d eventually display the positive consistency demonstrated here, we should never stop encouraging our sports leagues and other organizations with such power and social influence, to strive

Celtics Leigh Griffiths, Aberdeens Jonny Hayes and Dundee duo Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart have been nominated for PFA Scotland Player of the Year 2015/16.Jason Cummings, John McGinn, Barrie McKay and Kieran Tierney are up for Scotlands Young Player of the Year gong. We take a closer look at all the nominees for this years top prizes. PFA Scotland Player of the Year nominationsLeigh Griffiths - Celtic (striker) Celtics Leigh Griffiths is targeting 40 goals for the season after being nominated for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award The 25-year-old Edinburgh born striker continued the form he picked up in the second half of last season and has blown the competition out the water in this campaigns scoring charts. Griffiths has scored 38 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions, 29 of them in the Scottish Premiership. He is just six goals off equalling the record tally by a Celtic player in one league season with four games left to play. Brian McClair and Henrik Larsson hold the accolade with 35 goals in a top-flight season in Scotland. Griffiths would have to score 15 times in his final four ties of the season to match Larssons club record of 53 goals in all competitions in one season.Jonny Hayes - Aberdeen (winger) Jonny Hayes gave Aberdeen the lead in their top-of-the-table clash with Celtic Aberdeens Premiership title challenge may have ebbed away in recent weeks, but the consistent performances of Jonny Hayes has certainly been a key factor in their push up until now.The Republic of Ireland born winger has laid on 10 assists and scored 5 goals this campaign, including a stunning opener in Aberdeens win over Celtic in February.At 28 Hayes made his international debut as a substitute in Irelands friendly win over Switzerland in March. He then came off the bench again just days later in his countrys draw with Slovakia.Having been a constant in Derek McInnes team he has a real chance of being selected in Martin ONeills squad for the Euros.Kane Hemmings - Dundee (striker) Kane Hemmings netted twice as Dundee eased to a 2-0 victory over St Johnstone The former Rangers front-man is the first half of Dundees representation on this years awards list. For a club who failed in their primary goal (finishing in the top-6 of the Premiership) to get two nominations is an indication of how well these players have performed throughout 2015/16.The link-up shown between Hemmings and fellow nominee Greg Stewart has drawn particular praise.Scoring over twenty goals in any league is enough to spark interest from admiring clubs, but to notch 25 goals and seven assists for a side in the lower half of the Premiership is a great effort. Still only 24, Hemmings joined Dundee for a free from Barnsley after a spell with Cowdenbeath where he and Stewart began their striking relationship.Greg Stewart - Dundee (striker) Greg Stewart (left) holds off Gavin Gunning during Dundee v Dundee Utd Stewart is the only of this years candidates to have been up for the award at last years ceremony. A team-mate of Kane Hemmings at Cowdenbeath, the 26-year-old forward was signed for free by Paul Hartley at the start of last season. With the amount both Stewart and Hemmings have contributed to Dundee, getting both strikers in for free shows Hartley has an eye for a bargain. In his 38 appearances in all competitions this campaign Stewart has scored 11 goals and contributed 14 assists. His trademark cut in from the right on to his favoured left foot has caused defenders problems all season.PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year NominationsJason Cummings - Hibernian (Striker) Hibernians Jason Cummings celebrates after scoring the winning penalty Hibs have failed to win automatic promotion from the Scottish Championship in two attempts, but thats certainly not down to a lack of goals from their main striker. The 20-year-old scored 21 goals and laid on 10 more in all competitions in 2014/15, and has already netted 24 times this term. He went on a scoring spree in October and November, where he notched a goal in seven consecutive games. He has contributed at vital times in Hibs season, most notably against city rivals Hearts on their way to the Scottish Cup final. He may have missed when he attempted to replicate Antonín Panenkas famous penalty in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Dundee United, but thats simply a measure of the confidence he has in his own ability. John McGinn - Hibernian (Midfielder) John McGinn (left) against Christian Eriksen in McGinns debut for Scotland Around the time of last years PFA Scotland awards, the 21-year-old was involved in a training ground accident that saw Steven Thompson throw a spear into his thigh while at St Mirren.Instead of taking crutches to this seasons ceremony, McGinn could be picking up an award.He has thrived at Hibs under Alan Stubbs this season after leaving St Mirren. He has made 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4 times and laying on 9 assists. He has been a stalwart in the Scotland Under-21 squad in recent times which, along with his Hibs form, has earned him a senior debut for Gordon Strachan whilst playing in Scotland second division. That night he won the man of the match award for his display against Denmark.While his club have failed to win automatic promotion, McGinn has played his part in getting them to a League Cup final and has a Scottish Cup final against Rangers to look forward to.Barrie McKay - Rangers (Winger) Rangers Barrie McKay scored a great goal for Mark Warburtons side against Celtic As a 21-year-old Rangers fans have known about McKay for a few seasons. He first made his breakthrough in the first team when the club was playing in Scotlands lowest tier.He scored the first league goal for Rangers in the Old Third Division but fell out of favour in the following seasons.After spells on loan at Greenock Morton and Raith Rovers McKay has found a new lease of life under Mark Warburton, nine goals and 12 assists as part of a front three would attest to that.He has helped Rangers win the Championship title convincingly, lifted the Petrofac Training Cup and scored the goal of his life against Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final win. Kieran Tierney - Celtic (Defender) Kieran Tierney says his nomination for PFA Scotlands Young Player of the Year award tops off a great season Having only made his senior Celtic debut at the end of the 2014/15 season, the 18-year-old has had a crazy year by his own estimation. His career has progressed since coming on for the last 10 minutes against Dundee on 22 April, 2015 and replacing Emilio Izaguirre as Celtics first choice left-back.A Scotland debut at 18 and being an ever-present in Ronny Deilas ever-changing back-four are just a couple of instances of how he has developed in a short space of time. He may not have scored a senior goal yet but he has eight assists and 13 clean sheets in 30 appearances for club and country. The PFA Scotland Player of the Year is voted for by fellow Premiership professionals. The Young Player of the Year nominees are voted for by players from all four of Scotlands divisions. Hear from all the nominees of Sky Sports News HQ this afternoon.Also See:Glasgow derby for Wembley?McIntyre heads award shortlistPFA Scotland Goal of the Season 2016Petrov plans football comebackDiscount Nike SB Shoes ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Wholesale Nike Shoes China . