I have been a sports fan and nerd for as long as I can remember. Ever since grade school I have begun my mornings with an episode of SportsCenter on ESPN, and end my days on sports websites or television channels. The time I have spent on the subject has allowed me to gain insight into the history of race in the sports world. While not necessarily a major topic in the book, Jaqueline's father speaks of how he earned a football scholarship to Ohio State. He comments that while he could have gone other places, that no negro in his right mind would go South. The comment drew my attention to the incredible piece of history that sports have taken part in in this respect.
While racism unfortunately still appears in the sports world today, through comments or actions, we have surely come a long way. I feel that often the journey from stories such as Jaqueline's father to that of Jackie Robinson and to today have allowed for an alternative view of the minimization of racism in the US. Although the journey is nowhere near complete, as racial prejudices still appear in today's sports world, I believe that the fact that the desegregation and popularization of black athletes has assisted greatly in the overall effort. In fact, today the NBA is nearly 75% African American, while the MLB is at nearly 10%. These numbers enable the realization of the distance we have traveled over this time, and the elimination of cases like Jaqueline's father, who would not even dream of going South for athletics in his day.
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