What Is Bill Russel's Influence On African American Sports

(Watterson John Sayle). Football has transformed from british rugby to now what we as Americans call football. They started off with little changes like not being able to cross the ball ( Robert C. Corella). Which is a huge change from the old british football. The way football has changed is why America football is so neat. It is so neat because they took the idea from the British people and changed it into a American game. Which became one of the greatest sports in America. Although only a few opportunities were giving to black players in the NCAA. (Football) The first black player to play college ball was William H Lewis. He made history at the university of massachusett and all over the nations. He lead as a positive role model for their should be no

A comparison of the two leaders can still be made although they existed in different eras; overall Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was more successful than Booker T. Washington in his efforts. Washington supported assimilation into the workforce. This worked to improve the economic status of African Americans but did not do nearly as much as King did to advance African Americans politically and socially. Under Washington's ideals African Americans were not to be doing much of anything to advance themselves socially and politically at that time. They were to pay attention to bringing themselves up economically and to basically accept their social status at the moment and wait for it to change as they become more economically stable. King on the other hand was an extreme supporter of changing things socially and economically. He made many significant changes and inspired many in his lifetime. He made a series of speeches that influenced others to act and organized many protests to support African American liberties.

Rhoden wrote, “Integration in sports—as opposed to integration at the ballot box or in public conveyances—was a winning proposition for the whites who controlled the sports industrial complex.” Arthur Foster

In recent history it has been evident that some of the most popularize sports in America have been dominated and overran by African American and other minority athletes. In turn when the coaching and management positions in sports are analyzed and broken down, the number of minority coaches and managers in sport are almost non-existent and have been since those sports organization became established.

The role of the family value system in influencing Black male athletes appears to be less important than that of White male athletes. Although the Black community makes up 12% of the collegiate population, only 3% of those have a Ph.D. and only 6.7% have a Bachelors degree, (Hu, 2004:1). The value system in African American families appears to be focused more on immediate gratification, rather than education, which seems to be a bigger value in White families. Basketball players White vs. Black have some goals to meeting in order to become successful in the sport of basketball. There are some influences that make some of the White and Black

We all know sports are games that embrace the spirit within everyone. They make us cry, work together, overcome obstacles, and most of all they help us believe in miracles. Sports definitely became a main impact on the racial equality movement. Not only did it show people that we are all one of the same but, it opened people's eyes to show them that people of all races can work together and be successful. The reason that sports were so powerful in the movement was because TV wasn't a big fad yet so people watched sporting events for entertainment. This was the way the equality message was shown to the world. During the games the way the athletes portrayed themselves influenced people's feelings toward them and their race. Although African American athletes were accepted into sports that was the easy part. They also fought day in and day out for their teammates respect and for their peers respect. Many of them were even ridiculed by their own race

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

In the 1920s sports became very popular. People were interested in watching and enjoying all sports such as baseball, wrestling, and boxing. People were also interested in the now popular basketball and football. People enjoyed watching these sports because of the people who played them. Some big sports names were Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Knute Rockne and Red Grange. These people changed the way we play sports today. This was an era that prevented black people to play professional sports. They were forced to make their own league, the Negro National League (NNL). With these and other events people dubbed this era as the golden age of sports.

While sitting in my history class, we’ve learned about the segregation of the colored and the whites. From the water fountains being labeled “Colored” and “White” to the seating arrangement that discriminated the blacks to sit in the back, we learned and felt the pain of it all. But, while sitting in this class, it wasn’t even mentioned once about the creation of the Negro Leagues until Robert Peterson had wrote and expressed to this millennial age about what it was like to live in the time where the Negro Leagues has existed. Without Peterson, how would anyone have known about the history about the Negro Leagues? Without Peterson, how would anyone know how it has influenced and build many lives for the African-American community during the time of unrighteous suffering. The reasons why Robert Peterson is important to the Negro Leagues and to American History is because of the information that he has publicized base on his experience with the Negro Leagues and how it has impacted the many African Americans who has joined the Negro Leagues.

