African Americans in Sports By: Mike Cannon

Negro Leagues Blacks were not allowed to play on the same team or compete with whites on a collegiate or professional level. The separate but equal laws gave them the opportunity to play but only in a blacks only league.

Negro Leagues The negro league was established on February 13, 1920, at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. The founder was a man by the name of Andrew “Rube” Foster, a star pitcher who served as the league's first president. Negro league became a huge success, teams played before big crowds in major league parks.

Negro Leagues Due to the amount of success, the negro league began playing against white teams Also developed some of the greatest baseball players of all time. One of which is Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in He received many death threats and signed a contract stating that no matter what is said to him or if he is attacked he may not revolt.

Robinson’s Accomplishments 6× All-Star selection (1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954) Negro League All-Star selection (1945) World Series champion (1955) 1947 MLB Rookie of the Year 1949 NL MVP Jersey number 42 retired by all MLB teams Major League Baseball All-Century Team

Jackie Robinson Highlights rww rww

Harry “Bucky” Lew Harry joined the YMCA "young employed boys" basketball team in His team was state champions for the four years he played with them. Then in 1902, he was recruited to join Lowell’s Pawtucketville Athletic Club "P.A.C." of the New England Professional Basketball League.

Harry “Bucky” Lew He was paid a salary of $5 dollars. When Lew first took the court against white men, his skillful play was met with jeers and racial slurs. Lew was a very good defensive player that was always chosen to guard the best player on any opposing team.

The Marlborough Game On November 2, 1902, his team, faced a team from Marlborough. Harry remembered that his manager was reluctant to let him play against white boys. Some of the local papers put the pressure on the manager by demanding that they give this little Negro from around the corner a chance to play.

The Marlborough Game “Well, at first the team just ignored the publicity. But a series of injuries forced the manager to take me on for the Marlborough game." -Harry “Bucky” Lew During the game one player got injured and the only player with a good enough skill level was Lew.

The Marlborough Game The coach decided to go 4 on 5 instead of putting Harry Lew in because he was not fond of blacks. The fans were furious with the coach’s decision and almost started a riot just to let Lew play.

Harry “Bucky” Lew "but the fans got real mad and almost started a riot, screaming to let me play. That did it. I went in there and you know... all those things you read about Jackie Robinson, the abuse, the name-calling, extra effort to put him down... they're all true. I got the same treatment and even worse... I took the bumps, the elbows in the gut, knees here and everything else that went with it. But I gave it right back. It was rough but worth it. Once they knew I could take it, I had it made."

The Lockdown Defender One of his teammates said: "Nobody ever voiced an objection to playing against him as a black player until they played him and he would shut down their best player... Then all of a sudden, they would say, we don't want to play against a Negro player. They just used that tactic to get him off the court for the next game."

Harry “Bucky” Lew Harry “Bucky” Lew is one of the pioneers of basketball, yet he has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame, located just a few miles from where he spent the last 35 years of his life.

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942 As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Ali went on to become the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.

Thrilla in Manila Thrilla in Manila was the third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World. The fight came about after Ali was stripped of his title following his refusal to join the armed forces when drafted during the Vietnam War.

Thrilla in Manila Ali came out stronger than Frazier and In round 14, with the punishment from Ali closing his right eye, Frazier was effectively fighting blind in the last rounds of the fight. Eddie Futch decided to stop the fight between rounds rather than risk a similar or worse fate for Frazier in the 15th.

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QQQQQUUUUUIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZ What was Mr. Lew’s nickname? When was the Negro League established? Who was the founder of the Negro League? What is Jackie Robinson’s jersey number? Name 3 of Jackie Robinson’s accomplishments. How did the thrilla in manila end? How many rounds? What was the name of the game where Lew was given a chance to play and showcase his talent?

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