Open Mic: Why I Still Respect Al Davis

"I have a dream that...one day...[people] will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr., 1963

I was born about four months before Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. From a very young age, I realized that he's the greatest hero of my lifetime.

I believe the "I Have a Dream" speech is the greatest speech ever given, because it eloquently, passionately, and positively lays down the terms of the biggest challenge our country has ever faced.

Over my lifetime, I haven't seen the USA approach Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream more closely than today, as Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President.

I am proud for our country of that achievement—it is an honor for everyone who has ever stood up against racism. 

Al Davis's stand against racism is in no small part why I am proud to be a Raider fan. For all of Davis's achievements and failures in the game and business of professional football, it is his contributions towards equality in society through football that will always be the most lasting.

"He became the first owner to draft an African-American quarterback in the first round, Eldridge Dickey, way back in 1968. He made Art Shell the first African-American head coach in the modern era; he made Tom Flores the first Hispanic coach."

"Amy Trask is the first woman to serve as chief executive of an NFL team. In the 1960s, Davis moved two games out of segregated cities in the deep South, when he learned the stands and local hotels would be segregated." Bryan Curtis, NY Times, Aug. 19, 2007

No one else in professional sports has done as much to move us toward Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream than Al Davis. That is why I still respect him.

This will be Al Davis's legacy.