Essay on Sports and Politics

This sporting event was a big deal to many because Bobby Riggs was a 55-year old former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, who in retirement became a tennis "hustler." He challenged the top female players in the world to matches and "bolted to national prominence with his blunt putdowns of women's tennis and the role of today's female," reported Mr. Amdur. Whereas Billie King, on the other hand, won 6 Wimbledon single championships and 4 U.S. Open titles. Billie King ended up defeating Bobby Riggs in "The Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. This led Billie King's victory to be the most energized sporting event in women's history. As stated in a New York Times article, "Though this match was more of a spectacle than a sporting event, it had enormous symbolic importance. Played just a year after the passage of "Title IX," an amendment to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which among other things required that women be granted equal access to athletics by high schools and colleges, the match helped legitimize women's athletics and encouraged girls to take up sports."

The author of The Colonel, Michael Hogan, details how a certain Army Colonel influenced his life through the sport of tennis. Hogan begins by indicating how mainstreamed tennis is today, to the point an average adolescent could not imagine tennis as a ‘rich man’ sport. In the fifties, when Hogan was a child, tennis was a sport reserved for mostly men at country clubs and private resorts. Women had competed at international competitions such as Wimbledon for a several years, but many of them were amateurs (oftentimes paid little). Fortunately for female tennis players, Billie Jean King’s assertiveness, in 1967, and the Virginia Slim tournaments, in the seventies, influenced tennis to include women in professional tennis (such as Chris Everts

Robinson began his role as an advocate for civil rights in America even before he was drafted onto a major league baseball team. In 1942, he was inducted into the Army. This was during World War II. At this time, there was still racial discrimination in the Army. It wasn’t as much as back in the South, however it was still prominent. Robinson was part of a segregated unit located in Camp Hood. He became a lieutenant pretty quick, although he still had to go through opposition to become one. At the time, Lieutenant Robinson’s fight against racism started when he boarded a military bus, towards the middle. Once the bus driver saw Robinson, he ordered him to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused and argued with the driver. After the altercation, Robinson was asked to move to the hospital to stay,

     Robinson’s importance continues after his baseball career. After he retired in 1956, he became active in the NAACP and the civil rights movement. He put forth his baseball career and decade his life to improving African Americans status in society. Many black people looked for to him for help and support. He didn’t care what people thought

Robinson was took a huge risk taking part in this, but it was worth it. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series and after the game a huge mob chased Jackie for three blocks and Sam Maltin a reporter from the Pittsburg Courier stated “It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of hate on its mind” (Swaine, 2006). It took years until the Major Leagues opened up to more African Americans, but when it did they had a lot of love for Jackie. Joe Black a former teammate expressed his gratitude by saying “When I look at my house. I say thank God for Jackie Robinson” (Singer, 2016).

It has been said that real heroes risk their lives for others and Jackie Robinson has proven to be a hero. Robinson was “the first African American major league ballplayer of the twentieth century” (Scott 2) and has influenced many people on and off the field. When he “took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day, April 15, 1947, he forever changed the face of major league baseball (“Jackie Robinson - Changing Major League Baseball”, 0:06-0:16). Throughout his years of playing on the field, he became a “militant campaigner for civil rights” (Scott 6) to show how it is important to America's history. Robinson has made major contributions to the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement by showing his courage, confidence, and what he stands for.

To the average person, in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that, but to see the real Jackie Robinson, you must de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as a civil rights leader. That part drops out, that which people forget. From his early army days, until well after his baseball days, Robinson had fought to achieve equality among whites and blacks. "Jackie acted out the philosophy of nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr., before the future civil rights leader had thought of applying it to the problem of segregation in America"(Weidhorn 93). Robinson was an avid

“I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being”. Jackie Robinson was an African American that was treated unfairly during the time of his professional baseball career. He was put through segregation because he was the only black player in the MLB at the time, and he was also treated poorly by his teammates, coaches, fans and even other players from different teams. Jackie Robinson was an important and influential figure in history that had a positive impact on the world and the entire baseball association because he was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era and used baseball as a way to contribute to the Civil Rights movement.

