basketball head coach Dana Ford organized the program, which is part of a diversity initiative unveiled by MSU Athletics on June 4. The diversity initiative also includes sensitivity training for athletes and a new process for athletes to report when they or a teammate feels they have been discriminated against.