Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar has been a prominent figure in the controversies surrounding race
and sport ever since he became a college superstar for UCLA’s men’s basketball
team in the late 1960s. During the early stages of his career, Abdul-Jabbar was
asked to join Team USA’s basketball team in 1968 shortly after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Because he did not believe in how
African Americans were being treated at this point in history, Abdul-Jabbar
denied the invitation, and he taught New York City children how to play
basketball and stay in school instead. In our November 13, 2018 American Sport
in the 21st Century class, we discussed how African American role models affect
the ways in which their youth view sport-stereotypes. This decision made by
Abdul-Jabbar most likely made him a role model for all of the children that he
helped, and allowed them to see that going for the fame and glory in sport is
not necessarily a better option than standing up for what you believe is right.
By denying Team USA’s invitation, he displayed to these children that black
athletes do not have to be stereotyped as just athletes, but instead they can
also be advocates for social justice and make a real difference in the world.
Unfortunately, some African American families try to push their children too
hard during their youth sports careers to become professional athletes even
though the chances of making it are quite slim. (Abdul-Jabbar, 2018) On
November 13, 2018 during our Race and Ethnicity in Sport discussion, we
discussed that African Americans often concentrate on sports in which future
economic incentives exist. While it is a great dream to become a professional
athlete, it is not wise to ignore academics and make that child feel like their
only option to succeed is in athletics when a good education could lead to many
great opportunities. Now that Abdul-Jabbar has retired from his basketball
career, he is still heavily involved in the racial controversies surrounding
American society. He has even spoken out against President Trump’s attempts to
silence black athletes who have been protesting the National Anthem in the NFL.
(Abdul-Jabbar, 2018) In our Race and Ethnicity discussion on November 13, 2018
we stated that around 80 percent of democrats and 52 percent of Americans
believe Trump is racist, proving that social advocates like Abdul-Jabbar and
the kneeling NFL players are not alone in having this feeling.
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