African American Sports
It is hard to imagine sports worlds as they exist today without the African-Americans who have risen to the top of their fields.
American sports would be very different indeed without African-American athletes and superstars. Kobe Bryant. Shaquille O'Neal. Allen Iverson. Tiger Woods. Barry Bonds. Randy Moss. Venus Williams.Serena Williams. Florence Griffith Joyner. Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Dawn Staley.
As with other aspects of life in the United States, sports were once whites-only. African-Americans were not allowed to participate. As a result, blacks created their own sports leagues. The Negro baseball leagues became hugely popular and very successful, in terms of both talent and attendance.
They also nurtured players who went on to fame in the major leagues after they were integrated. The first African-American to play modern major league baseball was Jackie Robinson.
Robinson joined the Brooklyn (later Los Angeles) Dodgers in April 1947. He was National League rookie of the year that year, won the most valuable player award in 1949 and was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Larry Doby was the first African-American in the American League, joining the Cleveland Indians in 1947. Doby played in the majors 13 years, was an all star six times and was the first African-American to hit a home run in the World Series, in 1948 against the Boston Braves. The Cleveland Indians also were the team that brought pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige to the major leagues. Paige had been a superstar in the Negro leagues.
The first African-Americans to play professional basketball joined the NBA in 1950. Chuck Cooper signed with the Boston Celtics; Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols and Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton with the New York Knicks. None of them were stars like Jackie Robinson in baseball.
The first African-Americans to become true superstars in the NBA were Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson.
Wilt Chamberlain , a 7-ft. 2-in. center, once scored 100 points in a single NBA game for the Philadelphia Warriors and averaged 50 points a game for an entire season.
But no one could match Bill Russell's success with the Boston Celtics. Russell, who later became the first African-American coach of any major league sports team, was a defensive, team-oriented center who led the Celtics to a phenomenal 11 NBA titles in 13 years. He was the NBA's most valuable player five times.
The dominance of African-Americans in pro basketball can be seen in the records: African-Americans have now been NBA scoring leader 22 straight years, and 37 of the last 40 years. The last 13 MVPs have been black, and 35 of the last 40.
When professional football began in 1920, African-Americans played on a few teams. Paul Robeson, the future singer and civil rights activist, and Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard were the first black stars.
In 1934, however, owners of pro football teams agreed to follow pro baseball and ban blacks.
None were allowed to play professionally again until 1946.
Almost immediately after they were allowed back, African-Americans made a huge impact. Defensive safety Emlen Tunnell joined the New York Giants in 1948 and went on to set an NFL record—since broken—with 79 career interceptions. Marion Motley of the Cleveland Browns was e first black to lead the league in rushing in 1950, and Joe Perry of the San Francisco 49ers was the first to record a 1,000-yard season running the ball.
Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns became perhaps the greatest runner ever after joining the league in 1957, leading the league in rushing 8 of the 9 years he played.
However, civil rights struggles did not end with breakdown of the color line. For years, pro teams resisted putting African-Americans in prominent decision-making positions like quarterback, center or linebacker. Even today most quarterbacks are white. But where would the NFL be today without the performances of Randy Moss, Donovan McNabb, Edgerrin James or Warren Sapp?
These are challenging days for those fond of racial sterotypes in sports.
The world's top two females tennis players are African Americans sisters (Serena and Venus Williams)
and the worlds's leading golfer is the son of a black man and a Thai mother,(Tiger Woods)
and africans hold records in just about every distance race held around the world.
For most of the country history,tennis and golf were considered"WHITE SPORTS,"
despite the brilliant exceptions of black athletes tennis stars Althea Gipson and Authur Ashe and golfer Charles Sifford.
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