Following in the footsteps of Robeson, Ali, Robinson and others,
today's Black athletes re-engage with social issues and the meaning of
American patriotism
Named a best book of 2018 by Library Journal
It used to be that politics and sports were as separate from one another
as church and state. The ballfield was an escape from the world's worst
problems, top athletes were treated like heroes, and cheering for the
home team was as easy and innocent as hot dogs and beer. "No news on the
sports page" was a governing principle in newsrooms.
That was then.
Today, sports arenas have been transformed into staging grounds for
American patriotism and the hero worship of law enforcement. Teams wear
camouflage jerseys to honor those who serve; police officers throw out
first pitches; soldiers surprise their families with homecomings at
halftime. Sports and politics are decidedly entwined.
But as journalist Howard Bryant reveals, this has always been more
complicated for black athletes, who from the start, were committing a
political act simply by being on the field. In fact, among all black
employees in twentieth-century America, perhaps no other group had more
outsized influence and power than ballplayers. The immense social
responsibilities that came with the role is part of the black athletic
heritage. It is a heritage built by the influence of the superstardom
and radical politics of Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali,
Tommie Smith, and John Carlos through the 1960s; undermined by
apolitical, corporate-friendly "transcenders of race," O. J. Simpson,
Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods in the following decades; and reclaimed
today by the likes of LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, and Carmelo
Anthony.
The Heritage is the story of the rise, fall, and fervent return of the
athlete-activist. Through deep research and interviews with some of
sports' best-known stars--including Kaepernick, David Ortiz, Charles
Barkley, and Chris Webber--as well as members of law enforcement and the
military, Bryant details the collision of post-9/11 sports in America
and the politically engaged post-Ferguson black athlete.
