Being a white sports fan, I'm unable to experience the plight of the black athlete. Hearing stories of the disgusting and criminal things that occurred to many African-Americans is beyond what one can humanly express.
God blessed me with empathy, especially those socially, economically, and racially different from myself. Early on in life, I developed to treat people by their character and actions. I understood someone's value has nothing to do with appearance.
Many of my sports heroes growing up were African-American. Magic Johnson remains my favorite athlete of all-time. Jackie Robinson's courage and determination inspire me every day. The racism and disgusting things that were said and done to him make me ashamed that people could stoop to such a level.
Despite the apparent names that most Americans know, many other black athletes pioneered their sport, whose names are not familiar.
The Kentucky Derby And Horse Racing
Horse racing is one sport where black jockeys were tremendously successful. Black athletes once dominated the Kentucky Derby. The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875 and won by Oliver Lewis. Lewis, a 19-year-old African-American native Kentuckian, rode Aristides, a chestnut colt trained by a former slave, to a record-setting victory for a three-year-old. Of the 15 jockeys in that first Kentucky Derby, 13 were African-American. Black jockeys dominated the early results at the Kentucky Derby initially, winning 15 of the first 28 races.