Marvin Smith III

Civil Sports Movement

Athletics have always been my passion ever since I was a little kid I have always loved to talk about sports, watch sports, and play sports. I can recall every big sporting event that caused me to become a fan of the teams I follow today. I remember the first football game that brought me into the sports world and how I was fascinated by it all. My dream is to be a professional athlete and if that is not possible, then work in the sports medicine field. I want to be in the sports industry in some capacity because there is more to sports than just people playing each other and the sport itself. Sports have been that outlet for so many kids that didn't think they would make it in life or make it out of those troubled areas.

The reason African Americans such as myself and many other people have that opportunity is because the decisions people made and the chances they took in the past in order to make a difference for us today. I feel like before the Civil Rights Movement and during the Civil Rights Movement a lot of Minority athletes were sparking change, but a lot of that was overshadowed because there were bigger issues happening, and bigger opportunities trying to be obtained for minorities, especially for African Americans. Fighting back without using violence was one of the many messages trying to be sent to minorities fighting for equal opportunities and rights. The Civil Rights Movement started in 1954, there were many athletes breaking color barriers standing up for what they believed in and doing it peacefully.

Jackie Robinson may seem cliche but he is a great example of change happening before the Civil Rights Movement. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. When the Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey decided to start scouting from the negro leagues in 1945 in search of more baseball talent, he found Jackie Robinson who was playing for Kansas City Monarchs. When Jackie was in the Negro League he had a couple incidents in which he lashed out in anger. When Branch Rickey met with Jackie Robinson for the first time it was for an interview to truly get to know Jackie. Branch said to Jackie"I know you're a good player, but what I don't know is if you have guts?"

Jackie responded by saying "Mr.Rickey, are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?" The next words Branch Rickey told Jackie really changed Jackie Robinson as a player and person he told Jackie "Robinson, I'm looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back." In Jackie Robinson's mlb career he faced many racial incidents and never retaliated. Jackie didn't retaliate because he knew retaliating would only prove those racial stereotypes to be true and it wouldn't progress our race or make changes, it would have also cost him his job as well. Boxer Muhammad Ali is another great example, although he talked a lot of trash to his opponents Muhammad Ali took a big stand against our country. When he had been drafted to the United States Military Muhammad Ali refused to go he said "why fight for a country who doesn't want me to have equal rights". Muhammad Ali taking a stand like this was a very pivotal in making change in our country, when he took that stand he let the world know of the U.S.'s problems.

    The message of the Civil Rights movement was Fighting back with Peace and Retaliating in non-violent ways, this is why the Civil Rights Movement was so powerful and worked so well. If you don't retaliate and prove people stereotypes you take away their ammo for trying to attack you and not treat you equal. I must constantly use the message of The Civil Rights Movement in my day to day life. Everyday say "your whitewashed or you're not a real black person" I never violently respond or lash out because then I'm feeding into their stereotype and it doesn't help my culture and race improve. By me not responding it takes away from that person and whatever they may think or anything they perceive.

There have been many African American athletes that we may have never gotten to hear about or see had guys like Early Lloyd (who was the first black NBA player) not been giving the chance to play because of their skin color or Branch Rickey who gave Jackie Robinson the opportunity to play.  In sports you need to have more diversity in order for sports to change and advance, you can't just have one race playing the sports. Allowing other cultures and people to play in sports bring new ideas into the sports that will help and change the game for the better.