Before there was the black athlete, there was the black man and the black woman, who have suffered through many injustices that others could never imagine or comprehend.
Therefore, if I had to sit down in front of a class and explain this, I would talk about the resiliency of the black athlete to push forward despite roadblocks along the way.
The black athlete is strong mentally as well as physically; ask Bill Russell which was tougher, facing Wilt Chamberlain or explaining to his children why their white "neighbors" vandalized their home?
The black athlete holds his/her head high regardless the circumstances. Althea Gibson faced humiliating tests to prove that she was a woman, because she was such a dominant tennis player. Through it all, she was able to face the world and win her sport’s ultimate prize. Pride is an attribute that Jim Brown displayed when he told owner Art Modell that losing him would hurt more than his attempts to fine him.
The black athlete is a defiant individual; Jesse Owens proved to Adolf Hitler and the world that there is no "superior race," only the human race.
So in closing, if you want to know the influence the black athlete has on our children, realize first that these are men and women with extraordinary talent placed in inordinate situations, displaying the proper character needed to achieve success.
Therefore, when you look at LeBron James, Ryan Howard, LaDanian Tomlinson, and others, understand that they may not have gone through some of the same trials and tribulations as those before them—but believe me, at some point in their lives, they have encountered something that made them dig a little deeper inside themselves.
“We drink from wells that we did not dig.” – Fritz Pollard
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