User:Davidickes/Race and sports

Related Race Issues in the National Football League
On November 14th, 2019 Cleveland Browns Defensive Lineman Myles Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the season following a fight with Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Mason Rudolph after Rudolph supposedly called Garrett a racist term. In a journal published to CBS.com after the game, a member of the Browns commented on the status and what Garrett was involved in. He said "Rudolph 'can't antagonize a fight and then claim bullying. … You get what's coming to you. He was protecting himself. I don't blame him. Guy keeps rushing me, even with the helmet off, he's asking for it. Just leave it at that.'" Rudolph is a white male and Garrett is an African American male. The NFL has not suspended Rudolph for his involvement in the altercation but Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the season and the postseason if the Browns qualify.

Related Race Issues in the Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play a major league game on April 15, 1947. Jackie loved the sport of baseball but that wasn't his only goal to make the majors. He wanted to make a way for more African Americans to join the league. However with struggles of people being racist in the stands, players spouting off racial slang words to other players or fans, etc. Jackie wasn't discouraged to the hate as he was not only one of the best African American to play the game but one of the best in the history of baseball. Jackie's legacy stands to this day as he might have past, but his actions and courage inspires young athletes today.

Related Race Issues in the National Basketball Association
In another example from an interview with NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar he states "For people of color, professional sports has always been a mirror of America’s attitude toward race: as long as black players were restricted from taking the field, then the rest of black Americans would never truly be considered equal, meaning they would not be given equal educational or employment opportunities." Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons dating back to 1969. Jabbar played in a crucial era for discrimination as a year after the Martin Luther King was assassinated. Equality on the court will never be equal but it has vastly improved. Race discrimination will always be an issue for the NBA.

The Team Culture
Sometimes however people don't recognize race between players and act as one family. This has become more prevalent between players on the same team, but people on the other team are still volatile. In a recent journal published by Tony N. Brown and others states "Contrary to patterns in the public opinion literature, the authors predicted White and Black athletes would agree at similar levels that racial and ethnic discrimination is no longer a problem."