San Antonio College Library

The hardening of racial lines during the first half of the twentieth century eliminated almost all African Americans from white organized sports, forcing black athletes to form their own teams, organizations, and events. This separate sporting culture, explored in the twelve essays included here, comprised much more than athletic competition; these "separate games" provided examples of black enterprise and black self-help and showed the importance...

In this compact volume, Kenneth L. Shropshire confronts prominent racial myths head-on, offering both a descriptive history of and prescriptive solutions for the most pressing problems currently affecting sports. Interestingly, Shropshire reveals how sports were once much less segregated than they later became - after white players and owners felt threatened by the presence and abilities of black competitors. ... In the insular world of sport, characterized...

"Although the Supreme Court did not reverse their 1896 decision of "separate but equal" in the Plessy v. Ferguson case until more than fifty years later, sports laid a foundation for social change long before our judicial system formally recognized the inequalities of racial separation. Integrating sports teams to include white and black athletes alike, the National Football League served as a microcosmic fishbowl of the highs and lows, the trials...

Publisher's description: It has been said that sport is the great leveler, that on the playing field everyone is of equal status. Through the years, however, few institutions have better embodied America's ideals and prejudices than baseball. Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers marked the first time an African American participated in a major league contest in the 20th century, and his abilities verified what many had believed all along--that...

World War II had just ended. Democracy had triumphed. Now Americans were beginning to press for justice on the home front--and Jackie Robinson had a chance to lead the way. He was an unlikely hero. He had little experience in organized baseball, his swing was far from graceful, and he was assigned to play a position he had never tried before. But the biggest concern was his temper--Robinson was an angry man who played aggressively. In order to succeed...

"The racial makeup of sports in the United States serves as a classic example of racism in the 21st century. This book examines the racial disparities in sports and the continuing significance of race in 21st-century America, debunking the myth of a "postracial society." Sports can serve as an inspirational example of what can be achieved through hard work and perseverance, regardless of one's race. However, there is plenty of evidence that race still...