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.discountnikesb.com/ . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Nike SB China . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory.Today we released the 2016 WNBA racial and gender report card, which shows that the WNBA continues to be by far the best of all leagues in racial and gender hiring practices.I speak at many events across the country on the importance of whom we listen to and who advises us. I address many social justice issues facing young people today and conclude that if there were more women and people of color in leadership positions, I am confident that we would focus more on issues like racism, violence, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, drug abuse, child abuse and human trafficking. In that context, I am, of course, speaking about those holding public office and in positions that can influence how we deal with those issues.I believe that also applies to our leagues and teams in the world of sports. More diverse and inclusive leaders would help them address issues they are often confronting.When we write the racial and gender report cards on Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, Major League Soccer, college sport and the WNBA, our primary goal is to call attention to areas needing improvement in order to provide more opportunities for women and people of color in professional sports. While the grades for racial hiring practices have improved in most of those report cards over the years, the grades for gender hiring practices lag behind significantly. Even the NBA, the most progressive league in mens sports, fails to get an A for gender hiring practices. The most recent gender hiring practice grades for the leagues and colleges are as follows: NBA: B, NFL: C-plus, MLB: C/C-plus, MLS: B; college sport: C-plus.The WNBA, on the other hand, has achieved at least an A for gender hiring for the past decade.Im sure many will respond well, the WNBA is a womens league, but such gender equality in leadership positions is not always the norm, even in when it comes to womens sports. More than 60 percent of all womens college teams are coached by men and nearly 50 percent of all assistant coaches of womens college teams are men.Additionally, the WNBA continues to be an industry leader in several areas in addition to gender hiring. This year marked the 20th season of the WNBA, and it was capped by the diversity exemplified by the 2016 WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks organization includes an owner of color in Earvin Magic Johnson, a female of color as president and COO in Christine Simmons, and a female of color at general manager in Penny Toler, showing that the Sparks are not only champions on the court, but are championing for diversity and inclusion in the front office.We released the report Wednesday with the WNBA earning an A-plus overall and an A-plus for racial hiring and an A for gender hiring in 2016. I was the primary author of the report with co-authors Kirsten Nieuwendam, Erin Davison and Caryn Grant.This years report saw increases in the people of color holding professional level staff positions at the league office (26.1 percent), team vice president positions (11 percent) and team professional administration positions (33.4 percent). Increases in womeen holding assistant coach positions (56.dddddddddddd percent), team vice president positions (26.6 percent) and team professional administration positions (44.4 percent) were also noted.However, there are certainly some areas that need improvement. The percentage of women holding senior team administrator positions decreased to 24.4 percent, the lowest in a decade and earning a D-plus for this category, and women holding team vice president positions remained low at 26.6 percent earning a C. Additionally, in a league in which 75.5 percent of players are people of color, the WNBA also received a B-plus for general managers of color (18.2 percent, the lowest since 2007) and a B-minus for team vice presidents of color (11 percent) despite increasing over the past three season.But overall the WNBA is the best. Led by new president Lisa Borders, the WNBA continues to lead the way in terms of racial and gender diversity amongst all professional leagues. The WNBA again received the highest number of As as well as the lowest number of grades below an A in all categories compared to mens professional leagues. Borders, who had been vice mayor of Atlanta and president of the city council, became WNBA president in February.Such an example is set at the league level. The WNBA receives high marks annually for its diversity initiatives for employee learning and development, recruitment, supplier diversity and community relations. The WNBA made history alongside the NBA as the first professional sports leagues to march in and include a float in the NYC Pride March on June 26.Even with the best record in sports in terms of racial and gender hiring, it is important that the WNBA does not stop striving for improvement. While the WNBA received an A-plus for gender hiring of head coaches this season based on having more than 40 percent of those positions held by women, still less than half (41.7) of the 12 teams in this womens league are being coached by female head coaches. As the WNBA continues to be the lead the way for professional sports organizations and we seek to see the other leagues make strides in this direction and eventually display the positive consistency demonstrated here, we should never stop encouraging our sports leagues and other organizations with such power and social influence, to strive for greater inclusion and diversity efforts. I am glad that WNBA takes this challenge to heart.Richard E. Lapchick is the chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program in the College of Business Administration at the University of Central Florida. Lapchick also directs UCFs Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, is the author of 16 books and the annual racial and gender report card, and is the president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport. He has been a regular commentator for ESPN.com on issues of diversity in sport. Follow him on Twitter @richardlapchick and on Facebook at facebook.com/richard.lapchick. ' ' '