Race and Role Models in Sport

Several of professional sport's greatest athletes were/are African American. In his article, Dorinson mentions several of the greatest athletes of all time who were also black. He opens with speaking of boxer Jack Johnson, who I, personally did not particularly like because of his flashy ways and cocky attitude. However, what he represented for not only black athletes, but the black community as a whole, cannot be denied. He provided them with a hero. He paved the way for other black athletes and black citizens. He was able to deflate white supremacy and increase "black pride" so, for his community, he was a quite a hero, because this had not yet been done by an athlete around those times. (Early 1900's). Johnson lived recklessly, he had white prostitutes, three white wives, and went to jail, for these reasons he is not someone I would choose as my personal hero, however he definitely was one to many. Joe Louis Barrow is the second fighter Dorinson mentions. If I enjoyed boxing I would say he is more along the lines of my type of hero. Unlike Johnson, he was very humble and let his fists do the talking. The third athlete Dorinson mentions is Jesse Owens, he is definitely one of my favorite sports heroes. Owens won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. And represented something I appreciated learning, that his dominance was sort of "in Hitler's face." After all, Hitler believed in the ideal (white) race, and this African American showed up, blowing everyone away. Dorinson goes on to talk about another one of my favorites, the famous Jackie Robinson. What Jackie did for African Americans in sport is truly tremendous. He took a lot of racial slurs and violence with a calm manner so that he could continue playing his game and showing what he had to offer. For that he is a true hero. Not many people could have taken that torment with the grace that he showed. He let his performance do the talking. He is the black athlete associated with breaking the color barrier in professional sport. He joined the predominately white game of baseball, and was one of the best in the league, many were unhappy about this, but for his race and many others, he was a true hero. The last athlete Dorinson mentions is Cassius Clay aka Muhammed Ali. One of the greatest boxers of all time. He refused service in the war and this made many people unhappy. By him taking this stance he associated himself with the anti-war movement. While it can be admired that he took a stand for what he believed in..  I still wonder if he should have fought for our country in the war. However, war fighter or not, he was one heck of a boxer, and was yet another famous black hero.These men went down in history because of something they excelled in and the struggles they faced. Although they all handled it a little differently, they all had to face adversity while paving the road for blacks in sport. Heroes like Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and Joe Louis, proved that no matter your race, you can excel in any sport that you want to excel in, as long as you have the talent. Equal opportunity was not available for these men, but, because of them, equal opportunity is now available for other blacks and minorities. These men accomplished great feats and opened a huge door in sports.