Black Athletes: Reintegration Of Blacks In Professional Sports

Though the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1965 marked the end of slavery in the United States, African-Americans would not see anything resembling true freedom from the segregation and isolation imposed by slavery until very recently, and only after decades of difficult struggle. Some of the most important achievements occurred during the 1960s, when a generation of African-American leaders and activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and the Freedom Riders, fought against some of the last vestiges of explicit, institutionalized segregation, discrimination, and isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights. Only by examining the treatment of African-Americans throughout America's history can one begin to understand how the the ending of slavery, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and the contemporary issues facing the African-American community are inextricably linked. In turn this allows one to see how rather than existing as a single, identifiable turning point in the history of civil rights, African American's struggle for equality and an end to isolation must be considered as an ongoing project.

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

Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was commonly practiced in many of the Southern and Border States. This segregation while supposed to be separate but equal, was hardly that. Blacks in the South were discriminated against repeatedly while laws did nothing to protect their individual rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of history's greatest political battles.

A debate in civil rights history appeared in the decades following the well-publicized struggles of the early 1960s and continues today. This debate is of whether the movement was finished with its goals when it attained equal treatment under the law, or whether it had changed to a new goal of fighting all forms of discrimination, not just the formal version found in Jim Crow.

The sport of baseball has been a staple in American culture since the 1800s and has been deemed America’s past time for many years. The addition of African Americans into Major League Baseball has made it a richer game. The United States of America is known as a huge melting pot as many immigrants and refugees would come to America as a new home and beginning. Baseball was a game that brought happiness to all Americans, despite their color, ethnicity or background. Major League Baseball began in about 1867 and prior to the 19th century, we all know that the United States of America was built on slavery. Even after the slaves were emancipated racial tensions still ran high. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery

Prior to the civil rights movement, was hard for social injustice that mainly occurred during the 1950s and the 1960s for blacks to achieve equal rights under the law of the U.S. Civil War had regularly repealed slavery, but it didn’t end the discrimination, harassing, and the threatening. Jim Crow laws were settled in the South beginning in the late 19th century. Blacks couldn’t use the same public efficiency as whites, live in frequent of the same towns or unable to go to the same schools. Activists used, during the civil rights movement, multiple strategies that resulted in both successes and failures.

The treatment of minority athletes, particularly African Americans has been a grave issue in American sports for decades. More than fifty years ago, to be a colored person playing a so- called “white sport,” meant that it was an unfortunate fact that inequality, prejudices and racial discrimination came along with that territory, and it is also an unfortunate fact that some of those racial tensions are yet in full, modernized effect today. African- American starting five, or starting lineman, being told what to do, when, and how to do it by their Caucasian coaches, and general managers, are in sync with past century notions of African- American slaves being under total dominion and authority of

Baseball is known as one of America's favorite pastimes. A fun filled family outing would include a picnic and a trip to see their favorite Major League Baseball team play. The faces of the children would light up when they caught a foul ball. This pastime of "baseball" was one of segregation and a naïve sense of enjoyment, for the "baseball" that they knew was a game of only Caucasian Americans. Little did they know, some of the most talented players were African-American. These black baseball players had to play in a separate league. It was called the Negro League, and this league along would change America's view of "baseball" forever (Sigworth, 2003).

The Negro leagues played a very important role in modern day baseball, allowing the development and upbringing of a whole new generation of baseball players and philosophies. There are not many places that you can find information regarding the Negro leagues such as artifacts, personal account of events, or an accurate chronological timeline of what occurred during the ‘Negro Leagues’ era of baseball. Additionally, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is not just simply a representation of what happened for baseball specifically during that era. The Museum is a representation of how African Americans were finally able to advance in the United States. An African American playing baseball with ‘white folk’ was quite literally unheard of until Jackie Robinson came to fame with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The civil rights movement was a struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950s to late 1960s to achieve civil rights equal to those of whites, including equal opportunity in employment, housing, and education, as well as the right to vote, the right of equal access to public facilities, and the right to be free of racial discrimination (Civil Rights Movement, www.encyclopedia.com). The most important achievements of African-American civil rights movements have been the post-Civil War constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and established the citizenship status of blacks and the judicial decisions and legislation based on these amendments, notably the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision of 1954, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (History.com staff,

“It began in 1960, but the seeds for it were planted in 1954 when the U.S Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated public schools were unconstitutional.”(Brown). The day 6-year-old Ruby Bridges walked through the doors of William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, Louisiana, she walked into the pages of history. Ruby was the first African American student at this previously all-white school on the 14th of November, 1960. This was the New Orleans Public School Crisis, and this was just the beginning of all the riots to come. The equality of Blacks and Whites was nonexistent, and social justice was poor because of the racial prejudices that stood in the way. Blacks were not allowed to have the same education as Whites; it wasn 't expected of an African American woman to graduate from high school, let alone finish grade school in these times. The 1960’s were full of movements; whether it be a Hippie Movement or a Mexican American Movement, but the difference between these movements and the Civil RIghts Movement for Blacks, is that African Americans are still unfortunately fighting for their equality and Rights.

While African American athletes had exceptional athletic skills, segregation had a major impact on their lives. While segregation impacted the overall livelihood of Black communities, segregation had a different impact on the livelihood of Black athletes. Black athletes were undeniably exploited by White athletes and White audiences. The athletes often worked hard and won many tournaments only to be given no monetary rewards and to be treated as though they were inferior. African American athletes would become national, or even international champions and would still live in poverty.

The result of these low expectations can be seen in a quote by Thabiti. “Graduation rates of Black football athletes are consistently among the lowest in the nation” (Lewis). As Thabiti Lewis explains, graduation rates for athletes are drastically subsiding every year. As said by Herbert I. London, and American commentator and author, there are many factors that may go into this problem with one being that the NCAA does not allow high school students to come into their program with having at least a 2.0 grade point average (London). A 2.0 GPA is a C average (75%). For colleges altogether, anything under a 2.0 is a failing grade. If athletes are expected to have a grade right above failing to live their dreams, why would they strive to get anything

Commencing in the late 19th century, state level governments approved segregation acts, identified as the Jim Crow laws, and assigned limitations on voting requirements that caused the African American population economically and diplomatically helpless (Davis, n.d.). The civil rights movement commenced, intensely and assertively, in the early 1940s when the societal composition of black America took an increasingly urban, popular appeal (Korstad & Lichtenstein, 1988). The 1950s and 1960s was well known for racial conflicts and civil rights protests. The civil rights movement in the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s was based on political and social strives to achieve

Throughout the course of American’s history people of colored skin have been infinitely and continuously oppressed and suppressed for decades. For numerous years people of color had to endure horrific attacks of inferiority and hatred. From being sold as property to being psychically, emotionally, and verbally beaten to ones defeat. The fight for equality between all races has been long fought especially for people of African descent. The need for change was in dire need and no more could the people stand it. During the 1900s it became lucid what needed to be done and without any warning the African-American Civil Rights Moment would begin. Initially around the 1930s spanning all the way to the late 1960s, those it is said to be the time of civil change. Of all the decades that fell into the duration of the African-American Civil Rights Moment many would say that the 1950s was the catalyst for the major change that was brought upon many Americans during the African-American Civil Rights Moment. Many key events happened during the 1950s and if they creased to happen then it would be a great lose and an immense setback. Though key events did occur before the 1950s the majority were placed in the 1950s. The 1950s was a time of great importance for civil rights and essentially the spark in which great change overcame the people of the United States of America.