AP® African American Studies review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/african-american-studies/units/4/4-19)
Unit 4 · Topic 4.19
4.19 African Americans and Sports
African American athletes have broken racial barriers since the 1800s, from champion jockeys to Jackie Robinson, and built their own leagues when they were shut out. Many, like Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and Colin Kaepernick, used their fame to protest racism.
Key terms
- Negro leagues
- Jackie Robinson
- Jesse Owens
- Muhammad Ali
- Tommie Smith and John Carlos
- Colin Kaepernick
Breaking barriers in the 1800s
African American athletes showed their abilities and broke barriers in segregated sports from Reconstruction onward. Horse racing is a striking example. Many early jockeys were Black, some of them enslaved; the required 1840 image of jockeys racing in Washington comes from that era. Oliver Lewis rode the winner of the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, and William 'Billy' Walker won it two years later. Black jockeys won most of the early Derbies until they were pushed out of the sport in the early 1900s.
In 1895, Black athletes in Halifax, Nova Scotia, founded the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, with teams across Canada's Maritime provinces. It came before the National Hockey League.
Separate leagues and integration
Because of segregation, African Americans created their own leagues. Soon after the Civil War, they formed baseball associations across the country, which grew into the Negro leagues and lasted into the 1960s. In 1947 Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first Black player in modern Major League Baseball, enduring abuse from fans and opponents.
African American Olympians have won many gold medals for the United States. At the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, Jesse Owens won four gold medals, then returned home to face racial discrimination.
Athletes as activists
Through their achievements, Black athletes keep breaking barriers, and many use their public platforms to push for racial equality.
- Muhammad Ali: in 1967 the heavyweight champion refused to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. He cited his religious beliefs as a member of the Nation of Islam and pointed to racism at home. He was stripped of his title and convicted, but the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971.
- Tommie Smith and John Carlos: at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the two US sprinters raised black-gloved fists on the medal stand during the national anthem, a nonviolent protest against racial discrimination and a sign of solidarity with the Black Freedom movement. They were sent home from the Games.
- Colin Kaepernick: in 2016 the NFL quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Other players joined, in the NFL and other sports, bringing national attention to the issue and sparking intense debate. The required 2017 photo comes from a Seahawks–49ers game during this wave of protest.
Worked examples
Try each one yourself first, then open the solution.
- Example 1
Explaining a protest
Explain how Tommie Smith and John Carlos's protest at the 1968 Olympics connected to the Black Freedom movement.
Show the solutionHide the solution
- Step 1: Describe the protest: raised fists on the medal stand during the anthem.
- Step 2: Explain the message: protest against racial discrimination; solidarity with Black Power.
- Step 3: Explain the impact: a global audience saw it, and the athletes paid a price.
Answer: Model answer: On the medal stand in Mexico City, Smith and Carlos raised black-gloved fists during the US national anthem, a nonviolent protest against racial discrimination and a symbol of solidarity with the Black Freedom and Black Power movements. Because the Olympics drew a worldwide audience, their protest carried the struggle against American racism to people around the globe, even though they were sent home from the Games for it.
Common mistakes
- Starting the story with Jackie Robinson. Black athletes excelled, and built their own leagues, decades earlier.
- Treating athlete protests as purely modern. Ali, Smith and Carlos protested in the 1960s.
- Forgetting the costs: many athlete-activists lost titles, careers or honors.
On the exam
- Photos of athletes' protests are common sources. Describe the gesture, then explain its context and purpose.
- Link athlete activism to the broader movements of each era (4.6, 4.9).
Connected topics
Videos
Check yourself
4 questions on 4.19 African Americans and Sports. Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
A photograph from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City shows sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the medal podium, heads bowed, each raising a black-gloved fist during the U.S. national anthem. In 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem, and other players soon joined him, including at a 2017 game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Description written for this practice set of photographs from the 1968 Olympics and a 2017 NFL game
Smith and Carlos's gesture is best described as
Kaepernick's kneeling protest was focused mainly on
Which pattern connects the two photographs?
Which statement about African Americans in sports before 1950 is accurate?
0 of 4 answered