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| The Lyceum Building at the University of Mississippi from: Oxford Photo Works |
Essential questions for the unit on Discrimination in Sports: Race include the following:
- How may the sports landscape reflect the racial landscape of our country?
- How did those landscapes change as a result of the integration of athletes of color?
- What problems occurred during the integration process?
- What impact did integration have on sports?
- What impact did integrated sports have on our country?
- Are there racial inequalities that exist in sports, and how do these affect athletes of color?
- Can the sporting world combat racism in society? Is this a fair expectation to place on the sporting world?
- What’s the cost of failing to acknowledge our past? What’s the cost of acknowledging our past?
After watching the documentary The Ghosts of Ole Miss, write a 200-400 word blog post explaining how the documentary addressed one or two questions from above. Be specific in your references and explanations. Be sure to incorporate your own reaction to how or what the documentary revealed about the essential questions you address in the essay.
Please also include evidence from one of these two articles that ties into the Ole Miss dilemma: “Controversy Over Mascots at Ole Miss” or “The Birth of ‘Dixie’”
Black people and white people were so far separated for most of the 1900's. Almost everything had a sign for “Colored People” and “White People Only”. The sports world was changing however, and once black people started to be integrated into the sports world, people freaked out. It was unheard of. Black people and white people in the same place is normal for us, but was absurd to many back then. The first black baseball player, Jackie Robinson, was tormented by fans and players all the time. It was such a rough transition. Players were furious and so were fans. This wasn’t just for Jackie Robinson, but for all black players and other races throughout the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Discrimination of black people goes back so long it’s hard to keep track. For many people, the integration of black people in sports wasn’t just about sports. It was about tradition and history. People were mad in our country, because it was like everything around them was changing. Integration in the sports world actually led to higher tensions between black people and white people. Many white people were furious with the changes that were being made. They could see that big changes were coming and they didn’t want to let it happen. Black people were being targeted viciously and it was becoming an even bigger problem. It led to many deaths and many people were scarred for life. As time went on, black people began to be integrated into all kinds of things like schools and other things, until the civil rights act was put into place and the Jim Crow Laws were abolished. You could say that this was thanks to the integration of the sports world. It possibly inspired more people to be more inclusive. While segregation in society is almost gone, there are still people who refuse to let go. Recently, the University of Mississippi changed many of its long traditions. They got rid of their mascot who resembled a slave owner, and removed the fight song “Dixie”, a song that many consider to be the anthem of the confederacy during the Civil War. Many people were upset with this, as these two traditions were very popular among the people at Ole Miss. While some people are upset with it, in the end, it was the right thing to do. The benefits of removing these traditions mean more people will be included. Why would a black person want to go to a school where the mascot is a slave owner? If the mascot is removed, that allows for people to feel more welcome at a school. When you acknowledge the past with traditions like that, it can lead to hate. There will be people who will have something against others because of it. It is also just extremely wrong to praise traditions about one of the worst times in American History. While it is the best decision to remove traditions, it is important to acknowledge them in a smart way. When you have your fight song and mascot resemble the past, it’s probably not a good idea. If you acknowledge the past with pictures and other related things, we’re acknowledging, but not to the point where it leads to hate. If you don’t acknowledge at all, then discrimination could possibly return. We all determine what happens socially, and we can’t mess it up.
ReplyDeleteThe Ghosts of Ole Miss describes in great detail the racial landscape of the University of Mississippi in the 1960's. The goal of this discussion is to answer an important question for American society: What is the cost of acknowledging our past as opposed to putting it behind us? Director Fritz Mitchell explores both sides to this question throughout the documentary. First, Mitchell describes the cost of acknowledging the past. He accomplishes this by depicting what actually happened during the 1960's in Ole Miss, particularly emphasizing the relentless racism and violence towards blacks. For example, a prominent event
ReplyDeletein the documentary was the riot in Ole Miss. The first black student to ever attend the University of Mississippi was entering campus and the white population would not allow it. Many resorted to Fighting, cursing, and some even murder to prevent James Meredith from attending school in Mississippi. Mitchell also uses the popularity of the song "Dixie" in his description of the racist south. "Dixie" quickly became the anthem of the Confederacy and had strong racial connotations associated with it. Mitchell then shows that this racism is embedded in Mississippi's past and no amount of time could heal the wounds created by this hatred. This is the cost of acknowledging the past. As Mississippi resident Sam Owen describes, "[The attempts at erasing Mississippi's racist stigma] is kind of like having a scab on a wound that just keeps getting knocked off and it won't heal; We're kinda ready for it to heal" (The Ghosts of Ole Miss, 57:40). On the other hand, Mitchell explores the idea of forgetting Mississippi's racist past. He uses the example of Buck Randall to show that, since the 1960's, people have changed drastically. Buck is now "... a loving father and grandfather. Isn't that enough for a generation? Why should he always be tied to his 1962 self? If Buck could evolve and leave the past behind, shouldn't [society] let him?" (The Ghosts of Ole Miss, 1:05:48). This is the benefit of leaving the past behind. People like Buck Randall would want nothing more than to eradicate his connection with the racism and hatred that occurred at Ole Miss. In my opinion, we should forget the past of Ole Miss. If we attach these actions to Mississippians forever, there will never be an opportunity for improvement. In order to eradicate this problem for good, we must allow Mississippi to start anew.
