Black Sports Heroes

On the court and on the field they are the world?s winners, exhibiting a natural grace and prowess their adoring fans can only dream about. Yet so often, off the field our sports heroes lose their perspective, their balance, and ultimately their place. In a work as timely as the latest fracas on the basketball court or the most recent drug-induced scandal in the dugout, Stanley H. Teitelbaum looks into the circumstances behind many star athletes? precipitous fall from grace. ø In his psychotherapy practice, Teitelbaum has worked extensively with professional athletes and sports agents?work he draws on here for insight into the psyche of sports figures and the off-the-field challenges they face. Considering both historical and current cases, he shows how, in many instances, the very factors that elevate athletes to superstardom contribute to their downfall. An evenhanded and honest look at athletes who have faltered, Teitelbaum?s work helps us see past our sports stars? exalted images into what those images?and their frailty?say about our society and ourselves.

At the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, Jesse Owens won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter relay-and Adolph Hitler scrambled from his private box to avoid honoring the black athlete. During World War II, Joe Louis, heavyweight champion of the world, paid surprise visits to military hospitals. Though he later lost his title belt to the German Max Schmeling (which greatly pleased Hitler), when Louis died, broke, Schmeling used his wealth to pay for Louis's funeral. In the 1971 World Series, Roberto Clemete posted the greatest single performance by any player ever, making two impossible catches in the outfield, batting .414, and hitting seven singles, two doubles, one triple, and two homeruns. Clemente died the next year in a plane crash while flying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Stories like these are testaments to the power of athletics to influence and inspire people, nations, and cultures. In Black Sports Heroes: Past and Present, author and cartoonist Morrie Turner skillfully presents cartoons and stories, known and unknown, about black athletes of all nations and the impact they had upon their sport and their world. Through his impressive combination of humor and fact, Turner brings "kid power" and "rainbow power" to life, showing us a world where all people, regardless of racial, religious, sexual, or physical differences, can live, learn, work, and play together.

At the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, Jesse Owens won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter relay—and Adolph Hitler scrambled from his private box to avoid honoring the black athlete. During World War II, Joe Louis, heavyweight champion of the world, paid surprise visits to military hospitals. Though he later lost his title belt to the German Max Schmeling (which greatly pleased Hitler), when Louis died, broke, Schmeling used his wealth to pay for Louis’s funeral. In the 1971 World Series, Roberto Clemete posted the greatest single performance by any player ever, making two impossible catches in the outfield, batting .414, and hitting seven singles, two doubles, one triple, and two homeruns. Clemente died the next year in a plane crash while flying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Stories like these are testaments to the power of athletics to influence and inspire people, nations, and cultures. In Black Sports Heroes: Past and Present, author and cartoonist Morrie Turner skillfully presents cartoons and stories, known and unknown, about black athletes of all nations and the impact they had upon their sport and their world. Through his impressive combination of humor and fact, Turner brings “kid power” and “rainbow power” to life, showing us a world where all people, regardless of racial, religious, sexual, or physical differences, can live, learn, work, and play together.

Drawn from the author's newspaper feature "Interesting People," these are his illustrations and information about stars in the sports of boxing, baseball, football, basketball, and others.

Author Carla Mooney explores African American involvement in sports in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present. Blacks' participation in horse racing, track and field, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, and boxing are all covered. The book relates the accomplishments of trailblazers as well as the discrimination, insults, and physical violence they endured to open the doors of opportunity for black athletes around the country. The achievements of modern sports stars are also discussed and sidebars feature brief biographies of both pioneers and superstars.

The essays presented in this text examine the complexity of black American sports culture, from the organization of semi-pro baseball and athletic programs at historically black colleges and universities, to the careers of individual stars such as Jack Johnson and Joe Louis.

This book profiles some of the greatest African-American athletes of the past 150 years. They competed in sports ranging from boxing and horse racing to track and field, basketball, and baseball. As you'll discover, what these champions accomplished on the field of competition was often but a small part of their story. Read, for example, about how doctors thought Wilma Rudolph might never walk after a childhood bout of polio—but she went on to sprint her way to three Olympic gold medals. Or how the fiery Jackie Robinson silently endured a torrent of abuse in order to break baseball's "color barrier." Find out the connection between a stolen bike and Muhammad Ali's legendary boxing career. And learn how the African-American sports heroes of the past helped pave the way for superstars of the present, such as Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, and Candace Parker.