Early African American Athletes

Early African American athletes suffered through much discrimination from the very beginning. They were paid, treated, or though of as equal athletes when they were competing. Some sports were required to have there only leagues such as the Negro baseball league. They were discriminated in the worst way they were advertised as animals and portray as animals such as a gorilla. Images that would disgust anyone that lives today. They were always thought of as athletes who could not and would never be able to compete with white athletes. They were also made to be very non-vocal or cocky if they were good athletes or they were hated by many of the white people, which would essentially ruin or finish his carreer. For example Jack Johnson was a great boxer and even beat many white boxers, but because he was so flashy and like white women people did anything to ruin him like putting him in jail for no reason at all. Any black athlete that wanted to succeed in the early part of the 19th century kept there mouths shut so that they could make a living. That is why Jackie Robinson was told to be quiet his first few years until he proved that he was a superior athlete and that black people could hang with white people. It was a long and difficult road for athletes but people like Jack Johnson or Jackie Robinson were the pioneers for athletes such as Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, or any succesfull athlete now.