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oakland

Arrest Made After Shooting of John Beam, Beloved Oakland Coach Featured in ‘Last Chance U’

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Authorities in Oakland have made an arrest in the shooting of longtime football coach and athletic director John Beam, police announced Friday. Officials released no further information about the suspect or the circumstances surrounding the arrest, stating details would be provided as the investigation progresses.

Beam, a figure in Bay Area athletics whose mentorship was spotlighted in Netflix’s “Last Chance U,” was shot midday Thursday at Laney College. The college confirmed the shooting occurred inside the campus fieldhouse, a space used for athletic training and team operations. Beam currently serves as Laney’s athletic director after stepping down as head football coach last year.

College officials said the sudden violence left the community reeling. “The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting and deeply concerned for his well-being,” Peralta Community College District Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson wrote in a message to staff.

“We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched our campus and one of the most respected and beloved members of our Laney, Peralta, and Oakland community.”

Beam was rushed to Highland Hospital in critical condition. According to CNN, hospital representatives declined to release additional information on Friday, citing privacy rules.

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The shooting drew an immediate lockdown response from Laney College as police swept the area. By Friday morning, campus operations had resumed, with mental health counselors and crisis support teams made available for students, faculty, and staff. Administrators emphasized that healing and safety would be at the forefront in the days ahead.

Gilkerson praised Beam’s decades of service to Oakland’s youth and to generations of aspiring athletes.

“John Beam is a renowned coach, teacher, mentor, and leader whose impact extends far beyond athletics. Our thoughts are with him and his family.”

For many in Oakland, both on and off the football field, Beam’s influence has been profound. Throughout a 40-year coaching career spanning high school programs and the Laney Eagles, he became known as both a hardworking strategist and a force of stability in the lives of young athletes.

His role on the 2020 season of “Last Chance U” introduced him to a wider national audience, showcasing his tough-love approach and deep commitment to student-athletes striving to rebuild their futures.

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The gravity of the incident continues to ripple across the city’s leadership. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as “a giant” in the community in a statement posted on X, noting his long record of shaping athletes into local leaders.

“Our community is shaken alongside his family. This is the second shooting on an Oakland campus in two days, and it is devastating. Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now. We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

On Wednesday, a juvenile was shot at Skyline High School while two others were taken into custody. The injured student was hospitalized in stable condition, according to police.

As of Friday evening, investigators were still piecing together what led to the shooting at Laney College. Beam’s colleagues, players, and supporters throughout the Bay Area continued to gather, both online and in person, sharing memories of the coach who became a symbol of perseverance and hoping for his recovery.

Rugby

‘Alternative Sports’ Are Gaining Popularity With Kids

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Sports are a huge part of many children’s upbringing. Not only do kids tend to love having a team back them up while playing a game they love, but sports keep today’s youth fit and active in a technology climate that greatly encourages staying home and binge watching television. However, traditional sports are becoming a bit cliche for many children today, and a little barbaric in classic practice; tackling, pushing, and other physical confrontation that takes place in more traditional sports settings. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these sports, but more and more kids are reaching for alternative ways to get their physical activity in. Alternative sports are often looked at as more of an extracurricular “club” activity, however, let’s not discount the many teams that started as a simple after school program and the positive impact these “extra-curriculars” have on both a child’s mental and physical health. 

Sports/physical activities with a fixed set of rules and regulations cause kids to focus and build their skill in a particular way that will become beneficial in terms of the game. It promotes just as much mental stimulation as it does physical, so regardless of what the activity is, it’s most likely benefiting your child in more ways than one. Ping-Pong or table-tennis, has become one of the most popular alternative sports, that is now officially a part of the Olympics. What’s popularly known as a “basement sport,” table tennis provides a more relaxed yet just as skillful version of contained tennis for children to work on skills such as hand-eye-coordination, and reaction timing. The game is already widely known, as it would be pretty surprising for a child to have never played the game while at a friends house or after school program. 

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Along those same lines, badminton is another sport with a casual stigma that’s growing in competitive popularity. What’s known widely as a “backyard” sport, badminton is now regionally and nationally recognized in the competition circuit and many kids are picking up their thin rackets and birdies and taking to the court. Alternative sports that have birthplaces in more casual settings tend to gain momentum and popularity rather quickly due to the casual association made with them. Table tennis and badminton both have a backyard party type of reputation, but don’t be fooled when it comes to competition these athletes mean strict business as any would when entering into their given sports competition. 

Rugby may seem like a very traditional sport, but in reality it’s pretty widely recognized as football’s “club sport” alternative. The difference? Well, not much in terms of game play, but in terms of competitiveness this sport seems to be a little more relaxed in comparison to its nationally ranked alternative. There are thousands of children’s flag rugby leagues across the country that ensure parents their kids are protected from the traditional dangers these physical contact sports hold. Instead of tackling, participants must grab the flag from the other players belts. In general, this greater protects children from major injuries such as broken bones and concussions. 

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Fencing is a little more of an underrated alternative sport for many kids but it’s actually widely popular. Many children don’t realize that this is actually an Olympic sport but it has been for over 100 years! Fencing is a great sport for any child who sees all of their friends starting sports at a relatively young age, as many fencing institutions start training for competition with kids at the age of 5 the youngest! Traditionally kids start fencing around 8 to 12 years old, as with any sport. 

Alternative sports don’t mean that the participants are putting in any less effort physically or mentally, in comparison to their national league counter-sports. These are just the sports with a more “underrated” presence about them, but these options are great for any child looking for a physical means of endurance and release. Rock-climbing, fencing, golfing, table-tennis, bike riding, etc., these are all options of ways to get your kids out of the house and moving, and most of them have clubs either within your child’s school system or after-school programs/community centers. The benefits are massive, and there’s a lot less pressure to be competitive and the best at a particular craft, when there’s so many more options outside of what’s traditionally accepted as a “real sport.”