racism in profesinal sports
Racism is a problem that has existed in our society for many years. The roots of racism date back to when slavery was considered normal, and even further back then that. Racism happens all the time, everyday and everywhere. It is a complex issue which occurs at many different levels. In the world of sports racism is happening more often and becoming more of a concern. The first major example is of Jackie Robinson. Robinson is considered a leader in the black community for breaking the color barrier in the sport of baseball. Although Robinson went through a great deal of prejudice, many black athletes today face similar problems. The National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and many other associations are dealing with this problem even still today. Racism doesn't only occur on the field. Today the management side of sports is more racist then the on field part. Racism is a problem that existed in sport when it first originated and continues to exist even in the world of sport today. Racism started in the beginning of sport when there were two separate leagues, the white league and the black league. It was in 1947, when Jackie Robinson stepped into the white world of baseball, that people noticed this was occurrin
g. At the time no one was concerned with this because everything was segregated back then. "The verbal taunting, physical abuse, and death threats unleashed on him and his family had the 27 year old on the verge of mental breakdown (Guss, 1997). Robinson got through it by ignoring all those comments and using it as the reason he would play, to prove everyone wrong. He realized that he represented an entire race of people and if he were to explode he would condemn himself and his entire race. "I suffered then because I hoped to provide a better future for my children and for young black people everywhere, and because I naively believed that my sacrifices might help a little to make America the kind of country it was supposed to be"(Guss, 1997). Despite all the negativity, Robinson excelled in the majors by winning the 1947 Rookie of the Year award and helping lead his team to the World Series. Robinson's perseverance throughout his career is what paved the way for black athletes to make a stand and prove to the world that they can compete with white athletes. After Robinson's career was over the opportunity for black athletes to play on the same level as whites athletes had increased greatly. Although Jackie Robinson was discriminated upon half a century ago many black athletes today have to go through similar racism. "Race is an issue everywhere and it always going to be," says Pro Bowl running back Ricky Watters. "It's sneaky now. The owners have to be politically correct now. It isn't fashionable anymore to be a racist. Now they have to kind of go behind the scenes, but believe me it's still there. It's not really something you can explain. It's just a feeling. Just look at how many black head coaches were hired this year"(Guss, 1997). This quote was in response to the year of 1997 when Sherm Lewis, offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers who is African American wasn't even interviewed for a head coaching job. This is an issue because teams usually look for successful coordinators to be the head coach of their team. Sherm Lewis had just led his team to a Super Bowl appearance, while having his offense lead the league in points and yards per game. On top of this Dan Reeves, former coach of the New York
Some common words found in the essay are:
Jackie Robinson, League Baseball, Marge Schott, Gary Bettmann, African Americans, African American, Hockey League, Watters It's, Series Robinson's, , black athletes, jackie robinson, african americans, major league baseball, hockey league, major league, national hockey, league baseball, head coaching, marge schott, national hockey league, nhl commissioner gary, color barrier, black athletes similar, head coaching job,
Approximate Word count = 1517
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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