Racism: in and out of sports

Researched by Jacob R.
2002-03
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
    • PRODUCTS I CREATED
    • DEDICATION 
    • WHY I CHOSE THIS TOPIC 
    • SELF-EVALUATION 
    • THANK YOU

Basic Definition

"Racism is the belief that human beings can be divided into races and that members of some races are inferior to members of the other races."  This definition came from the World Book Encyclopedia. 
Why Racism Is Bad
There is no scientific proof of a superior race. Scientist have also rejected the idea that humans can be divided into biological races.  Racism is bad because of discrimination. It leads to poor jobs, poor education, poor housing, poor opportunity, and no voting. Segregation leads to isolation and isolation leads to ghettos, which are terrible places to live.  Another reason racism is bad is because prejudice leads to hate and hate leads to killing or even genocide. 
History
Slavery has been around for at least 2000 years. It started when Romans made Greek people (who they thought were inferior) into slaves.  From 1600-1800 a lot of white people in the U.S.A.  had black slaves.  In 1860 all of the slaves in the United States were freed.  But segregation and discrimination still existed.  In the mid 1900’s the government gave blacks equal rights.
Examples of Racism Outside Sports
Most racism is intentional and is directed by one person against another person or a small group. In the United States racism is often directed by a white person against blacks or other minorities, especially Hispanics or Indians.  Racism might be nothing more than making fun of people or calling them names, but it might be much worse. For example a racist might refuse to hire a Hispanic person for a job.  A racist might refuse to serve a black person in a restaurant.  A racist might charge an Indian more for the same item.  A qualified black person might not be able to get into a good school or college. The worst cases of racism were during World War II when Hitler tried to kill all of the Jews.  Another worse case of racism is Apartheid in South Africa when all of the black Africans were forced to live inside a big fence from 1940-1991.

Some racism is unintentional; for example if a job requires a college degree it will be very hard for minority people to apply because fewer of them were allowed to go to college.  This is called institutional racism.  It can be found in some businesses, schools, and government.

Affected By Racism
Jackie Robinson was affected by racism both when he played sports and when he didn’t play sports.  When he played sports people would tackle him harder in football.  Even when he applied to be a high school coach everyone turned him down because he was black.  When he got out of high school he played for the Negroe Leagues because he wasn’t allowed to play baseball with whites.  When his baseball team went out to eat they couldn’t eat inside because of their race.  He got picked by a coach to play for Montreal in the minor leagues.  When he played, nobody would pass him the ball during warm ups.  The Montreal manager told Jackie not to fight back.  Then pretty soon the Dodgers signed him. Jackie Robison broke the color barrier as soon as he stepped on that field, but a lot of people would call him names and would spike him with their cleats.  Jackie didn’t fight back with his fists; he fought back by how well he played.  Since Jackie Robinson was such a good player and he broke the color barrier, he was accepted into the Hall of Fame. 

Muhammad Ali was affected by racism when he boxed.  A lot of people would make fun of him because he adopted the Muslim faith.  When the Vietnam War came Muhammad Ali refused to go because of religious reasons, so he got thrown in jail. He got his title stripped away and got kicked out of boxing.  When he went to court they decided that he could still box. 

The Negroe League was started because blacks weren’t allowed to play in the pro or the International baseball leagues.  Rube Foster started it in 1910.  The owners of eight teams formed the NNL (National Negroe League).  In 1923 six clubs formed the Eastern Colored League but that league only lasted for six years.  Rube Foster died in 1930 and the Negroe League started to fall apart.  In 1933 a new NNL was born with leader Gus Greenlee. Six teams were based on the East Coast.  There also was the Negroe American League, which also contained six teams.  The NNL also had an All-star game and a World Series.  In 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier so blacks were now able to play in the Pro and International Leagues.

People Who Fought Against Racism
Rosa Parks fought racism by not getting up and moving to the back of the bus when a white person wanted to sit down.  So she got put in jail. When her trial came to the Supreme Court the judges decided that segregation in transportation was unconstitutional.  That is how segregation on transportation ended. 

Martin Luther King Jr. also fought racism because in the 1950’s there was segregation in schools, lunch lines, and other public places.  Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t fight back with his fist but with peace.

One day his house was bombed and he decided that he would fight but not kill.  He got 600 members of the South Christian Leadership Conference to march to end segregation and discrimination.  The members of the march were attacked by the State Troopers and trampled by horses.  Many of the members of the march were hospitalized.  When Martin Luther King Jr. knew they were hurt, he was so angry he sent another march.  They marched at city hall. They were about to be arrested so they knelt down and prayed.  This went on for years but eventually Martin Luther King Jr. stopped segregation in schools and in other public places, which meant blacks had equal rights. 

He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for helping to end segregation


 
 
Who I Interviewed And What I Learned
I interviewed Jerry Ward on February 6, 2003 by E-mail. I interviewed Jerry because he has been the Community College Athletic Director for 35 years and I figured he knew a lot about racism in sports. Jerry answered 8 questions for me and they really helped me on my report.  He told me that people are racist against others because of how they were raised in their family. He thinks racism will probably end. He thinks that because of how much racism has changed in the last 50 years. He also says there isn’t really much racism in sports anymore. 
Bibliography

Albin, Kira. "Rosa Parks: The Woman Who Changed a Nation."  February 27, 2003. <http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html>

Bautista, Mario E. "Reel Score: Ali" February 27, 2003. 
<http://www.mb.com.ph/ENTR/2002-02/EN0202266966o.txt>

Pettigrew, Thomas F. "Racism". The World Book Encyclopedia.1995. pp.62

Ransome, Lesa C. Satchel Paige. New York. Simons and Shuster Book For Young Readers.2000.

Ruden, Kenneth. Jackie Robinson. New York. Thomas Y. Crowell Company.1971. Pp. 1-41.

Walker, Andrea "Martin Luther King, Jr." February 27,2003.
http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/peaceheroes/martinlutherking.html
 
 
 

 

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