It was 50 years ago yesterday when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I have a dream” speech in Washington, D.C. Many things have changed in our world since then, some good, some bad.
In the world of sports, there has always been the feeling that things change more quickly, be it integration in sports or people of color becoming famous firsts in a variety of things. The sports world has been more inclusive than the larger society. African Americans have excelled at every level of sports when it comes to success. Color seems to take a back seat when a celebration breaks out in a locker room.
With that said, it has not been easy and it’s still often difficult. Black athletes no longer endure anything like Jackie Robinson‘s entry into Major League Baseball, but certainly there are enough stories even today that will make you shake your head in 2013.
Yes, the game has changed, yet the quest for racial equality continues. But you have to wonder: do enough people care? Once African-American athletes were united when a wrong was done. In many cases, it was rectified in the manner of Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence. Unity was stressed, and problems were approached together.
Today, it is another story. Seldom do athletes come together on anything involving social or racial issues, as they have been advised not to get involved by those who stand to lose something from their activism. They either look the other way, claim it’s not their fight, have a golf tournament for their foundation, or present a check and move on to the next party.
As a kid growing up in North St. Louis, it was not uncommon to see Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Ted Savage or Bob Gibson stop by Handy Park and talk to kids and maybe even give instruction. Today, most athletes could not find Handy Park or any other facility in the city because they no longer make that part of their community. If they did happen upon a park like that, they might be surprised to find no one playing there.
Yes, things have changed a great deal since Dr. King’s speech.
What has not changed is how athletes are covered via the media. If you are looking for a double standard in how coverage works, consider the Johnny Manziel situation.
Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy last year, has been accused of selling his autograph. There has been some damning evidence that supports the claim. Normally the NCAA falls on the wrongdoer like a ton of bricks, starting with a suspension. Then the media pile on and say, “Shame on the athlete” since he knew the rules. There have been similar cases recently at other universities where African-American players have been handed harsh punishment.
In the Manziel case, the blame is being passed around to everyone but him. There is now a call for the NCAA to make changes in policy. One national columnist even insisted that the autograph money should go to a trust fund. Funny, I never heard these excuses and suggestions when the players from Ohio State took the fall. While it is not always a racial issue, in the the eyes of some (just turn on local talk radio) it has NEVER been one.
Things are better since Dr. King’s speech. How much better is another story. There are some who will never get used to integration and what it stands for: namely, that everyone is in this together. Perhaps the people who make decisions are approaching the age where they finally have a clue at to what Dr. King and his most famous speech were all about.
