Lew's Influence On African American Sports

On September 18, 1895, an African-American spokesman and leader Booker T. Washington spoke in the front of thousands of whites at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. His famous “Atlanta Compromise” was one of the most influential speeches in American. regardless Washington soothed his listeners’ concerns about the what they said “uppity” blacks. Mr. Washington was a very well-known black educator. Even though he was born into slavery he strongly felt and believed that racism would in fact end once the blacks put effort into labor skills and proved themselves to society. He pressured industrial education for African-Americans so that they would gain respect from the whites. Washington often was good for ignoring discrimination because it didn’t phase him. But he was so nervous

When black people in sports are mentioned, the first person that comes to many minds is Jackie Robinson. As discussed before, he lived in poverty and filled with discrimination. (Eig p. 8) Being the first black player in Major League Baseball was extremely difficult, but he persevered and became more than a black baseball player- he was just a baseball player, and one of the best of his time. After Robinson, many more black superstars followed suit. About four decades later, Bo Jackson first took the field. He was the greatest two-sport athlete of all time, being an All-Star in baseball and a Pro Bowler in football. If not for an unfortunate injury, he likely would have made the Hall of Fame for both. Even today, black players are among the best in the world, such as basketball star LeBron James. In short, sports have provided an opportunity for blacks to have great

June 22, 1999, stands as an infamous day in the struggle between African-American athletes and the financial system they are a part of known as the sports industry. Larry Johnson, an African-American player, born in the ghettos of Dallas, was a standout basketball player in college and key figure on the New York Knicks NBA finals team in 1999. Finally relinquishing himself to reporters, Johnson finally spoke out and expressed his deepest feelings. Referring to his teammates on the Knicks, Johnson said “Those guys out there are the main focus in my mind. What we have is a lot of rebellious slaves on this team.” The emotional comments Johnson made are comments I would argue many African-American athletes feel resonates with them today. Fittingly, there was backlash from a wide

Segregation, discrimination, slavery and being bound by the Jim Crow Laws were an era that many African Americans were subjected to. So many things have changed over the last 60 years that it is hard to believe that such ignorance even existed. It was people like Jackie Robinson that made a difference and assisted in the change that we know today as equal opportunity regardless of race, color or religion. Jackie Robinson was a sports pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement and best known for becoming the first African-American to play professional baseball in the major leagues. Jackie Robinson was a man who faced adversity, his entire life.

Simpson’s chose to remove himself from the societal movements addressing racial oppression, specifically those that examined the oppression of black individuals. For instance, O.J. Simpson had been decisive in separating himself from the black civil rights movement during the 1960s. He had used his lack of a position on the civil rights movement to catalyse his ability to transcend into a new racial social category, in my perception. For instance, within an interview conducted with Simpson in 1967, in which O.J. was asked about his perception on the decision by many coloured athletes to step down from the 1968 Olympics in protest to racial oppression. O.J. Simpson distinguished himself from the other athletes, such as Tommie Smith and Lew Alcindor (also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), by saying that they “should follow their beliefs,” in continuing to standing up against racial oppression, but that he did not “want to be involved in it”.

The outbreak of African American’s into the world of sports throughout the 1900’s emerged to have an influential impact on the Civil Right’s movement because they started to move our nation forward as one nation and not a nation separated by race. “Whether it was a conscious stand or unintentional advocacy, athletes and coaches throughout the past century used their participation in sports to change the racial atmosphere in our country” (The Role of Sports Among the Civil Rights Movement). Athletes became more and more useful in the fight for Civil Rights with more recognition they received in the years to follow

Sports played and continue to play a pivotal role in American history and culture. Baseball provided an escape from the stress and frustration of WWII, a beacon of light during hard times and later helped influence integration. Athletes became symbols of what being a true American meant and many sports enhanced American culture. One of the most prolific changes sports brought to our society was the beginning of racial equality on the field. It encouraged and aided the fledgling equal rights movement that evolved in the 1960s. African American athletes were considered second-class citizen until sports provided the first taste of equality. Teams life the Indians, Dodgers and Giants led the way for all teams to accept black players on

One problem that black athletes had to deal was their salaries. Their pay rate was lower compare to their white teammates. The dean of American sports writers, Sam Lacy, sports editor of the Baltimore Afro-American, noted in 1967 that "the African American player was much quicker to sign a contract than white players, and in comparison, was woefully under paid. During the 1980s and 1990s, the situation changed dramatically.. Now, in 1996, Michael Jordan of basketball's Chicago Bulls and sports' highest paid athlete is expected to earn 90% of his $40 million through endorsements. While this situation does not characterize the majority of Black athletes, it does include a significant number, and is in happy contrast to the 1960s and before. Financial stress, plays a big role in the fact that there are black athletes in specific fields of sports, but not many in others.

Adrian Flores Page 1 Mr. Hartranft English 01 June 4, 2018 African Americans In Professional Sports Up until about the 30's and 40's African American's did not play professional sports until brave men like Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens changed that (in their respective sports) forever. For example, Jackie Robinson who was a former army lieutenant was the first African American to play professional baseball therefore breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier and although there had been a handful of African American Minor League Baseball players Jackie Robinson was the first African American to make

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Martin Luther King, Jr). The 1960s were full of civil rights concerns, shifts, and organizations. Civil rights quickly became a popular topic for everyone in the United States, except there was a predetermined side depending on the color of skin. Then Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and it was signed and placed into law on July 2. President Lyndon B. Johnson changed the future of millions of African-American men and women who were being treated unfairly and with excessive cruelty when he signed the document.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s a momentous movement broke out in the United States in pursuit of making a change in our nation for the better. This movement, titled the Civil Rights Movement, spread like a wildfire throughout the nation and made it possible for African Americans to have rights equal to those of whites. While at the end, this movement was successful in desegregating everything and achieving equality in the laws that were passed, it was not successful in integrating all people and changing the actions of others so that African Americans were treated equal to the white’s. Civil Rights Activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Rosa Parks, and many other inspirational black leaders played key roles in lighting the fire that was

The topic of race in sport, particularly African Americans in sport, has long been a controversial yet, widely discussed matter. Human and social issues are never easy subjects to discuss or debate, and racial differences tend to provoke very strong reactions. To begin, we will explore those whom claim that black athletes excel in sports as a result of their biological make up. Of all players in the NBA, more than 75% of them are black; of all players in the WNBA, more than 70% of them are black; of all players in the NFL, more than 65% of them are black (Hoenig, 2014). Evidently, black athletes make up a vast majority of these sports in the United States. Athletes must be of elite caliber to have the ability to play at this level, so this

Booker T. Washington was one of the most well-known African American educators of all time. Lessons from his life recordings and novelistic writings are still being talked and learned about today. His ideas of the accommodation of the Negro people and the instillation of a good work ethic into every student are opposed, though, by some well-known critics of both past and current times. They state their cases by claiming the Negro’s should not have stayed quiet and worked their way to wear they did, they should have demanded equal treatment from the southern whites and claimed what was previously promised to them. Also, they state that Washington did not really care about equality or respect, but about a status boost in his own life. Both

The issue of racism in the mid twentieth century played a huge role in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Throughout the 1960’s he gradually became a civil rights activist, participating in multiple boycotts and riots against

Paragraph 2 = friendships are built thru basketball. Gyms, reck team, common love for a team or player