You may have seen that last week members of Team USA visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama. As a black man who writes about sports, this is a big moment for me especially given today’s political climate and the prominence of issues of race in sports.
This year we saw a diverse roster of talented athletes all of whom overcame personal, financial and even racial obstacles to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Ashton Eaton, the Gillette athlete I’ve been tracking, along with Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix and others have been so inspiring.
Long before these champions had the opportunity to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a group of history-making athletes paved the way. In 1936, 17 black athletes defied Jim Crow laws and Adolf Hitler to participate in the Berlin Games during a time of extreme racism. Their stories are chronicled in Deborah Riley Draper’s documentary, “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, which was released earlier this year and shown again last week to coincide with Team USA’s White House visit, sponsored by P&G.
As a strong supporter of black Olympians and their respective ‘villages’ of support, P&G hosted a screening of the documentary during this visit and important time.
Draper’s moving story sheds light on the historic athletes who made a bold political statement in the U.S. and abroad, and whose actions had a lasting and significant cultural impact. With a village of supporters and community leaders behind them, these black athletes fought for their legitimacy and right to be recognized during a time when blacks were considered ‘less than.’ I couldn’t help but see some similarities between then and now, especially given the current relationship with race and sports. We can see clearly that patriotism and prejudice sometimes work in tandem.
Thankfully today, black athletes are welcome in the Olympic arena and receive the accolades they deserve. Thanks to the 17 athletes in 1936 and those who continued to push boundaries along the way, we’re able to witness an elite athlete like Ashton Eaton (who’s no stranger to racism, himself) win the gold in the Olympic decathlon and become the greatest athlete in the world!
As sports writers, we tend to write about the finish line versus the journey to get there. Watching “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” and P&G’s various athlete narratives helped me understand more about the challenges these athletes face on a day-to-day basis. Some people think athletes just wake up and are the best athletes on the planet because they are blessed with physical skills. But there is so much more that goes into it and I’ll incorporate more of these stories in future reporting.
I’m glad P&G recognized and sponsored a diverse group of athletes and shared their stories for the world to see. CONGRATS to Ashton Eaton who won the game with precision, and to all of the TEAM USA Olympians of the Rio 2016 Games!
Here’s to Tokyo 2020!
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by P&G and Gillette, sponsors of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games