The Role Of Sports In The 1950s

In 1945, 2% of major leagues consisted of blacks and in 1995, 19% of major leagues consisted of blacks. The very first black person to play major league baseball was Jackie Robinson in 1947. By the 1970’s, a little less than a quarter of major league baseball players were black. Today, major league sports teams are much different than before, many teams consist of the minority being white people and the majority being other races. Segregation has changed immensely over time, in the past 5 decades blacks went from having no basic human rights to being recognized as equal beings and it shows through sports as well as many other areas of segregation such as the lack of opportunity and safety, segregation in schools, and discrimination in public

On September 30, 1961 John F. Kennedy (JFK) signed into law The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. This could be said to be one of his many lasting impressions on the sports world today. If it was not for him signing that law into place who knows how the sports industry would have ended up. Sports teams such as, the National Football League (NFL) was trying to sell the rights to televise their sporting events but it fell under antitrust laws so the NFL teams had to sell their televising deals separately. This hurt the smaller teams but helped the bigger ones

Just as the leagues for African-Americans were lesser and different, women’s sports were the same. There were no true professional leagues for any women to play in at this point in history. A sport that was greatly affected was long distance running. Katherine Switzer and Roberta Gibb were two women who wanted to compete at a higher level. One of their greatest feats was running the Boston marathon. Before 1967, women were not allowed to run the marathon. Gibb attempted to run illegally in the marathon. At some point in the race they were pulled out by race officials. Then in 1967 things changed. Switzer became the first numbered woman in the Boston Marathon. When she signed up she put her name down as K.V. Switzer and was accepted. When people heard of women playing sports or running long distances they wondered if their bodies could handle the stress and if it would affect their childbearing abilities. As women’s athletics progressed through the Civil Rights Movement the became more widespread at all levels and more competitive. The Division for Girls and Women in Sports was formed to organize the ever growing sports. It was the first program for women at the intercollegiate

The 1920’s were a very exciting and well remembered time era for the changes the way sports are played today. During this time period watching as well as playing sports became much more popular as a method of relaxation or a way to spend some free time having fun, just as it is today. Babe Ruth’s outstanding skill and dedication changed the game of ball since people of all races and colors would watch his games, and was a huge role model to many young kids, giving them a dream to someday become a great player just like him. Babe Ruth’s record setting performances brought a whole new social life to people in the 20’s.

The people who were against segregation and promoted civil rights helped to accomplish what we call today, an integrated society. During the Civil Rights Revolution, there were many prominent figures such as Jackie Robinson, the first major league baseball player who influenced the court’s decision to integrate society. Not only did Jackie Robinson play major league baseball, but he also ran track, played basketball and football. He played these college sports at UCLA, USC and Pasadena Junior College, which are predominately white colleges.

The NFL started in 1920, when the league originated as the American Professional Football Association. The NFL was the first professional football league to effectively start a national existence, after numerous periods of unsuccessful tries. League membership slowly evened out between the 1920s-1930s as the league took on a more official organization.

In the 1920s, there was a great demand for entertainment, especially with the improvements of the middle class and the development of disposable income and leisure time. With entertainment came sports, and with sports came racism. Many sports, football in particular, was on the edge about being segregated or not. According to Sports Institute Magazine, “ The degree to which these degrading segregation policies hurt black communities – in and outside of sports”. Jackie Robinson once said, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is your respect as a human being.” This was the main problem in sports. Coaches and managers didn't even care how good players were or what their personality was like. If you were a minority player, they didn't want to invest in you or coach you. They just didn't want anything to do with you.

Jackie Robinson, The man who fought to play baseball with the greatest, to be known as one of the greatest, to actually be heard and seen by those who thought what he did was of the impossible. Through the eyes of many he was just another African-American. But to those who could see through the colour, could see a gift.

SPORTS HAVE PROVIDED ENTERTAINMENT EVEN BEFORE RADIO OR TELEVISION. ... AS TELEVISION BEGAN TO FILL AMERICAN HOMES, NEIGHBORS FLOCKED TO EACH OTHER’S HOUSE TO WATCH DIFFERENT EVENTS. EVEN NEIGHBORS WHO LOVED DIFFERENT SIDES CROWDED AROUND THE TELEVISION TO WATCH THE EVENT. ... IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ONE SPORTING EVENT DREW AN AUDIENCE OF 150,000 VIEWERS. ... AS TELEVISION INFILTRATED AMERICAN HOMES, THE COMMUNITY GREW EVEN STRONGER BY GATHERING TO WATCH SPORTING EVENTS.

The 1920’s was a time in which sports grew and flourished. The main sport at the time was baseball, but others became more popular as time went on. The game of football was popularized and was a big stepping stone as to how it is seen and played today. Many others enjoyed watching boxing and the famous boxers of that time. The 1920’s was a decade that made sports very popular and a hobby many enjoyed doing.

Imagine you are sitting at a baseball game eating cracker jacks or at a football game yelling because your team scored or you could be yelling at the refs because they made a bad call. There are many people that love sports but there was also a lot of people that loved sports when they became popular in the 1920’s. Sports have came a long why since then. They have became more competitive, the skill levels have improved a lot, and they are also easier to watch and keep up with because of how far technology has came.

As Industrialization kept on progressing and going further and further, it allowed people to have more leisure time to do recreational activities. And none of these activities was done more often than sports. From baseball to football, table tennis to polo and everything in between, sports saw a rise in popularity during this time.

The early 1900s was a time of industrialization and economic prosperity in the United States. Following after World War 1, there were several events that followed like the Harlem Renaissance, the invention of televisions, the advent of credit and the Golden Age of American Sports. The United States had a very strong economy during America’s post-war and many workers had more free time. Advances in architecture resulted in new and bigger stadiums and radios were becoming a social norm. Radios made it easier for citizens to keep up with their favorite teams and newspapers often talked about the popular topics surrounding sports. With the rise of spectator sports, one sport had the greatest impact of all, and it was baseball.

Sport is an integral and inseparable part of the American history and culture. Millions of people are either active participants or passive spectators of sports events. Americans worship sportsmen and sportswomen being ready to watch their celebrities at any cost. The popularity of sports is growing from year to year. Thus, the aim of the paper is to trace the popularity of sports in the United States rooted in its history, promoted by the political and economic changes, highlighted by the educational purpose, and grown up by the society 's needs. Historical, political, economic, and technological development, diversity of the US population, great attention to sports in the US educational system and mass media have caused great popularity of sports in the United States.

Sports that were active during this time, especially baseball, gave people a common interest that united them.