International sports personalities abd Their Fight Against Discrimination and Racism

1. International sports personalities abd Their Fight Against Discrimination and Racism

2. Racism in sports • Racism in sports has been a prevalent issue throughout the world, and in particular racism towards African-Americans has been especially bad over the course of the history of sports in the United States and around the world. • The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) released a report in 2007 claiming that racial abuse and vilification is commonplace in international sports, in places such as Australia, Europe, and America.

3. As sports progressed, race relations progressed at a comparable rate. In baseball for instance, African Americans were barred from participation in the National Association of Baseball Players because of regional prejudice and unofficial color bans dating back to the 1890s. Due to this segregation, blacks worked together to create the Negro Leagues. These leagues comprised mostly all African-American teams. As a whole, the Negro Leagues became one of the largest and most successful enterprises run by African Americans. Their founding and resilient growth stood as a testament to the determination and drive of African-Americans to battle the imposing racial segregation and social disadvantage.

4. 3 Incredible Moments In Sports History When Athletes Stood Up Against Racism • Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics With Adolph Hitler having assumed power in Germany in 1933, two years after Berlin was awarded the 1936 Olympic games, the world's most heralded athletic event was in the awkward position of being held at the epicenter of one of the world's most intolerant states.Hitler had only allowed members of the Aryan race to participate for Germany, led by the belief that all others were inferior. The Allied nations of World War II had their say on the matter when Jesse Owens confronted with Hitler. His performance in Berlin that year was one for the ages, winning four gold medals in the 100 meter relay, 200 meter relay, long jump and 4×100 meter relay.

5. 1968 Summer Olympics After a win in the 200 meter relay at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City, Tommie Smith, along with fellow teammate Josh Carlos, who won the bronze, had their voices heard without uttering a word. The two sprinters bowed their heads and raised their hands on the winners' podium with gloves on, a salute to black power at a time in America when it was needed. Following the demonstration, Smith said in the press conference, “If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro.We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.”

6. AC Milan's Players Quit A Match In soccer, players have never been shy about being vocal in regards to the racial taunts they faced from crowds, but few had ever gone to the lengths that Ghanian star Kevin Prince-Boateng did in January 2013. After being heckled by opposition fans in a friendly match against an Italian fourth division side, the then AC Milan midfielder picked up the ball and kicked it towards the crowds, before taking off his jersey and leaving the game altogether. His unprecedented move was backed by his teammates, who followed him into the locker room in a show of support after their efforts to calm him down were futile. “We were annoyed from the beginning,” said Massimo Ambrosini, then AC Milan's captain. “We wanted to give a strong signal. We could not continue the game in an atmosphere like this.”

7. Athletes fighting racism • Colin Kaepernick Quarterback Colin Kaepernick unapologetically protested the lack of action being taken by U.S. lawmakers to end police brutality against African-Americans when he refused to stand for the singing of the National Anthem at a pre-season NFL game in 2016. • Muhammad Ali Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was as known for his outspoken pride in his African-American heritage as he was for his many achievements as a professional fighter. In the 1960s, Ali was a prominent public figure in the Civil Rights Movement, who often used his platform to speak out against white supremacy and spread a message of unapologetic pride among Black people in America.

8. Jackie Robinson • Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and was the youngest of five children. It was here Jackie began to excel at many sports, especially baseball. • After serving in the military, Jackie joined the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Negro Leagues and excelled with elite fielding and a batting average above 300. Although Jackie was playing well, he did not like competing in a racially segregated league that was put in place by the Jim Crow laws. Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Jackie to the Montreal Royals in 1946, which was an all white minor league team. He faced lots of adversity with racist comments from his own team members and especially during away games where opposing white players would spit, hit, and slide into him with sharp metal cleats.

9. Tiger Woods • Only a few minority players, such as Tiger Woods, have dominated professional golf. Woods is of African American and Asian-American descent. With 83 percent of golf participants being white, a white majority dominates golf. Tiger Woods, a multiracial individual, has the second most major wins of any individual in golf's history with 14. His excellence was well recognized as he became one of the most marketable players in the world. Woods helped tear down the imposing racial discrepancies in golf by not only competing with golf's current best but also by challenging other accomplished golfers for being the best of all time. In 1997, Woods became the first black player to win a Men's major golf championship at just 21 years of age. • Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman is suspended from The Golf Channel after joking about Tiger Woods being "lynched in a back alley" during final round coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

10. Seimone Augustus WNBA star Seimone Augustus was among the league's players who took a bold stand in support of ending police brutality against African-Americans by wearing "Black Lives Matter" t-shirts during pre-game warm ups and post-game press conferences. • Serena Williams • Tennis champion Serena Williams has been the epitome of Black pride and greatness since she first began competing professionally over 20 years ago. When she raised a Black Power fist after making history by winning her 22nd Grand Slam at Wimbledon this past June, it was a not-so-subtle reminder of just how woke she is -- for anyone who may have forgotten.Bibliography:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_sporthttp://elitedaily.com/sports/awesome-moments-history-athletes-stood-racism/http://www.essence.com/celebrity/black-athletes-stand-against-racism#1003889

11. Thanks for watching!By : Paula Chiriac Lucia-Maria IonescuAlina-AndreeaMocanu