{The Impact of Black Athletes Through History}

Jackie Robinson
First African American to play in MLB 

From reading the article, “Black Heroes in Sport: From Jack Johnson to Muhammad Ali”, by Joseph Dorinson, I have learned more than I ever knew about black athletes. These athletes mentioned in the article, all participated in non-team sports, where a black athlete faced less segregation at the time. It seemed very interesting to me how society would put so much pressure on these athletes to be not only professional in their sport but also leaders in the fight for their race. Their images were on display for all of America to see, so if they messed up it was not only against them but also against the whole Black American population.

Even though there was a lot of scrutiny and judgment against these athletes, these athletes were able to make tremendous strides for the black community.  They made it acceptable for black athletes to be household names, and it was one of the first times that African Americans were considered national heroes. Instances such as Jesse Owen’s four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany and Joe Louis’s defeat of German boxer Max Schmeling in their second heavy weight fight in 1938 allowed these athletes to make statements for racial equality by proving themselves as competitive athletes who deserve just as many rights as anyone else.