Sports Commentary - Racism and The Black Athlete: Listen to Their Voices, Hear Their Cries

By Dale Brown

NEW YORK, NY. Tuesday, June 30, 2020 -- Racism and racial issues in sports have had a very long history in the United States and the world.  We should analyze how White supremacy, White privilege, inequality, and police brutality, have been systematically used by the White leaders to ensure that the Black athletes are kept in their place by way of social hierarchies and supported by Institutionalized racism.

The Black person has faced endless persecution, bitter humiliation, wanton lynching and every form of mental and physical degradation.

They have endured and survived centuries by confronting the denial of their basic Human Rights with a steely resolve and resiliency which reflects the brightness of a truly unique spirit.

True to their indomitable spirit, athletes have continued to bravely use their platform to protest the persistent and insidious use of racism which, unfortunately, every Black person is likely to experience at some point in their lives.

We will highlight two persons whose performances spoke eloquently of their skill and strong resolve. They both dared to soar and transcend the barriers of their respective sport.

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson

In 1950, Althea Gibson became the first Black woman who was “allowed” to play in the US National Tennis Championship (US Open).  However, it took intense lobbying from interested parties, especially former tennis champion Alice Marble (a White person), for Althea to receive an invitation to play at the US Championships.

Because most of the qualifying events were held at “whites only” country clubs, Althea was unable to enter many of the required tournaments.  Her applications to tournament directors were also routinely rejected or simply “lost”, somewhere.

Thanks to Alice Marble’s persistence, Althea Gibson finally got the opportunity to showcase her immense talent when she received the invitation to play in the 1950 US Championship.  

She went on to make history in 1956, when she won the French Open Championship thereby becoming the first black person to win a Tennis Grand Slam Title.  She was also the first Black to win Wimbledon (1957,1958) and the US National Championships (1957, 1958).

Significantly, in 1957, Althea was the first champion to ever receive a Wimbledon trophy from Queen Elizabeth 11.

Gibson was an excellent all-round player and, in addition to the 5 Grand Slam singles titles, she also won the French and Wimbledon doubles titles in 1956 with Angela Buxton, the Australian Open with Shirley Fry in 1957, Wimbledon in 1957 and 1958 with Darlene Hard and Maria Bueno, respectively.

In 1957, she also won the US Championship mixed doubles title with Kurt Nielsen. She won a total of 11 Grand Slam titles.

In 1957 and 1958, she became the first Black woman to be voted Female Athlete of the year and was also the first to be ranked number 1 in the world.  Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.

After Althea won her last Grand Slam title in 1958, another Black woman would not emulate her feat until 41 years later when Serena Williams won the US Open in 1999.

Althea Gibson retired from tennis somewhat disillusioned because as she said, “my finances were in heartbreaking shape.”  Tennis was an amateur sport and there was no prize money to be won at any Championship. So, in 1958, at the peak of her career, she walked away from the sport.

The LPGA

In 1964, she became the first Black woman to join the Ladies professional Golf Association (LPGA). Once again, racism reared its ugly head. Most of the hotels excluded persons of color and country clubs refused to allow her to play at their facilities. Then, when she was allowed to play, she had to suffer the indignity of discreetly changing her clothes in her car.

Althea Gibson never approached the dizzying heights of her tennis career on the golf course.  She never won a tournament, yet, she persevered and played on the tour until 1977.

We must remember Althea Gibson as the pioneer for Black women in this exclusive sport.

Weep not for me……

It is sad to know that in 2003, aged 76, Althea Gibson died in poverty mainly because her finances were depleted by ongoing medical expenses.

Althea Gibson was a trailblazer and should be always honored as a Legend in the predominantly White sport of Tennis.

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson

The basketball world was introduced to Oscar Robertson in 1955 when his Crispus Attucks High School, the pride of the Black Indianapolis community became the first All – Black team to win the Indiana State Championship. They also became the first undefeated team in state history when they repeated as champions in 1956.

NCAA Basketball

After High School, Oscar Robertson played for the University of Cincinnati from 1957 to 1960. Robertson was the best collegiate player in the nation and was the all-time leading NCAA scorer at the end of his three-year career.

He also encountered his share of racism during his college career.  For example, when the team traveled, the signs at the hotels often read “No Blacks Allowed.” He was forced to sleep in the dorms at the school where they were playing while his White teammates slept at the hotels. One of his most disturbing encounters was when, before heading to play in North Carolina’s Dixie Classic, he received a letter from The Grand Wizard of the KKK, advising him that he was not welcome in any Southern City.

The hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina, would not accommodate Robertson.  The team was forced to stay in an unoccupied fraternity house after Oscar refused to stay at a different location from his teammates.

Cincinnati Royals (Sacramento Kings) and Milwaukee Bucks

Imbued with toughness and a legendary resolve, Oscar Robertson forged one of the greatest careers in the history of the NBA. He spent 10 seasons with Cincinnati (1960/61 to 1969/70) and four with the Bucks (1970/71 to 1973/74).  He was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks Championship winning team in 1971.  In 1964, Robertson won the league MVP award.                                       

Proof of his all-round skills are evident in the fact that he was the first man to ever average a triple-double in a season. Robertson’s stats reveal that in NBA history, he is ranked (1^st) with 181 career triple-doubles, (3^rd) with 9.51 assists per game, (9^th) in points scored per game with 25.68 and (14^th) in points scored with 26,710.

In 1980, Oscar Robertson was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is definitely one of the greatest basketball players in history.

Greatest Contribution

From 1964 to 1975, Oscar Robertson served as the President of the NBA Players Association.  In 1970, he led a class action lawsuit on behalf of the players against the NBA, in an effort to end the reserve clause which bound a player to one team for his entire career.

Robertson and the players won the lawsuit and it became known as the “Robertson Rule” which eventually led to the first steps of free agency and today’s huge salaries which has benefitted so many players.

Conclusion

Even though there were no chains around their feet, there was still the visible structure of slavery but despite being victims of oppression, Althea Gibson and Oscar Robertson refused to be shackled.

They transcended the constraints of the establishment and the institutionalized racism which has continued to threaten to arrest the development and the cultural identity of the Black person in America.

Let us illuminate our minds and keep repeating the narratives about our noble struggle.

……To be continued…….