After watching The Ghosts of Ole Miss, you can see the racial divide in the south at this time. Everything was heightened, and it was a very intense time period for all people, but especially African Americans. The black community has had a major turnaround in recent years in the sporting community. Black athletes have continued to dominate sports throughout time. Yet they were not allowed in some leagues, but it did not hold them back. The Landscape has changed immensely over time because now athletes of color have been integrated in modern society, and thankfully for people of today's generation nobody knows different. But for athletes of color competing back in time it must have been an incredibly stressful journey. Nobody wanted you to do well, nobody even wanted you to compete. These athletes had to have an incredible amount of integrity to perform their sport with that many people wanting them to fail. In the Ghosts of Ole Miss, the black student on campus minded his own business and the campus around him gave him a startling recognition to how far people would go, he realized that these people became animals. Recently, the University of Mississippi changed many of its long traditions. They got rid of their mascot who resembled a slave owner, and removed the fight song “Dixie”, a song that many consider to be the anthem of the confederacy during the Civil War. These changes glorifies that as country we stand together and are accepting of all races. They realized what they did with this song was wrong,and it needed to change.The impact of integration in sports was one of the best things to ever happen to sports. I say that because the level of competition is now much harder. Some races are built differently than others, and this change in physique changed the landscape of sports to change for the better . You can see now that sports are being run by athletes of color. They are incredible athletes who were never allowed to play. Even in sports like lacrosse that was supposed to be a “white” sport has been integrated by athletes of color. The failure of not acknowledging our past is bad because we can never get over what we have put these people through, and we will never be able to accept it. You have people who don't believe anything was wrong because that is what they grew up thinking. But also the cost of acknowledging the past is gives you a horrible taste in your mouth for your race treating others poorly. Athletes of color’s ancestors were taken off their land on American ships and were forced to be someone's slave. Now there are athletes of color making more than thirty million dollars and it truly shows you the progress we have made as a country in allowing them to compete. It also strengthens the competition and improves the purity of sports as a whole.
ReplyDeleteSports have really shown how far we have come in our country in terms of racial equality. Jackie Robinson played his first MLB game in 1947, and gradually over time more and more black athletes joined the MLB. Today, I would say that the majority is not white. Over the past 50 years, Ole Miss went from not having any black people on campus to 17% of the student body being black. During the integration process, there were a lot of fighting, riots, and many other acts of violence. People would even verbally attack incoming black students. There was a lot of resistance coming from whites to change. The fact that the army had to be brought into stop the riots at Ole Miss all because of James Meredith is ridiculous. Clearly it was a different time and different political climate, but the entire situation got very out of hand. Integration in sports was very similar to the integration events with James Meredith. I see a lot of similarities with the 30 for 30 film and “42”, a movie about Jackie Robinson. For example, there were riots, people shouting racial slurs at him, and violence directed at Robinson and Meredith. Sports showed and proved to people that black people are equal to them and should be treated with respect. That concept seems so obvious and anything besides that is crazy, but even 50 years ago, it was a heavily rejected concept. As far as I am aware, there are not many inequalities in sports. I guarantee that there is some kind of inequality, but it is so rare or inconsistent that it is not talked about. Sports is a very easy way to combat racism because sports is something that every race can bond over and there is no issue with money, or where you are from, or advantages. It is just one person or team versus another, simple. Failing to acknowledge our past is not good because it is how you learn and grow. Every time you make a mistake, you see what you did wrong and better yourself from it. Acknowledging the past is hard and most people don’t like talking about anything in the past, but this especially is really hard to acknowledge. The idea that our grandparents could have been there saying those slurs or hurting those that were trying to integrate is hard to imagine. That is why we ignore it, it is hard to imagine that someone we know or knew was racist and part of the embarrassing part of our history.
ReplyDeleteThe ideas of history and tradition was the biggest factor against integration inside the United States. Many states and universities had developed traditions over the last hundred years that helped identify themselves and their culture. In the south, especially at Ole Mississippi, these traditions were in the roots of the communities. For example the mascots of schools displayed racism on an extreme level. Ole Mississippi had Colonel Reb as their mascot. He was a tribute to the confederate soldiers from the town who fought against the north and against integration in the Civil War. If the mascot wasn’t enough stadiums were filled with fans waving the confederate flag to support their teams. These fans viewed this as a tradition and didn’t want to stop after the integration process begun. When authorities and head figures started to take away these traditions and integrate schools the students and staff tried to hold out. The story of James Meredith gives a prime example of the huge problem with the integration process. In the documentary The Ghosts of Ole Miss, they tell the story of the Ole Mississippi hold out on Meredith and integration as a whole. Once the nation said that you could not turn away people from school due to race, Ole Mississippi didn’t listen. The school held out until the president sent the national guard to accompany James Meredith to enroll. The night before his enrollment the school turned into a riot and people were attacking the guards. The documentary said that one of the hooligans on the football team went out and once he saw what was happening to everyone he gave a speech to stop the rioting. This displayed the sheer brutality people went through to stop the integration process. This story gives all the problems with the integration process. So due to the culture and tradition, people as a whole didn’t want the change and that was the biggest problem that occurred during the integration process inside the United States.