Jackie was a phenomenal athlete for young kids to look up to. After the start of World War II he served in the military from 1942 to 1944. After the war he returned to his love for baseball, playing in the Black major leagues. He was chosen by Branch Rickey, vice president of the Brooklyn dodgers, to help integrate the Major Leagues. Rickey hated segregation just as much as Robinson and wanted to change things “Rickey had once seen a Black college player turned away from a hotel… Rickey never forgot seeing this player crying because he was denied a place to lay his weary head just because of the color of his skin” (Mackenzie). He was finally able to do something about segregation and help change baseball and the United States for the better. It wasn’t that all the teams were racist and didn’t want a black player but when the major league teams had an away game they would rent out the stadium to the black teams for them to play at. And the executives of teams didn’t want to loose the money that they were making off of the black teams. “League owners would lose significant rental revenue” (“Breaking”). He soon signed with the all-white Montreal Royals a farm team for the Dodgers. Robinson had an outstanding start with the Royals, “leading the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage” (Robinson). After Robinson’s outstanding year he was promoted to the Dodgers he played his first game on

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” said Jackie Robinson, first African American MLB player. Jackie was one strong minded individual throughout his whole life. He was the participant in breaking the color line as Branch Ricky singed him to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Not only did he change the MLB, but he changed other sports also. Jackie Robinson took a stand by being the first African American MLB player, and opened up many opportunities for African Americans everywhere.

Jackie Robinson once said, "A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives," and impacting lives was exactly what he did. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born Jan. 31, 1919. He became the first black person to play Major League Baseball and endured appalling acts of discrimination. He led the Brooklyn Dodgers to win the 1955 World Series, 6 NL Pennants, and received many other awards such as NL MVP and Rookie of the Year. Besides playing baseball, Jackie Robinson became a Civil Rights advocate, working with many other leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. while in the process of becoming one of the most well known, respected athletes in the world, thanks to his courage and perseverance.

Jackie Robinson was a vocal civil activist throughout his life, especially during his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before Robinson, professional baseball was for white men only. However, the manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers wanted to change this and he saw an opportunity in Jackie Robinson. Robinson was a courageous baseball player and had what it takes to make a major change in society. The number of African American and Latino baseball players steadily grew throughout the years after Jackie’s debut in the Major Leagues; he opened up an opportunity for many men who otherwise may have never had a shot.

Everyday life for him was having to stay at different hotels, or eat at different restaurants than his teammates. These things put his family at risk, whether it be receiving harsh language, or finding an equitable place to sleep. He knew these segregating laws were not fair, and the risks of safety were high, and still put up with the harsh treatments to prove his point of equality. Despite these things, he knew what he was doing would eventually lead to the full integration of sports. When the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Robinson the chance to break the unwritten color barrier, he gladly accepted. He would have given anything to show that a black man was just as competent as a white. And he did. In 1981, his wish came true with an estimated 19% of Major League baseball players being African American, a startling change from the previous years.(mlblogs.com) Now, nearly 70 years later, all sports are integrated without a thought to color or race. This accomplishment made a huge difference to the black members of society and to our history in general. Jackie Robinson got his wish, even though he didn't live long enough to see it happen all the way through. Because of him, black players now have an equal opportunity to play and take part in the sports they

It's just a matter of if we want to use it or not” (Begley). This is very true. In today's day and age, many people pay attention to the media and can be influenced by it. This platform that athletes have can inform people about political issues. Athletes may have alien-like physical abilities, but they are also human and as humans, we have the right to voice our opinions.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The impact of Title IX on the lives of so many girls is immeasurable. It has created opportunities for women, where opportunities did not use to exist. Unfortunately, it has not completely eradicated sexism. Women in many professional sports, which are also played by