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... 1969. In 1970, the AFL merged with the National Football League. All of the ten AFL teams became part of the National Football League. The two leagues merged together because most AFL fans wanted the AFL and the NFL to join together, somewhat like baseball had done. The league wanted to please its fans and didnt have the finances so they merged their league with the NFL. The NFL then turned into two different conferences the AFC and the NFC.
The rivalry between the two conferences was bitter, and hard fought. But as time went on, the bitterness between the two conferences has dwindled away. Just as the rivalry went away so did the criticism to the African Americans and the players started to respect each other. Football players didnt have to withstand the nation looking at their every move like Jackie Robinson had too. Overall African American football players did have a couple hurdles in their way to play football but it was nothing compared to what African Americans had to deal with in baseball.
Basketball in some peoples eyes is Americas pastime in the winter. It was invented my Mr. James A Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith was a PE teacher for Springfield College in Springfield. Basketball hit America fast because of its fast pace and how simple it was to play.
The great thing about this sport was that it could be played by both males and females. Most colleges and private clubs offered the team sport for the winter. The majority of African American players were forced to play mainly as all-black teams, mainly because of the Jim Crow law. The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws that took affect in the South and border states of the United States. The law required racial segregation, especially of blacks, in all public facilities from 1876 to 1967. All-black basketball teams expanded in the north in early 1907.
The all-black teams started to become very competitive and many African American Plourd 7 players started to take it seriously. The best of the all-black basketball teams took part in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that started in 1912. These programs were to promote amateur and professional issues affecting African Americans in basketball. The first team was the Pittsburgh Rifles. The Pittsburgh Rifles had a short dynasty going from 1909 to 1913.
The Rifles were undefeated for four years straight against other all-black basketball teams. The owner of the Rifles wanted to show the world how great his team was so he changed their name from the Rifles to The Loendi Big Five. The all-black team went around the United States and demolished every team in their way. Until they came to New York, where they played the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters too traveled around the United States playing other all-black basketball teams.
The Globetrotters defeated The Loendi Big Five and gave them their first loss in over four years. From this time on these two teams were looked upon as the greats of the sport. They played the game unlike anyone else in the country, they played a physical game and they were very quick and aggressive. These teams were admired by the African American community and set the pace for future basketball teams. Even though these team were very popular they only made a measly 25 dollars a game. As the sport grew in popularity talk of a professional league starting being tossed around.
The first professional basketball league was called the ABA. It was organized in 1925 neglecting African Americans and forbid them from joining. After the ABA, came the BAA which was formed in 1946. The Jim Crow law started to be forgotten and African Americans were now being allowed to not only play against southern colleges but play with them as well. But even when the opportunity was presented there only a few African Americans decided to take the offer and play for a southern college. Even though African Americans were allowed to play at the professional Plourd 8 level many owners didnt want to take a chance on any African American players.
The owners didnt see the African Americans as the next stars in the league, they saw them as a liability and didnt want to take any chances. Some of the players they turned down were the best players in the land. Around this time there was a rush of excellent African Americans who starting taking the courts at the college level. One of the remarkable players of the time was William Dolly King.
He played for Long Island University in 1937. King was the first African American to play in the National AAU Tournament in 1937. The 50 's brought great change to basketball. Chuck Cooper was the first African American to play in the NBA, the NBA was and still is the highest level in basketball. Cooper didnt have to wait long until hundreds of other African Americans joined him in the NBA.
Names such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor. These players changed the face of basketball accomplishing extraordinary feats. Bill Russell has the record for most NBA championships. Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in a single game. These players inspired many African Americans to play basketball.
In the 50 's only five percent of the league was made up of African Americans, now more than 75 percent participate in the NBA. Track and field, a sport done played the world but suffered with segregation as well. African Americans have always had an appeal for track and field. Some say its because of the fierce competition and how much will power is needed to become successful. Way back before America was even a country, Africans needed to run from village to village to deliver goods. Running was a way of life and it continues today in America.
In the early 1800 's African Americans would have walking races. It was pretty much fast walking for a long distance, but it attracted many people to see what was going on. There were two great African American Plourd 9 walkers, one was names Francis Smith the other Frank Hart. Francis Smith raced in the early 1800 's and Frank Hart raced in late 1800 's. These walking races only lasted around 100 years and then soon vanished. But what came of these races were more organized games.
But with organized sports, theres the problem of money. Track and field needed sponsors to fund their races. The New York Athletic Club was formed in 1866 and in 1871 sponsored most of the track and field events. The only flaw to this was that the New York Athletic Club wouldnt allow any African Americans to participate in any of the track and field events.
The New York Athletic Club wasnt the only sponsoring group that didnt allow African Americans to participate. The Amateur Athletic Union discouraged African Americans to participate in their track and field events. African Americans were finally allowed to participate in 1895 at the Penn Relay Race which was held in Philadelphia. But there was a catch, the African Americans had to find their own sponsors and a place to race. The only sponsor that would acknowledge the African Americans was the YMCA.
In 1893 the first college track and field meet was raced in due part of James B. Washingtons efforts. James B. Washington was the first sports director of Tuskegee Institute and he encouraged equality among races.
This was the first step for African Americans in track and field. From there, schools from the north started to recruit African American to run for them. Such schools as Dartmouth, Penn State, and even Harvard. The Smart Set Club which helped African Americans in other sports also helped them in track and field. Their support strengthened the need for African Americans to be placed on college track and field teams.
The first famous track and field runner was William Tecumseh Sherman Jackson. Jackson went to Amherst College which is in Massachusetts, and ran the half mile race. Jackson ran for 15 years and retired in 1904. Jackson was very popular among young inspiring African American runners. Plourd 10 After his retirement the first championship for African Americans was held.
In this championship was a race called a Decathlon. A decathlon is a competition that has ten different track and field events from 100 m run to the javelin throw. Edward Solomon Butler a high school student wanted to participate in the event. Butler ended up winning five of the ten events. He won the broad jump, the high jump, and 100 m, 200 m and 400 m races.
After this many colleges pursued Butler for their track and field teams. Butler decided on the University of Iowa. There he set several different track records while attending Iowa University. Butler gave most of the credit for his success to Jackson for inspiring him to run track. Since Butler raced, there have been many more African Americans on the United States track and field team then white. The last huge African American sprinter was Jesse Owens.
Most of Butlers records were surpassed by Owens. Owens is most famous for his performance at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Owens won four gold medals and defeated Hitlers unbeatable sprinters. We owe an enormous amount of respect to these early African Americans. What they had to live through is unthinkable and should never be forgotten. I just went though four sports and four athletes, however there were hundreds of others who helped bring African Americans to where they are today.
These athletes had to not only deal with enormous amounts of racism on the field but it didnt cease there. These great athletes held themselves as gentlemen, they never showed their weakness and never let anyone tell them what they could do. These people were more than just athletes but innovators for not only sports but their race in unbearable times. Every sport was a challenge but baseball had to have been the most rigorous sport to integrate in. African Americans were attempting to play Americas sport, the sport that all of America watched and loved in a time when racism was at its bitter top. The integration with baseball also changed Americas view on African Americans in sports.
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Research essay sample on National Football League First African American