ReplyDeleteWatching this documentary I think it was really crazy to see how much American culture has changed in just a few years. This all took place in the 70’s which is so recent. It is still hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that 50 years ago there was the first black student at Ole Miss. I had no prior knowledge of James Meredith but after watching the documentary I was really inspire. It was really interesting to see how well a young man handled such a huge situation. It was national news constantly, and all he was worried about was doing well in school. I don’t think anybody else could have handled the situation better. I think it was also really interesting to see how the other students and administration handled the situation. The other students hated the fact that he was there and they were very blatant about it. If that happened today, all those students would be expelled and probably imprisoned, but just 50 years ago it was acceptable. The other side of this story was the football team. They had their best season ever while they were constantly under national watch. Everybody wanted them to get beat and show the world that Ole Miss is a big joke and a failure of integration. However, they just focused on the football and not the news which lead to their great success. After thinking about this, I changed my thinking towards current day's sports and if I see any of the same racial issues in our athletic culture today. I really don't think I see anything anywhere close to the magnitude of the Ole Miss situation. The worst things that are said today is that White men can’t jump, and I’m ok with that. I also think the legacy of the song ‘dixie’ is really important. In the article that talks about the song it goes into detail about how ‘dixie’ was adopted as a fight song for the south. Today, most people look down on the song because of what it used to mean back in the 70’s.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of failing to acknowledge the past is that nobody knows what the cause of these events are and how similar events could be prevented in the future. In this example, Fritz Mitchell said that in the photo, he saw his relative. More importantly, he said "I didn't ask him what he was doing there because I didn't want to hear the answer." I think that by being in denial, he wasn't able to fully understand the full story which is sad. As well as the narrator not understand the situation, people in Mississippi don't know the full story either. It is a story that is pushed back and forgotten because of the townspeople trying to bury the past. On the other hand, acknowledging the past is better than not because it is a sign of forgiveness in a way. The townspeople brushing off the event makes it seem like they didn't think the college kids did anything wrong in the sense of screaming obscenities at James Meredith and singing Dixie. I think that if you don't acknowledge something that you did wrong, you will be likely to do the same thing again. That is why it is important to acknowledge and understand the fact that the students at Ole Miss handled James Meredith coming to their school in the wrong way. Personally, I think that the event where blacks who were peacefully protesting were sprayed by water hoses in 1963, was just as bad as the Ole Miss situation, but the difference is that people acknowledge the water hose event. That is why I think that not acknowledging the problem is part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe sports world is slowly evolving and approaching equality, but it is certainly a slow process just like the evolution of equality in the real world has been slow even post-Civil Rights Movement. The sports world represents both the good and bad of humanity when it comes to racial acceptance and equality, as it can bring different races and cultures together on common ground, but can lead to division and conflict in other situations. The almost forced integration of athletes and race as seen with James Meredith in the documentary or Jackie Robinson can cause initial conflict, but eventually the situation is ameliorated and fans become used to it, and appreciate that all races can be skilled at the sport. This in turn helps them recognize that all races are equal in society as well, and that the world has no need or place for discrimination and racism anymore. The riots when Meredith enrolled in Ole Miss or when Robinson joined the Dodgers were violent to say the least, but these two pioneers that integrated two cultures changed the landscape of the U.S. as a whole. Integration has improved the quality of the game, and forced it to make some changes, a few years ago Colonel Reb was removed as the Ole Miss mascot due to its connections with the Confederacy and slavery. Some fans have retaliated in response, “The Colonel Reb Foundation’s leaders will dress in replicas of his costume and tour the state next week, talking to members of the local news media and trying to reverse the school’s decision” (Brown). Sports are one of the few aspects where generally there is equality, however some sports still have stereotypes that some races are better than others at it. Failing to acknowledge our past can lead to failure to solve the current issues as we ignore where they stem from. But dwelling on the past too much can prevent us from succeeding in moving on and progressing as a country.
ReplyDeleteGhosts of Ole Miss gave me a new understanding on the cost and benefit of understanding our past. I saw in the 30 for 30 that Ole Miss had some pretty nasty history when it comes to race, so there is a lot that can be acknowledged, but it is a matter of if we should or shouldn't acknowledged and there are pros and cons to both sides.
ReplyDeleteThe reason it is seen as bad to be bringing up the past is that If one were to acknowledge the past of Ole Miss then it can be seen as bringing back times of hatred, racism and segregation. Many believe we should move on and drop the past because what is it doing if we constantly bring back a dark and terrible past especially with all of the progress made since then. Some argue that talking about our past will only set us further back because we will be reminded of any negative past we may have had. Which will just cause further debate rather than focussing on only positives.
The reason it's a good idea is because it is something we can talk about and look back at something and be used as a learning experience. We need to understand that we can learn and teach from mistakes and wrongdoings and the only way to learn is to see examples. We can't just bury wrongdoings and events from the past forever and not talk about them again. As a community we should feel comfortable being able to recognize that mistakes were made and we need to address these wrongdoings to prevent something from this like happening again. Do we need to be reminded of it every day? No, of course not, but there is obvious lessons to be learned from the events that occurred at Ole Miss. As stated in the article Controversy Over Mascots at Ole Miss, "former mascot, a white-goateed, cane-toting Southern plantation owner that many have criticized as racist and anachronistic.” We learned from this and ended up getting the mascot changed to the friendly Rebel Black Bear. We may not be able to fix it all at once but even baby steps are steps in the right direction.
