While the story of the reintegration of professional football in
1946 after World War II is a topic that has been covered, there is
a little-known aspect of this integration that has not been fully
explored. After World War II and up until the mid- to late 1960s,
professional football teams scheduled numerous preseason games in
the South. Once African American players started dotting the
rosters of these teams, they had to face Jim Crow conditions. Early
on, black players were barred from playing in some cities. Most
encountered segregated accommodations when they stayed in the
South. And when African Americans in these southern cities came to
see their favorite black players perform, they were relegated to
segregated seating conditions. To add to the challenges these
African American players and fans endured, professional football
gradually started placing franchises in still-segregated cities as
early as 1937, culminating with the new AFL placing franchises in
Dallas and Houston in 1960. That same year, the NFL followed suit
by placing a franchise in Dallas. Now, instead of just visiting a
southern city for a day or so to play an exhibition game, African
American players that were on the rosters of these southern teams
had to live in these still segregated cities. Many of these
players, being from the North or West Coast, had never dealt with
de jure or even de facto Jim Crow laws. Early on, if these African
American players didn't "toe the line" or fought back (via contract
disputes, interracial relationships, requesting better living
accommodations in the South, protesting segregated seating, etc.),
they were traded, cut, and even blackballed from the league.
Eventually, though, as the civil rights movement gained steam in
the 1950s and 1960s, African American players were able to protest
the conditions in the South with success. Much of what happened in
professional football during this time period coincided with or
mirrored events in America and the civil rights movement.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
