Gender And Sports

6 Pages 1417 Words

Sports are as much a part of American culture as cheeseburgers and apple pie. Similarly, issues of race are tied to American history at every level from schools to businesses as well as in the sports world. While we would all like to believe that our society has evolved and that prejudice is no longer an issue, the statistics and behind the scenes view of sports show otherwise. The National Football League (NFL) is a great example of America’s continuing racial discriminatory problem and, until such associations change their practices, American sports will never truly be fair.
For class, I watched “Remember the Titans,” a movie about the integration of two schools in 1971. In the film, viewers see firsthand the difficulties that both black and white students face while dealing with the issues they, as well as their communities, faced about racial mixing. Along with this lesson, the audience watches Coach Boone, a black man, deal with being the head coach for what used to be a white team, as well as being the boss of the white man who used to coach that team. The beginning of the movie shows Boone protecting his children when a brick is thrown through the window of the family home. By the end, however, the team’s winning season has Boone’s neighbors literally cheering for him as both a coach and a neighbor. The movie concludes by giving the viewers the false belief that, though this occurred once, the years since have brought equality into the sports world and that such prejudice is no longer an issue.
The National Football League (NFL) is known throughout the United States as our primary source of professional football. Millions of dollars are spent by fans annually in ticket sales, merchandise, and in the scouting of new recruits. Each year, a new set of children grow up watching movies like “Remember the Titans” and dreams begin forming of a future in the football industry. While many idolize the players, ...