The documentary focussed on an African American student going to Ole Miss at a time of racial dispute and it caused the school to break out in riot. Being reminded of this past is not bad or something we should feel the need to hide. Of course it's embarrassing, but that is no reason to stray from truth. This is now being shown to teach students about the past and how far we have come and showing them how not to act. It also is showing them that we are not a perfect country, so there will always be racial disputes and this is something that we can remind ourselves of in order to educate and learn from.
I think that today, lacrosse, rowing, hockey, baseball, and swimming are all dominated majority by white athletes. The biggest names from these sports are not blacks, but white athletes that dominate all of their competition. I think that there is still segregation in sports which can reflect how we have not completely integrated as a whole country, NCAA basketball has white coaches consistently running the top programs. At first, people were not accepting to integration of athletes of color, Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, and were even restricted due to Jim Crow Laws/Black codes (Jackie Robinson could not stay in the same hotel nor take the same bus to the games). It is very hard to change people who have dramatic point of views to try to incorporate change and acceptance in a society. I think that the result of many black athletes success in the NBA or the NFL has allowed the black society to bring more issues to be publicized, sitting during the national anthem, and has positively affected the progression movement. Integration had a huge impact on sports by teams not willing to draft blacks or play with them, but as time progressed, people began to forget about color and appreciate talent in sports. Sports in America also can bring people together of all different races due to the passion for their team to win and succeed. Racial inequalities today still consist of a dominant presence of white coaches and staff who get paid and most credit for allowing these athletes to thrive in that sport. I think that these celebrity athletes can help combat world racism in society and promote accepting everyone. I do think that it is not their place in completely stopping prejudice by themselves, but I do think that they have a big impact on the younger and older generation. I think that everyone has to learn from the past and acknowledge how we lived to prevent the negative history in the future. Also, we need to study what the causes was, not just the result so we can in the future see this trend and demolish its effects before it’s too late. The 30 for 30 addressed the fact that after Brown v Board of Education, there was still racial discrimination and all of the hate in just one college risked the lives of the national guard due to the violence at the college just to prevent one person from going to school. It also shows greed, because the head of Ole Miss said he would accept him, but after seeing the support of the confederacy, he opposed his promise to the president and revoked the acceptance of the student. Ole Miss said that they want to balance “tolerance with tradition,” but the new mascot diluted the tradition and if Ole Miss had to change, why are there still the Washington Redskins? In all, Ole Miss has shown that even if the whole country is progressive in racial equality, some people are too passionate about their beliefs and roots that complete equality might not ever be achievable in the near future.
ReplyDeleteSports are a fascinating case study; in general, they can provide liberation from the monotony of everyday life or escape from great tragedy. But perhaps most notably, sports are a reflection of our country, a microcosm of greater issues or arguments. Due to the sheer popularity of sports in America, it is impossible to truly separate them from social or political battles. The fact is, the landscape of sports is a direct reflection of the landscape of race in this country—in a time of social unrest, where “Black Lives Matter” and other protest groups have worked in an attempt to further racial equality, the effects of this turmoil has made its way into locker rooms and on to the sidelines during the national anthems. And so, in the case of Ole Miss, there is precedent for sports and social issues to overlap—and they certainly do—as decades-old beliefs clash again in modern times.
ReplyDeleteAs athletes of color entered a world of sports that was dominated by white athletes, issues of race began to surface. It was a social mindset of animosity toward black athletes—consider that Hank Aaron set the MLB’s home run record 32 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and did so staring down the face of racism in Atlanta. These racist ideals are rooted in hundreds of year of American history and as integration began, so did the course of sports history. Athletes who were once segregated from playing in the country’s top leagues were finally allowed to do so, and sports like baseball actually became America’s National Pastime for all of America.
In the case of Ole Miss, James Meredith’s arrival on campus is a fascinating study when looked at in the relation to the football team. In the first paragraph, I referenced that sports can be an escape, and for the people of Mississippi, this was certainly true. Obviously, the reaction Meredith’s enrollment was horrendous, and the 1962 riot will forever live in infamy in Oxford. But as the school attempted to heal and move on from that terrible day, the team’s success helped carve some positive news for Ole Miss on a national stage.
It is an odd juxtaposition—it is easy to look at the confederate flags waving in the stands at games or hearing the playing of “Dixie” and feel sick to your stomach—and I think this is a perfectly reasonable reaction. The racism and vehement reaction to an African American simply entering the university is a scar that can never be erased in Mississippian and American history. But it is also important to remember that “Dixie” is more than some anti-black tune. And herein lies the problem. For some, it is a harmless tune that reminds them of their youth, and for others (as stated in the New York Times article), it is an offensive piece—and nothing more—about a slave that “expresses his desire to live in the South until he dies”.