Most people know him as an 11 time NBA Champion, 5 time MVP, 12-time All-Star and he were the centerpieces of the Celtics dynasty during his 13-year career. Bill Russell ended up as the most successful player in the history of the NBA and formed the centerpiece of the greatest dynasty in the history of the league. For his accomplishments in the Civil Rights Movement on and off the court, Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Bill was outstanding at everything he ever put his mind to. For all that he accomplished on and off the field, Bill Russell is definitely one of the all-time great players of Basketball.

The Boston Celtics had 29 wins the season before they drafted Bird. The team improved by 32 games to go 61-21 in Bird's first season. The main reason they won so many more games was because of Larry Bird. Bird was not just a shooter, he was also a great passer and rebounder too, which in turn made his teammates better as a whole. In his second year in the NBA, Bird and Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird would go on to win two more championships with the Celtics. He would also win the Most Valuable Player award three times. This is what Larry Bird said after his second Most Valuable Player award, "While I was still trying to figure out how I could improve my game for the next season, I was notified that I had been selected as the league MVP for the second year in a row"(Bird and Ryan 153). Larry Bird after being in the league for seven years and winning two straight MVPs was still trying to find ways to get better. Bird proved that perseverance and dedication to the sport he loved would lead to a successful and rewarding

After graduating high school, instead of trying out for a college scholarship, immediately got a job (Shapiro 38). Russell epitomized the way the sport of basketball was supposed to be played by being unselfish whenever it was needed. He cared little of statistics, just doing what was best for his team. In the process, he made his teammates seem better than they actually were. His altruism and modesty improved white Americans outlook on blacks. They were no longer a lesser species, but an equal to the majority. Of the 1968-69 season, Robert F. Gorman stated, “the successful season had confirmed Russell’s selfless, team-first philosophy” (Gorman 3247). This selflessness had a huge impact on creating equality for

On May 6, 1999, Bill Russell, the man who redefineed the center by his unique shot-blocking, man-to-man defense and rebounding ability, and contributed to his team Celtics by his outstanding performance and remarkable leadership, finally attended his own retirement ceremony after 27 years of retirement. This great man in the history of American basketball refused to have a ceremony in 1972 in Boston, the city he perceived as the “racist city”, because of his concern of discrimination. On February 15th, 2011, Bill Russell received the Medal of Freedom from President Obama for his contribution to civil rights movement. Obama described him as “the man who stand up for the dignity of all men”. From being insulted, being refused in restaurants during tournaments, intimidating the world with his long arms and strong opinions, to challenging the politics of sports and fighting against racism, it has been a long way for Bill Russell, for American basketball, and for American society. Basketball, one of the major sports in America, presents the civil rights breakthrough both in professional games and in colleges. The book “King of the Courts: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution” by Aram Goudsouzian and “Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball” by Tom Graham, and Rachel Graham Cody, reveal the story of how two of the greatest players in the history of American basketball, broke the color barriers in basketball and foster the

I would like to discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in sports. We will also explore the bigger questions. How much does race and ethnicity matter in the sports world? Are certain races dominant in certain sports? Is there a difference in how we treat players based on race and ethnicity? Does it matter? I would like to answer some of these questions and gain a better understanding of how much of a part they play.

Russell Westbrook is a point guard, who has been playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was born on November 12, 1988 and is currently 27. Russell is a very quick, and explosive player, he loves to attack the rim. He's also a great shooter, he leads the NBA with tripe doubles. A triple double, is when you get 3 double digit stats. Russell gets assists, rebounds, and points. He's a 5 time NBA all star, 2 time NBA all star MVP , NBA scoring champion and he made the NBA All-Rookie team. In 2012 he made the NBA championship game, and played against the Miami Heat. They lost and Lebron James won MVP.