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"Discover the true story of how in 1944, Coach John McLendon orchestrated a secret game between the best players from a white college and his team from the North Carolina College of Negroes. At a time of widespread segregation and rampant racism, this illegal gathering changed the sport of basketball forever"--Dust jacket flap.
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In 1947, Larry Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black player in the American leagues. He endured terrible racism, both from fans and his fellow teammates. Despite this, he became a unifying force on and off the field, and went on to become a seven-time All Star. Illustrated with Cannaday Chapman's bold, stylized illustrations, this exceptional biography tells the story of an unsung hero who not only opened doors for those...
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Features interviews with influential athletes and coaches examining the role of race in modern American sports, and explores how racism and discrimination still influence football, basketball, baseball, and other sports in the United States. Discusses protests that have highlighted racial inequality throughout history.
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"A memoir from one of The Voice of Wrestling, during WWE's most successful and turbulent times. Jim Ross was front row as the Sports Entertainment behemoth went from losing money to becoming a multi-billion dollar company. Not only an entertaining read about the inner workings of WWE, but J.R.'s story is also about constant reinvention, entrepreneurism, and fighting against stereotypes of regional bias, body type ideals in the media, ageism, health...
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"Journalist and baseball lover Ed Henry reveals for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Jackie Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights advancement as well. Through recently discovered sermons, interviews with Robinson's family and friends, and even an unpublished book by the player himself, Henry details a side of Jackie's humanity that few have taken the time to see. With many baseball stories...
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"Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. He could run, leap, and throw better than any other kid around. But he lived at a time when the rules weren't fair to African Americans: Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first black baseball player on a major-league...
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"A captivating book that brilliantly reveals an American sports legend long overlooked. Sally Jacobs tells the riveting story of Althea Gibson, my personal hero, who overcame daunting odds - on the tennis court and off - to stand at the world pinnacle of her sport and became an inspiration to many." - Billie Jean King. In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field, the all-white, upper-crust US Lawn Tennis...
16) Black ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the generation that saved the soul of the NBA
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"Against the backdrop of ongoing massive resistance to racial desegregation and increasingly strident calls for Black Power, the NBA in the 1970s embodied the nation's imagined descent into disorder. The press and the public blamed young Black players for the chaos in the NBA, citing drugs, violence, greed, and criminality. The supposed decline of pro basketball became a metaphor for the first decades of integration in America: the rules of the game...
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"Before there was Colin Kaepernick, there was Fritz Pollard. The first Black quarterback to play in the NFL, Pollard was a dynamo, leading his team to a national championship, drawing record crowds, and earning the highest salary in the league. He was also subject to a constant stream of racist abuse. Spectators jeered and threw rocks, and opposing players singled him out, using the cover of the game to pummel the only Black man on the field. It would...
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"The unknown story of the Black pioneers who collectively changed the face of the NFL in 1946. The Forgotten First chronicles the lives of four incredible men, the racism they experienced as Black players entering a segregated sport, the burden of expectation they carried, and their many achievements, which would go on to affect football for generations to come. More than a year before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball,...
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A picture book biography of African American professional golfer Charlie Sifford who broke the color barrier in the Professional Golfer's Association in 1960. Describes the racism Sifford had to overcome, the encouragement he got from baseball player Jackie Robinson, and his eventual success. Includes an author's note and a timeline.