The questions “What’s the cost of failing to acknowledge our past?” and “What’s the cost of acknowledging our past?” are perhaps the most intriguing. Certainly, one of the most important parts of human existence is learning from the past. To keep the past from repeating itself, we must understand what went wrong. Yet on the opposite side, it can be argued that acknowledging this history is simply dredging up old and painful memories that have long been forgotten. The fact is, the past can never truly be buried. Ole Miss can change its mascot to a bear, but the confederate flag will still fly in the south and “Dixie” will be heard somewhere. And I believe the movie encapsulated its purpose perfectly. The director did not create it to shame Mississippians; instead, it was made in a time of current social unrest to insure the same mistakes were not made again. The roots of the Civil War made their way into that 1962 riot, and they persist in today’s society. But it is about how we take those pieces of history and learn from them, both in sports and in life.
The documentary “Ghosts of Ole Miss” directed by Fritz Mitchell talks about the complicated history of racism and football in Mississippi. The film discusses the long time segregation in Mississippi and Ole Miss die hard football fans. Football is deep in the ruts at Ole Miss, during the film you saw the fans and cheerleaders waving confederate flags while singing dixie. There was no sight of desegregation until James Meredith became the first person of color to enroll at Ole Miss in 1962. The enrollment of Meredith enraged people and riots broke out. The only bright spot that held the school together was the Ole Miss football team that had an undefeated season and was ranked third in the nation. Soon after the Colonel Reb the mascot was called racist, and sidelined in 2003. Dixie has also called into play and has since been eliminated from the football games. There are many that still protest against this today and claim that it's apart of their heritage. I believe the opposite and that it was a good decision to sideline Colonel Reb and Dixie. It brings back the segregation and slavery that once was. I don’t think that there are any racial inequalities that exist in sports today. There may be some but it has come a very long way since the film “Ghosts of Ole Miss.” It has been a very bumpy road to get to this point in sports today. In conclusion this film has informed me on what it was like to live during this era and the controversy over segregation and the football team that kept Ole Miss and Mississippi as one.
ReplyDeleteOle Miss and some areas of the United States still deal with racial issues. While living in the Northeast, it isn’t often that we are exposed to such obvious racial aggression, other parts of the country are still dealing with Civil Rights issues that we thought were in our past. The evidence of this in sports, whether it be anthems, or school spirit flags and mascots such as Colonel Reb, mentioned in the “Controversy Over Mascots at Ole Miss", is just proof that this divide still plagues the US. When the integration of athletes of color began, sports became a symbol for the Civil Rights era. Ole Miss was just one of many schools that faced opposition to integration, however, their turbulent and violent protests displayed the incredible antagonism students and locals had toward the african american community. There was a large amount of backlash to allowing James Meredith to be enrolled as a student at OIe Miss, and he was only allowed to do so once president Kennedy had intervened along with military authorities. Integration, while beneficial in the long run, initially divided many students and athletes in sports. According to the documentary, many of the students at Ole Miss would rather their school shut down than have an integrated community. This goes the same for many other areas of the country. With such great opposition to integration across the United States, military involvement wasn’t a rarity. While times have improved significantly from just a few decades ago, there is still an incredible lack of diversity across sports, and in positions of authority in sports, whether it be coaches, or management. This lack of diversity can definitely be fought against with the use of quotas and sports, if diversified, can be a symbol for racial equality across the world.
ReplyDeleteThe “Ghost of Ole Miss” displayed the effects of race inequality throughout history in the US and took sports as a path to show the growth and progression. Issues surrounding our culture are parts of society that play a big part in how the games are played. Racism and segregation is a part of this so when Ole Miss began to integrate with James Meredith, the first incoming black student on campus, that created a segway for sports and other parts of our culture to follow. The process wasn’t easy as change was resisted with riots and screaming of racial slurs at Meredith while on the campus. It became a dangerous situation that required heavy police protection. Sports have followed this path of equality within leagues but there is still a way to come. An example of the start of a shift in sports was in 1947 when Jackie Robinson played his first MLB game and overtime more and more black athletes have joined the MLB. I think in the future the sporting world will be able to combat racism and give fair chances to everyone no matter race. Acknowledging our past history is important to step away from some old traditions and start a new generation of equality within our country as a society and in sports.
