Obama is a mack daddy...
The Obama speech will have it's JFK quotes and references to Abe Lincoln (which I still don't understand, anyone who knows their history knows Obama would hate Lincoln) but I digress. If he decides to acknowledge the historic moment of a black man becoming President (and I hope he does) he can mention MLK and Harriet Tubman and all that. When I look back on history, they did a lot, but not nearly as much as some athletes. I want to hear about Jackie Robinson and Jack Johnson. I want to hear that it was a shame Josh Gibson never played in the MLB and that if Satchel Paige won rookie of the year at 42, imagine what he would have done at 28? Talk about the importance of Arthur Ashe. And maybe mention that it was a black man who found the cure for HIV in his blood. (Magic Johnson).
Sports did more for equal rights in this country then any other venue. Speeches, politics, activists, education, none of them did what sports could. You see it with Yankee fans a few months ago. "Let's sign Manny!" People are willing to put aside stupid emotions they have if it's going to help their team win. Then, some people realize how stupid they were being in the first place. Others may hate that person even more once they're on the team. i.e. (A-Rod). On this historic day for America when people are being thanked and mentioned, just remember a couple of the athletes that will be left out. They were the ones that brought the issue into the living rooms of Americans. They deserve more credit.
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