GREENSBORO, N.C. - If there are two things that head coach Billy Godwin stresses to his student-athletes, it's decision making and showing respect to your fellow man. Since the second-year head of the UNCG baseball program arrived on campus in 2019, he's stressed the importance of doing the right thing to his athletes, and that mindset doesn't stop once stepping off the playing field. 

During a year that was filled with trial and tribulation, Godwin wanted to continue to promote the values he's instilled in his players since arriving in Greensboro in 2019, starting with an email that he sent to his players last fall.  

--"This is a sad time for our country. Everywhere we turn there is bad news; coronavirus, murder, crime, racism, hatred and political strain. It is important that each of you be strong mentally and fill your heart with love. Love is inspiring, sees no color and has no boundaries. Let us use this time to turn to our faith, love, respect, humility and service to others. This is a great time for change. We must stand together and support what is "right".  My parents "early on" taught me The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We will be committed moving forward as a team to stand up to racial prejudices, be committed to loving more and be better servant leaders. Let's take this opportunity to influence all those around us with positive energy."

As effective as those words might be, Godwin and the UNCG coaching staff understood that actions speak much louder than words, and began brainstorming ways that they could further support the ideals and values of the Spartan baseball team. 

"I think the biggest thing was that I felt a kind of responsibility in leading our program, to make sure that we understand that we're not going to tolerate racial injustice, racism or discrimination," said Godwin. "Our kids know that, and we talk about that a lot in our program. In light of all the things going on, our country is still very divided in a variety of things, and I really just want to be about unity, and coming together in understanding differences and each other more."

"Coach Godwin was always just about making the right decision," says Corey Kemp, a former catcher and team captain for Godwin at East Carolina. "He always did a great job with parlaying that to baseball. He'd say that in the game of baseball you have 100 decisions that you have to make in a game, and when you make the right decisions you win. He says life is the same way. Life is about making decisions. The more good decisions you make the better your life is going to be." 

A former 14th round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, Kemp was asked by Godwin this past November to participate in a 'Unity Panel' aimed at discussing and thinning the lines that have separated Americans for centuries. 

Accompanied by an all-star cast of major league sports psychologists and former pro ballplayers, the UNCG baseball roster and staff were given the opportunity to discuss the additional challenges that men like Kemp have experienced during their playing careers, challenges presented by others based purely on race or the color of a person's skin. 

"Coach Godwin called and asked if I would be interested in being on a panel, and really just to give my perspective on being an African American athlete, and to give my perspective on things that are going on in society today with the increased social unrest," said Kemp. "How being an African American would maybe be different because baseball is a predominantly caucasian sport. What I felt when I was in school. Things that I went through that people didn't necessarily know. So it was really just a time for me to share with his team, and give a different perspective on things that their teammates may be going through that they may not know."

Kemp was joined by a handful of players to perform under Billy Godwin, including former Detroit Tigers draft pick Demetrius Heath and former Louisburg captain and UNC Pembroke graduate Aaron Perkins. The meeting was facilitated by Chris Passarella, Associate Director of the Mental Conditioning Department with the New York Yankees, with current Spartan student-athletes have discussions both as a team and in smaller more intimate groups.

"I just felt like it had the personal touch, that my kids would relate to the baseball side of it, with everyone having baseball backgrounds," said coach Godwin. "...The conversation led into some of the things that they had experienced as players, and just bringing attention to the dynamics of the locker room."

"I think it's always good to do small forums where people can speak their mind among a group of people that they trust," said Kemp. "I think those are really effective. Hearing somebody speak in a large auditorium, when there are hundreds of people is still great to hear that message, but I think in order to reach everyone, I think it's really effective when you break it down into these smaller more intimate groups where people are more familiar with one another."

Through shared discussions the Spartan baseball team and staff became more enlightened to some of the situations and adversities that their peers experience both in the world of baseball and day-to-day life, and how they can begin to be agents for change.

"... You may hear someone tell a racist joke, and that person may be your friend. And I asked the team, 'What do you do about that?," says Kemp. "Do you confront that person, do you say 'You know what? You may think that's funny, but don't say those things around me because I don't respect that."

"If you don't then I'm not going to say that you're part of the problem, but that is an example of how you can effect change," he continues. "If we are, as a society, and if you are, as a team, serious about helping with this problem, then be the person who stands up to someone who says that... I told them 'Guys you don't have to go fight everyone that tells a racist joke, but it's about having a respectful conversation and letting people know where you stand.' If you're someone that brushes it off and says 'Hey that's just Blank being Blank.' That person then continues to tell those jokes, and they continue to think it's okay and that people don't care that they're being racist. Sometimes it just takes one person to let that other person know that that isn't cool, that it isn't acceptable, and for them to stop or at least think twice before they say something like that."

"I just want to make sure that my players feel that they are all supported, in every realm," says Coach Godwin. "I think our mantra was that, we individually, have the ability to change people one person at a time. 'The power of one.' We can only control ourselves, and if we in turn can turn to our left or our right and influence someone else, then we have a chance to make real change."

"I think it's something that we talk about even separately from everything that's going on in our country, but we talk about how we treat people and how we want to behave as servant leaders in our program ...I don't want this to just be something we just do and move on, I want our guys to understand that, and they do. I have a tremendous group of young men that do understand that we have to understand others' differences, and be respectful and have tolerance."

*Corey Kemp is brother to Oakland A's utility man Tony Kemp, constructor of the +1 Effect campaign, which sees part of the proceeds go to Campaign Zero, an organization dedicated to decreasing police violence with its #8cantwait initiative. To learn more about +1 and how you can contribute, click here.

#letsgoG