Hello everyone! My name is Alex, and I am honored to be here to share my thoughts as a historian with you.
I wanted to talk about something today that we sometimes oversee. Many historians like to point out that the military has been one of the great American systems that led to desegregation and better race relations. I for one will not disagree with that statement. It is true that since the American Revolution, when slaves and free blacks fought with white soldiers that they fought for common beliefs of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Even in the Civil War, which had black soldiers on both the South and the North, we saw that blacks and whites fought together for a common cause. We then saw the brotherhood of soldiers of different races in the two World Wars. That tradition of bringing together different races to protect the liberties of Americans continues today.
But sports have also played a very significant role in racial relations. Americans love their sports, and throughout history we have seen the impact that players from other countries, as well as those of color have brought in unifying our country. With sports, we have been blessed with having witnessing the “E Pluribus Unum” the founding Fathers had envisioned.
I mention this because HISTORY NOW, the Gilder Lehrmen Institute of America’s online journal , had a very interesting theme on the role sports have played in shaping the American character. The article, “Why Sports History is American History,” tells us that:
“For historians, there is no better way to teach students about the creation and destruction of the color and gender lines in twentieth century America than to draw examples from the history of race and gender in sports, a history which is now richly documented in biographies, historical works, novels, and documentary film. Educators can see how useful an examination of sports can be in raising important themes in American history. Sports history provides a point of entry into American culture.”
I also mention this because as an ardent Dodgers fan, one of my heroes is Jackie Robinson, who as we know broke the “color barrier” in sports. But my other hero in the Robinson story is Pee Wee Reese. As captain of the team, he refused to sign a petition against allowing Robinson to play with the Dodgers. In a game in Cincinnati, when fans were heckling Robinson and saying who knows what, Reese went over to Jackie in front of all the fans “and put his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of inclusion and support.” In 1999, Rachel Robinson gave praise to Reese’s actions toward Robinson.
I end by saying that our history as America is not perfect. We can’t see our history through “rosy colored glasses,” as historian William Bennett says in his excellent two volume history of America. But we are exceptional. Stories like the Reese and Robinson one give us hope that as Americans we can change, we can be better. The military and sports are a great testament to the American character that through many we are one, and that we can see through our differences in a bond of brotherhood as Americans. We have learned from sports that we are capable of changing race relations. But more importantly, we have learned that it is an awesome thing to be an American, that we are exceptional both for our triumphs and our failures.
I’m glad to be here with you all.
Welcome Alex!
Thanks Sam. I’m honored to be here.
Thank you very much.. Sports has always been the arena where the most talented win and issues of race religion vanish as the goal to win becomes clearer and team members understand how each have a role in accomplishing this(in my opinion) Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball. Another first was the 23 year old, Larry Dolby, the first African American in the American League playing with the Cleveland Indians.
Michael,
Thanks for the comment. I’m not familiar with Larry Dolby. I may look further into that story as well. I just began getting into baseball history less than a year ago. One of my undergrad professors did her dissertation on The Negro League, which is another subject that interests me.
Welcome Alex!
I reread this post and thought of great monments in Sports that l revealed the greatness of this country. Jessie Owens, 1936 olympics, Munich winning 3 Gold medals. Then the 1960 Rome Games. With all the civil rights craziness in tei country,. the Olympic team selects Rafer Johnson to carry the American flag into the stadium. He wins gold in the Decathalon. In women’s tracjk & field hte beautiful Wiilma Johnson, first woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics Then everyone knows Cassius Clay, Mohammed Ali, wining the Gold in boxing. {Wilma Johnson needs a biography} If you saw the los Angelas olympics It was Rafer Johnson who was selected to carry the torch into the Coloseum up the stairs to light the games. Owens, Rafer Johnson wilma johnson and Ali, all rose way above the anger, within this country between groups to represent the United states as it should be.
Promise last comment Sports in mu family was religion. On Shabbat we went to the stadium. My two brothers both earned scholarships to college thanks to sports. So just 2 very good books on Henry (Hank) Aaron
1. His Autobiography I had a hammer, and,
2. The Last Hero by Dwight Gardner
Both books describe how the game changed and how society responded to the change.I
What a wonderful article Alex. As an educator, I completely agree that we have a fantastic opportunity to teach our journey in this country toward tolerance and embracing diversity. I just recently read an old article documenting the role of the Negro Baseball League in America, I was amazed at how many players were involved and how entertaining it was to the fans. This league was a real tribute to the fine Americans who played the game. I know my students would thoroughly enjoy learning history through the true life stories of these players.
Bruce – Thank you.
Michael – Your list sparks my interest, and I now have a good list to research with.
Debbie – Thank you Debbie. I’m very interested in the Negro Leagues. One of my undergraduate professors was very passionate about the topic, especially from the angle of black team owners and how the integration of baseball hurt the black businesses men and owners. “Integration was great for race relations,” she argued, “but it hurt black workers too, who could become financially successful by becoming owners.” But despite that, she said desegregation of baseball was a monumental achievement in American history. And in that I think we can all agree on.