African American Impact on Sports Essay

In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. However, at an early age of one year old, his single mother moved Jackie and four other siblings to Pasadena, California. In Pasadena, Jackie and his family grew up in poverty. Even though his family was impoverished, they lived in a predominately white neighborhood where they faced lots of discrimination for the simple fact that they were black. As Jackie was growing up, he excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He went to John Muir High School where he was a letterman in all the sports that he excelled at. His early life fueled him to greater accomplishments as he got older.

Jackie Robinson- a revolutionary baseball player did not stop simply with changing sports, he fought in all aspects for the civil rights that he believed African Americans should have. “His courage and bravery played a major role in the history of integration, both on the field and throughout American society, and no history of the civil rights movement would be complete without noting Robinson’s major role… he was one of the movement’s strongest voices” (Gates). Jackie was a monumental and impactful voice in the Civil Rights Movement, he spoke out to the public and made his opinion and dream known that he believed African Americans deserved equal rights and status with whites in America. When his virtuous friend, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Georgia, Robinson asked Presidential Candidate Nixon to intervene and release King from jail (Gates). Also, Robinson corresponded with people like Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon to try and further civil rights (Anderson and Mosor). He was also arrested while serving in the army for refusing to move to the back of a bus and then was placed in martial court with all odds stacked against him, Robinson surprisingly won the case and was not convicted of the two charges for disobedience (PBS). Winning the case proved that Jackie

Michael Jeffery Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, was born on February 17th of 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. While he was still young, he and his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. Ever since Jordan was young, he had a love for sports.

Jackie once said: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” This quote shows that his life is not important unless it impacts other people and that Jackie cares about other people in life not just himself. Jackie changed the world positively by breaking the color barrier, being a baseball hero, a name for blacks, becoming the first black player Major League Baseball, and many more ways to come.

On January 31, 1919, a kid by the name of Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. He surely did not know that he would be one day an american hero. His father was Jerry Robinson, a plantation worker. His mother was Mallie, she was a domestic worker. Jackie had three brothers and one sister. The four brothers were: Edgar, Frank and Mack. The sister was Willa Mae. Frank and Edgar are no longer alive, but Mack and WIlla still live in Pasadena, California. His dad left Mallie and the children, never to return, when Jackie was six months old. When

Jackie Robinson’s background and childhood environment had a major impact on the ways he went about changing African American lives. He is famous for saying that “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” (Jackie 1). Jack (Jackie) Roosevelt Robinson is famously well-known for becoming the first black player in the major leagues and playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. He also was the youngest of five children and he was raised by a single mother. His older brother, Matthew, actually inspired him to pursue his dream in sports. Surprisingly, Matthew won a silver medal in the 200-meter-dash, just behind Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. Jackie went to John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College, which are the places where he played a various amount of sports growing up. His reputation as a household name began to gain traction during this time. He was awarded the Region’s Most Valuable

To begin, Muhammad Ali was born in a life where his parents knew he would accomplish great things. Ali was born on January 17th, 1942, in Louisville Kentucky. According to, the book, The Importance Of Muhammad Ali, his father said that Ali, ”Came into this world with a good body and a big head, that was the image of Joe Louis. That made me real proud, I loved Joe Louis.” Ali was known as a leader, even

Jackie Robinson once said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. True heroes, living among ordinary people, have paved the roads of today's world. One person who has exactly done this and not received nearly enough credit is Jackie Robinson. When people think of Jackie Robinson they think of the man who stole second base continuously, when in reality he did more, Jackie Robinson opened the gate for African American’s to play major league baseball. Born in 1919 Jackie was brought up in a society that was characterized by racial segregation and inequality, He fought through the era and made himself known all around the world for being the first African American to play major league baseball. Jackie

     He brought many kinds of fans to the game if baseball. His style of playing brought excitement back to the game. As much of the world like to watch him there were some who hated him. He received much hate mail from all kinds of people. He received letters threaten to kill him if he was to step on their hometown field with the other white players. A fellow baseball player from the opposing team slid into him putting a big gash in his knee that would take him out of the game.

The history of sports goes back since ancient times. It has been a useful way for people to explore nature and their environment. Sports include different activities and games such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. to express their skills and talents. Also, sports are a way to relax and have fun; but are sports all our African Americans rely on? The dream to become future sports stars. The reason why Gates begins his essay with an anecdote is to show and compare how many african-american athletes were at work today and how little the chances of African-Americans becoming athletes are compared to being a lawyer, dentist, or even a doctor. African-Americans assume that they are born athletes and it’s because the school system doesn’t

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

With the same idea as Martin Luther King Jr., he worked hard to stay non-violent and to “turn the cheek” to the many threats and racial slurs he received throughout his time in the Major League. He was the target of many cold-hearted fans, and even some of the players on his own team. He was already born a leader, but these things fueled his fire even more. 5 years after he began playing in the MLB, he testified against discrimination before the House of Un-American Activities Committee and called out the Yankees for not yet breaking the color barrier. Along with that, he also served as a leader on the board of the NAACP until 1967.(www.NAACP.org) There, he made speeches that inspired people to get on board and to fight for their rights and for changes. He said, “Certainly if such revolutionary change can be brought about in baseball, it can be brought about in education, in transportation, and in any other area of American life. (Robinson) He believed that change was just around the corner, and all it needed was a little push. Jackie was a firm believer in his ideas and that is why he is such an important figure in our

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Mercellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Cassius

Although I struggled with my grades in the beginning, the first trimester of 9th grade motivated me to succeed the rest of the year. I worked even harder and never gave up; I knew I had to make my family and my Hispanic community proud. I can relate to Robinson in this manner. He broke barriers by becoming the first black player in the major baseball league. His entire life in an inspiration for others, from being raised by a single mother to having to struggle against racism his entire life. He never gave up in the face of adversity and knew he could become successful in any way possible. He never let the fact that he had to leave college right before he graduated due to financial troubles get in the way of his success. He persevered and continued to follow his goals despite hundreds of challenges, and even became an advocate for African Americans. Young people should view Jackie Robinson as a role model because he never let anything get in the way of his success. This foundation continues to follow Robinson's dream of furthering education by eliminating the financial aspect and allowing students to succeed and to advocate for others as