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History of gender inequality in sports
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Tidye Pickett was born on November 3, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the neighborhood of Englewood. At a young age, a city official discovered her and began to teach her how to run and jump. She competed for the Chicago Park District track team. Later John Brooks, a fellow Olympian, asked her parent’s permission to coach her for the Olympics, which he did in 1932 through the 1936 games. Between 1931 and 1936 she won and received medals around the country and Canada. Tidye Pickett was the first female African-American to represent the United States at the 1936 Olympic Games. She competed in the quarterfinals on the low hurdles track and field. At the age of 17, she had overcome two things: race and gender. After being athletic, she
Bell Hooks was born Gloria Jean Watkins on September 25, 1952, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Gloria was raised in a small segregated town. Her family wasn’t very wealthy back then, but it didn’t bother her. She went to an all-black school in her early years then as she got older she was introduced to a school where the people were prominently white. These changes affected her in a good way. She learned a lot about everyone’s differences and similarities. Gloria went through many experiences as she grew up and it helped her become who she is now.
Florence Griffith Joyner was born December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the World's Fastest Woman for her standing World Record times in the 100 and 200 meter events, Florence Griffith Joyner, elevated women's track to a new level with her three gold and one silver medal-winning performances in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Growing up in Los Angeles, Joyner's career was launched in 1964, at age five, when Joyner's father challenged her to catch a jack rabbit, the fastest creature on the sand of the Mojave Desert. She was determined to meet the goal and she did.
Kathrine Switzer is not a name you as often as Susan B. Anthony or Sojourner Truth in the fight towards women's equality, but in 1967 she made a stand for all women and proved that she was and still is strong enough to do anything a man can do. Run the Boston Marathon, this little task to some now was a huge step for her, she had to push against everything almost every man most of her life except or few, including one of the men's coaches “A woman can't run the Boston Marathon. Women are too weak and too fragile for 26.2 miles. No dame ever ran no marathon.”(ESPN). During a time period where women in the United States were fighting for equality in the world, Kathrine Switzer battled her way for equality in the world of sports. In 1967 she
Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia. There he lived with his family in dire poverty on a sharecropper’s farm. Abandoned by his father, at age one, his mother moved their family to Pasadena, California; there she raised Robinson and his four siblings all by herself. Jack became a star athlete in high school excelling in football, basketball, track, and his weakest sport baseball. Jack was not the only athlete in his family. His brother Mack, won a silver medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics for the 200 meter dash finishing second to Jesse Owens. When his brother returned the only job he could get was sweeping the streets. Robinson grew to hate Pasadena, according to Ray Bartlett, a friend he would later meet at UCLA. (Jerome 71) While Mallie, Jack’s mom, struggled to raise her family alone, she instilled the values in Robinson that made him fight not just for himself, but for others. (Berkow A16)
The 1920’s was a great time for The United States. It was called the Roaring 20’s for a reason. One of the reasons why it was so great was because of the emergence of professional sports and Sports heroes. We had Babe Ruth one of the greatest players ever in Baseball. Also had Red Grange who helped Football become what it is today. We have Caroline Ederle who became the first women to swim across the English Channel. Then we have the phenom Bobby Jones who took the golf world by storm.
In the year 1936, not just racial tension in America was spreading, but it was as if the world was diagnosed with a viral racial sickness. The Olympics were hosted that year in Berlin, Germany. Jesse Owen’s devotion to track finally paid off for him by being “one of the ten blacks selected to the sixty six member Olympic team.” (“Jesse Owens” UXL 1) The German...
The 1936 Olympics was one of the most culturally influential events in the decade, and during this gathering of natural talent one race dominated the rest, african Americans. Lead by Jesse Owens along with a plethora of others the 1936 games will go down as the biggest showcase of black talent of all time and it could not have happened at a better time. The Articles in this research paper not only give us insight on how not only America was racially divided, but the world. My first article called Black Heroes by Warren Nagueyalti, shows the relationship of African Americans and white people in America. My second article, Negotiating the “folk highway” of the nation: sports, public culture and American Identity, is written by Steven W. Pope, explains what Jesse Owens means to America. The third article, The Negro in Track Athletics, is about the dominance of African Americans in the Olympics. The last is Bombshell written by Claudia Pierpont, and gives more information about Hitler and gives a look at what the world was looking like.All these items will accumulate into an argument that informs you about not only Jesse Owens, but his world, and the world of many other African Americans athletes in the 1930s.
Every since Tenleigh could run, she was involved with sports. Throughout her life Tenleigh did track, cross country, soccer as well as basketball.Her love for being active started at age 5. Chantz Smith, her dad, made Tenleigh run a mile twice a week for about 5 years but after about a month it turned into a hobby. Meanwhile, Tenleigh also played soccer. Courtnie Smith, her mom, coached a city league team, which Tenleigh played on until 4th grade. Tenleigh’s team usually scored over 20 points. They never lost a game.When Tenleigh quit soccer she started up basketball. She played for a competitive traveling AAU team called South East Idaho Hoops Academy called The HoopGurlz. The HoopGurlz played in meager local tournaments. They won most of them.
The 1920's were a time of change in the United States. For the first time in history, more people were living in cities than in the country. The United States was also wealthier than it had ever been. New methods of transport had been introduced. A lot more technology was also introduced, such as radios. This had made it easier to stay up to date with new stories.
Gabby Douglas was the first African-American female gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual All-Around champion. In the 2012 Olympic Games, she won gold in the team competition and the individual competition. She is a gymnastics phenom. From the beginning of her career to where she is today, she has been a true trooper through everything. Gabrielle Douglas is an inspiration to me and many others because she overcame being homeless,moved in with a new family, and won Olympic gold in gymnastics.
Breaking the Racial Barrier in Baseball Although Jackie Robinson was not the best African-American baseball player of his time, his attitude and ability to handle racist harassment led the way for the rest of his race to play Major League Baseball, amongst other sports. Being accepted into professional sports also helped African-Americans become more easily accepted into other aspects of life. Jackie's impact in the world for the black population is enormous. According to Jessie Jackson, "A champion wins a World Series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of the fans.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but so Cassius Clay, Jackie Robinson, and Bill Russell. Long before King’s famous “I Had a Dream” speech or Rosa Parks famous stand came something much simpler: sports. Sports have always had the ability to open people’s eyes in a way that is more impactful than words or actions. The way that athletics can shape a persons mind, or open their eyes to something beyond what they already believe, is incredible. They can get everyone to root for a common purpose, a common goal. And for some, that was freedom. The integration of professional and collegiate athletics not only changed sports history, but helped shape American history.
Jackie went to a public school in California that was not segregated (whites and blacks separates) like the schools in Georgia. He was not allowed to swim in pools though. He was hurt and confused in his young life because African-Americans could not do the same things as Caucasians. Thankfully Jackie did not strike back at Caucasians. As he got older he realized he would keep fighting for the African-American liberty. Jackie had a nine-year-old brother, named Mack; Jackie was a role model for him because his father was not around. Mack won a silver Medal in the 200-meter dash at the 1936 Olympics.
Wenn, Stephen. "A Tale of Two Diplomats: George Messersmith and Charles H. Sherrill on Proposed American Participation in the 1936 Olympics." Journal of Sport History 16 (1989): 27-43.
Sports have been a major part of human history since ancient times. From the Greeks to the Mayans, humanity has been playing games competitively for prizes and glory. While most sports are traditionally outdoor activities, there has emerged the beginning of a new style of sport involving one of the fastest growing and most popular forms of entertainment today, video games. Dubbed e-sports, the competitive playing of video games is an industry that is starting to shine in the modern world.