Thirteen WNET

Description

The panel consisting of four outstanding athletes and spokesman for the black movement was taped in New York City last week. The discussion of the black athlete in today's society will form a major portion of this Black Journal. Participants in the discussion were: -- Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 and who later became the first black member of baseball's Hall of Fame. Recalling the black protest at the 1968 Olympics, Robinson says: "I've never been so proud of individuals as I was of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Olympic Games." In terms of current protests by black athletes on college campuses, Robinson says: "I sometimes wish we had done the very same thing when we were out playing ball. If we had stood up, I doubt seriously if the youngsters today would have the kind of troubles that they're having." -- Bill Russell, the dominant figure in college and professional basketball for the past two decades, who also coached the Boston Celtics to NBA championships in 1968 and 1969. Russell explains that the successful athlete becomes "a product and not a person" and notes that the effort and knowledge whereby he became the leader in his field was as prodigious as that required to become president of General Motors. -- Arthur Ashe, America's top-ranked tennis star, who contends that athletics is "no different than any other corporation" and therefore poses the same problems for the black player...

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Thirteen - New York Public Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Commonwealth