ReplyDeleteThe United States of America leading up to the 1940s was a nation divided, both literally and mentally. Blacks and Whites were segregated both in sports and in society. That all changed in 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. This breakthrough lead to other sports being integrated, and the eventual integration of Blacks and Whites in America. Of course, this integration was met with extreme backlash, as those who opposed integration felt their way of life was being threatened. The story of the 1962 Ole Miss football season is just another case study into this backlash. With the school's first black student enrolling, many people felt that their standard of living would go down. In response, they rioted and showed just how ugly the south could be. They would have been shut down as a school, were it not for their amazing football season, which transcended sports and made people rethink being hostile toward the school as a whole. In this instance, sports brought people together in a time where many had been turned off to one another. The actions committed by students was inexcusable. Harassing and being violent toward an individual simply because they have darker skin than everyone else, is frankly vile and disgusting and has no place in any society. The football season was a bit of a remedy for that extreme evil, and - wrongly in my opinion - forced people to overlook those evil actions, and focus on the football. I also believe that the 1962 Ole Miss riots and season overall was the beginning of the end for racist traditions in college athletics. Racist mascots like the Orangeman of Syracuse or fighting Illiniwek of Illinois, were later replaced. Confederate flags, and other racist symbols like racially questionable songs were also taken out of many schools. These racist traditions stemmed from a divide overall, and once people were brought together (largely as a result of Meredith's enrollment), these racist symbols were brought to attention and removed once and for all. The story of James Meredith is a difficult one no doubt, but its lasting impact has changed the college landscape forever, and certainly has amended longstanding traditions that many have viewed as uncomfortable for generations.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching The Ghost of Ole Miss I was largely unaware of the chaos that conspired following the integration of University of Mississippi in the 1960s. The result of admitting one African American man led to a national crisis: federal marshals were deployed on campus by order of President Kennedy to contain the rioting students and destruction of the university. Now, 40 percent of the student body at Ole Miss are African American. Clearly the racial tensions have dissolved, as students are not demonstrating over the enrollment of black students. Up until recently, the mascot of Ole Miss was Colonel Reb, a symbol of the state’s rebellious history. One of the reasonings for switching out Colonel Reb for the Rebel Black Bear was the history and ideology tied of slavery and prejudice with the confederate soldier. In our modern day and age, I do not think that there is any racial inequalities in sports. When Jackie Robinson was the first black man allowed to play in Major League Baseball, that was a groundbreaking step for racial equality in sports, although it took many decades for the public to accept sports integration. As mentioned before, changing the mascot of Ole Miss has helped eliminate the deep rooted racial stigmas in sports, due to the large audiences events draws.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of the past century, our nation has experienced a myriad of racially charged conflicts in sports. From The Ole Miss football team to Donald Sterling and the Los Angeles Clippers, these situations have received very large levels of national attention. With the national attention that sports receive, it is an extremely effective method of combating racism on a national level. Recently, we have noticed sports doing things to combat racism like LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers wearing "I Can't Breate" shirts to bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. It was obviously effective. Simply the fact that it has caused me to be writing about shows that they are generating awareness to serious issues through sports. Some may argue that placing the burden of combating racism on sports is far too large, however, I completely disagree with that. The sports world will, and must do everything that it can to fight these fights. With this being said, to fight our issues today, we must also knowledge our past to learn from out mistakes. Just because what happened 65 years ago with the segregation and discrimination was terrible, does not mean that it has to something that we avoid. It must be something that we learn from and use to our advantage to construct best possible society that we can.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, The Ghosts of Ole Miss, I was alarmed to see the severity of racial division and discrimination in America. Of course, I knew the history of slavery and discrimination against people of color, but watching these kinds of films always puts me in shock and disbelief. The documentary highlighted Governor Barnett’s concerning unwillingness to emit a person of color into the University of Ole Miss, mobs all throughout the Ole Miss campus in response to the James Meredith being emitted, unwavering success of the football team being undermined due to racial tension, and typical confederate flags being flown proudly during football games. Despite President JFK’s efforts to integrate the students smoothly, the governor and citizens refused the idea. This led to JFK sending the army to protect James Meredith. Similar to controversy over integration in schools, public places and the social world, sports took time to break past racial barriers. Particularly at Ole Miss, sports games were known for discrimination with respect to the confederate flag being flown, white supremacy songs being played and a full white crowd. However, as leagues for people of color developed, so did players integrating sports. Players like Jackie Robinson and Earl Lloyd left their marks by being the first players of color to enter into professional sports leagues. Likewise to James Meredith, many racist Americans discriminated Jackie Robinson and Earl Lloyd. They were spit at, called awful names, received threats and were confronted by hatred. Though both players struggled socially and were discriminated, they were extremely talented and started the movement of integration. These players prompted change which led to Brown vs. Board of Ed. in 1954, just 7 years after his first game. Integration in sports brought much more talent, and justice was finally served. Many fans and communities hated the idea, but eventually they conformed and America’s division was gradually alleviated. Almost 70 years later, racial inequality still exists in sports, and racial tension still prevails. In sports like lacrosse, swimming, golf and hockey, there aren’t nearly as many people of color. People of color are commonly overlooked and aren’t given the opportunities they deserve. And while franchises would rather their players not participate in issues of racism and politics, I believe they do have a responsibility as role models to voice their opinion. The sporting world can’t fully combat issues in America, but they have voiced opinions effectively in the past. For example, Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem and NBA players wearing shirts to convey messages definitely made an impact. In terms of the cost of acknowledging and ignoring our past, it is critical that we as a country acknowledge it, not ignore. By acknowledging it, we have more empathy for each other's pasts, we can avoid making the same mistakes, and we can conform in regards to ongoing issues together. By not acknowledging it, we risk racism prevailing, remain oblivious to each other's pasts, and likely stay divided as a country. Colonel Reb and the confederate flag was prevalent in Ole Miss’s history, but it was racist and was rightfully changed. We must chose the correct route of acknowledgement, and change any racist traditions in America, or else racial division will continue in the country we all love.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary The Ghosts of Ole Miss by Fritz Mitchell has described how race was a huge controversial topic in the sixties. Due to the controversy, the landscape of Ole Miss has greatly changed. Ole Miss used to be a school of pro confederate white supremacists until the first person of color named James Meredith, started to attend Ole Miss. Because of him now on school campus, riots broke out against him that got so bad that some force was needed by Meredith’s guards. While the campus was filled with riots, the only good thing they had was their undefeated football team. As time passed on the spirit has changed at the football games. The confederate flag and the song dixie are banned at Ole Miss football games while having a mascot change, from a plantation owner to a bear. While many people believe these changes were a bad idea because it ruins the Ole Miss tradition, I believe it was the right thing to do because it removes the controversy that has stuck with Ole Miss for many years. Today in sports I believe that there are no racial inequalities in sports. In sport news I have not heard about a story where a person of color does not have the same rights as a white person. Instead of people being unequal in sports today, the race controversy is from black people bringing out a message about an issue in our country. Like how Lebron James wore a “I can’t breathe” shirt to bring out the message about Black Lives Matter. Due to what some of these athletes do affects how the fans look at them. Some fans can agree on the message being brought out and others can disagree about it. For me, I believe that it is a good thing when athletes bring out messages because it creates awareness of the topic that can be solved.
