
Learn How African Americans changed sports forever
Sports is one of the most popular things to do in the world, and there’s no denying it: people love sports. Whether they’re watching a game on TV or playing themselves, sports have been at the heart of many great moments in history. Sports can bring people together from all walks of life and help them find common ground by working toward a common goal: winning!
The NFL and baseball were the first sports leagues to open up to African Americans. The NFL was founded in 1920, while baseball’s American League was founded in 1901. Both were started by white men who wanted to capitalize on their own communities’ enthusiasm for this new type of entertainment—but they made it a point not just to be inclusive but also profitable.
The NFL and baseball were the first sports leagues to open up to African Americans. The NFL was founded in 1920, while baseball’s American League was founded in 1901. Both were started by white men who wanted to capitalize on their own communities’ enthusiasm for this new type of entertainment—but they made it a point not just to be inclusive but also profitable.

African Americans helped to create the rules of baseball and basketball.
Wilt Chamberlain: It wasn’t until 1962 that Wilt Chamberlain became one of only two players ever to score 100 points in an NBA game—he scored 100 against the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2nd at Hershey Arena during which time he also scored 55 points against Syracuse University on December 31st 1961
The game of basketball was once a white man’s game. It wasn’t until the 1950s that it became popular among black players in cities like Los Angeles and New York City.
The origins of the sport are rooted in health and recreation, rather than violence or war as many people assume today. In fact, one of its earliest names was actually “health” and “recreation.”

Basketball was originally called “health” and “recreation” by the white community. In 1891, it was renamed to basketball at a meeting of the New York City Board of Education. The name was changed again in 1915 when Syracuse University became one of the first universities to offer varsity sports programs for black athletes.
In 1967 alone there were three major changes made to how basketball is played:
- In 1970 an international governing body called FIBA (Fédération Internationale de Basketball) was established with headquarters in Geneva Switzerland; this organization represents all national federations for basketball around the world including USA Basketball which oversees international competitions such as Olympic Games etc..

Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play in Major League Baseball, was born on January 31, 1919. Robinson was born on February 19, 1919 to sharecroppers who lived in Tuskegee, Alabama. His father died when he was five years old and his mother moved them to California where she became a maid for wealthy families until she saved enough money to send her son to college at UCLA. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force where he became an officer but left after serving just one year due to racial discrimination against blacks at that time.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball when he signed as a free agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first African American player in Major League Baseball and also played for several other teams during his professional career. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 through 1956 and became a naturalized citizen of the United States after spending his entire career there.
Robinson’s success as a baseball player helped him become an important figure in civil rights movement of his time.
Robinson died on April 24, 1972 at age 53 after battling with leukemia for several years.
You might be surprised to learn that sports have played a major role in helping countries move forward in times of conflict and peace. In fact, sports can be used as an avenue for development.
The exclusion of black Americans from playing sports at all was not a new problem. Racism has always been an issue in the US, and it still is today. It is also an issue in countries around the world, where people have to deal with racism because of their skin color or ethnic background.
In 1966, Muhammad Ali became the first Muslim to win boxing gold at the Olympics.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky and raised by his grandparents after his parents moved out of state when he was young; Ali grew up with a strong sense of religious identity and awareness. He became interested in boxing as a young teenager, and studied it for several years at different gyms before turning pro at age 22. After fighting through several bouts on local circuits, he won gold medals in 1960 at both light-heavyweight (175 lbs) and heavyweight divisions at the Rome Olympics Games—making him the first African American to represent Team USA in any sport there since 1904!
Ali also fought against racial discrimination throughout his life: while practicing law back home—where he would stay until 1975—he refused service from whites who tried to enter restaurants where he was eating dinner (and wouldn’t serve them either); this led him into conflict with police officers who arrested him multiple times over these incidents until finally being jailed himself after refusing bail conditions set by judges who disagreed with his stance against segregation laws which prevented minorities from going anywhere near white communities without permission first.”
Over the decades, The sports industry has been a growing market dominated by African Americans in the NFL, NBA, and MBL. It’s become our way of connecting with people of all races and backgrounds and learning new things.