ReplyDeleteThe sports landscape is a perfect representation of the country in many different ways, including racially. Throughout Ole Miss, many of the racial traditions held the same for many years after the first black student attended the university. Sports are a way for people to truly show who they are, without having to verbalize, and then be criticized for their decision. In The Ghost of Ole Miss, it showed racial divisions in the pasted that weren’t changed for many years, such as the confederate flag being flown around during games, and the mascot being a slave owner, which wasn’t changed until 2003. While outside of sports this wouldn’t have been allowed, or “socially acceptable”, under the name of a sporting event it was considered to be acceptable. Ole Miss is just an example of how sports can show the landscape of the country. While racism may not be seen in sports as it was back then, such as at Ole Miss carrying old traditions that obviously were there to suppress people of color and keep them away, it can still be seen. While sports team have definitely tried to integrate people of all races, the higher ups haven’t seen as much of a change. Many of the offices in sports are still mostly white men. This lack of integration above the sports team in manager and coaching positions, definitely shows the racial landscape of the country that black people are still be held back. While it can’t be blasted in our faces because of laws and rights being upheld and also not being the “socially accepted” norm of today, not as many of those rights have been integrated into sports, which allows people to still show their feelings towards race by supporting a team with less black people either on the team, or high manger and coaching positions.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this documentary, The Ghosts of Ole Miss, I am shocked and ashamed of how are nation used to be. Throughout the whole documentary I saw relentless racism and discrimination to the point where it was hard to believe it was our country. There were riots, fights, protests, all just so a black student could not go to school with the white kids at Ole Miss. Students brought confederate flags to football games and were very blatant about their opinions and feelings for black people. The sports landscape of Ole Miss was similar to the universities landscape and attitude. The confederate flags at games and the playing of Dixie and the mascot being a slave owner, shows just how bad it really was. The football team truly took over in a time of hardship. The team had their best season in history and in the middle of the worst rioting and protest Ole Miss has ever seen. Ole Miss is still trying to shake the reputation of being a racist college. They have of course improved and took steps to get rid of that. Such a, changing their mascot from a slave owner to a bear, and having a 17% black population on campus. One of the so called "scariest man in the country" played for the Ole Miss football and he found himself questioning why he was rioting and tried to stop it. People didn't listen at all and kept going. I find this shocking because normally no one would ever go against what this beast of a human says, they'd just do whatever he wanted but not in this case. Not when it comes to race. These days, it is no where near what it used to be, racism wise. However, there is still some reported cases of racism among professional athletes. Sports have the ability to bring together people no matter what color. Just like the Ole Miss football team who came together through time of hardship and although they didn't have black players, they still were dealing with that "problem" and had to come together as a team to keep winning and that's exactly what they did.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the history of the United States of America there has been a visible difference in treatment of whites compared to all other races. Although the gap has changed significantly since the early 1900’s (the inception of most major league sports in America) there are still some pretty noticeable signs of the inequality across sports and other more traditional professions.
ReplyDeleteAs documented in the 30 for 30 there are still many parts of schools like Ole Miss that are quite racist. Until the early 2000’s people were allowed to wave confederate flags at football games. There fighting song until recently was “Dixie” which is an extremely racist song and the mascot which was replaced by a bear in 2003 was formerly a white slave owner. And yet, some would argue that great progress has been made since "the school has discouraged Confederate battle flags at football games, discontinued “Dixie” as the unofficial fight song and raised enrollment of black students to 14 percent, from 5.8 percent in 1995." Many people may wonder how such racist things were part of a university that lies in a state that is roughly 40% black. The biggest issue is that there are still a large number of people who are holding on to these outdated ideologies of white supremacy and claim that the mascot and song are part of a deeply rooted tradition. However the fact of the matter is that it is 2017 and not the 1800’s, and it is time to change some of these outdated traditions.
Many people think that athletes are role models for children and could be the ones who have the greatest influence on the future generations. The big question remains however; Can athletes combat racism in society or is that too lofty a goal? As was the case at Ole Miss, the football team was a way of healing Mississippi after the terrible riots on campus with the US Army. Their success took a lot of the attention away from the terrible things that people were trying to do to James Meredith and instead focused it on the undefeated season of the Rebels Varsity Football Team. While I don’t think that athletes and sports should be used in the same way they were used back then to influence racism I think that they can still be used affectively today to provoke change. If we look at a more recent example such as Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the singing of the national anthem, it is clear that athletes do have a profound impact on the country. That one act by the QB caused millions upon millions of people to talk about the issue of racism in this country. Although he doesn’t seem to have fully understood what he was standing up for it is clear what kind of impact an athlete can have on this country. While they do have a profound impact however, they cannot combat racism. This issue is still up to the citizens of the United States. If enough citizens are willing to stand up and fight for change in this country then change will occur. Athletes will be guides and public advocates for changes on racism in this country, but the citizens will ultimately determine what change actually occurs.
Failing to acknowledge our past does not allow us to learn from our mistakes. Erasing the past will only cause history to repeat itself, and will not allow the world to reflect and move on, to grow in the future. However, the past has the potential to be a dark and scary place on many levels, so one must walk the tightrope very cautiously when acknowledging previous mistakes. According to the New York Times, the University of Mississippi decided to retire their old mascot, known as Colonel Reb, who was “a white-goateed, cane-toting Southern plantation owner that many have criticized as racist and anachronistic.” (Brown). Colonel Reb came across as an offensive mascot to many, and planted Ole Miss’ status across the country as an out-of-touch community by social standards. Yes, the past must be recognized, but refusing to move on does not allow you to reflect on mistakes. In scrapping Colonel Reb, Ole Miss made a progressive choice that was applauded by most around the country (however, was not well-received in Mississippi). While Colonel Reb should not be an active mascot, it is important for Ole Miss students and fans to be educated on the mascot. If they are informed of the history behind the mascot and understand it’s offensive nature, they will be able to learn from their past mistakes and accept the new Bear mascot. Although acknowledging the past may be difficult, it’s a necessary evil in ensuring a positive future.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems from our past that should be reflected upon and learned from is the integration process at the University of Mississippi in the early-1960’s. Students and Mississippians acted with hostility and violence as James Meredith attempted to integrate the university. The governor of Mississippi even piled onto the troublesome situation, arguing with President Kennedy and refusing to reason with the Commander-in-Chief. Eventually, those who acted with hostility only hurt themselves, as the hatred resulted in an injury-filled riot throughout Ole Miss campus, and James Meredith was successful in integrating the university. Failing to recognize the opposite end of an argument is a dangerous way of thinking, that has become very prevalent in today’s society. This can create massive polarization and prevent us from being able to move forward. In today’s split society, where neither side can agree or relate to the other, we must look back on history and learn from the mistakes of polarization in the 1960’s: at the end of the day, many people ended up only hurting themselves.
This was a very interesting documentary that I really enjoyed watching because I love college sports and Ole Miss is a big competitor in all sports Division 1. Obviously in the south including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, etc. racism was a huge ongoing issue which really separated our country and which I believe is still in repair today. As of today, some of our best athletes in pro sports are African American. An interesting statistic is 74% of the NBA is black, 70% in the NFL, and 10% in the MLB. Athletes such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Russell Wilson and so many more have shaped these sports today and impacted the sport in such a positive way. In a weird way, which probably would have never been the case 50 years ago, little white boys are now pretending to be professional black athletes which is totally acceptable in our society today. Obviously I think there are still racial inequalities in sports. The typical "Black basketball players are just better than white ones", "Blacks jump higher". All these things are said but obviously with no support behind it. Sports may have been the aspect that brought our country back together or at least close to back together. The players had been recruited to join Ole Miss except the governor was very opposed to it. As it progressed and they truly did start playing together, it was recognized and it really did help or country progress.
ReplyDeleteThis documentary was very impactful when I was watching it as it gave light to the side of the story we never heard. Throughout learning about the history of our country and the racial inequalities our nation was divided by through the 1900's many of us all knew about the first black man to go to an integrated college and how opposed it was by almost everyone in the state of Mississippi. What it never showed was how sports played such an impactful role during these horrific events. James Meredith being integrated into Ole Miss caused a huge uproar of violent riots resulting in many casualties and caused death I feel as if it was the football team which was not only holding the school together but the entire state. With the army needing to be deployed to Ole Miss in attempt to avoid more and more casualties if felt as if students and residents in the state wanted to stop their lives completely until this issue was resolved in the only way they wanted. If it wasn't for the Ole Miss football team and how they were in the race for a national championship I believe things would have gotten much worse. Sports are such a big thing in the south and without Ole Miss there to distract people from seeing James Meredith in their school campus their focus was on getting to the football game and supporting their team. Even in todays society we still see racism in sports. Not too long ago during a Red Sox game a player on the other team was racially targeted by the crowd and he was evidently upset about it and it was such a big story across the country. In comparison to 40-50 years ago we have made tremendous steps in the right direction to get rid of all racism in sports. I feel as if there are both positives and negatives to reflecting on our past and how we can learn from those times but also how they can remind us of awful times. I think it is good to look back on our past just as a reminder of how we musty continue to move in the direction but also to teach younger generations who may not be as up to date with our past about why racism not only in sports but in general is such a bad thing and how one action can divide an entire state. Looking back on times like this can have a negative affect on us as it will remind us how our nation used to be not long ago and how it can interfere with our nation and all sports to continue moving forward. In sports today we can definitely see a change among racism decreasing heavily with sports having a much more even race and welcoming in any person race aside. With the likes of Cam Newton, PK Subban, David Ortiz as some of sports biggest role modes especially for younger generations who aspire to be like them.
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