It's not much of a surprise that a white guy in the 1950s was racist. But reading the paper More Than Just Play by Runstedtler reminded me of one way that he was racist. While my great grandfather and I weren't alive at the same time, the information that I know about him comes from my grandfather. One time, my grandfather described his experience of growing up during segregation. He talked about how he had no real exposure to Black people outside of sports, and what his parents told him.
When my grandfather was pretty young, his father would take him to football games. In these games there would be some Black players, and being curious, my grandfather asked about them. My great grandfather told him that they were the better players because they're stronger, and aren't as smart so it would be ok if they got hit in the head more. With no other source of information, it wouldn't be surprising if my grandfather believed this for years.
Runstedtler's paper describes how black people were displayed as primitive, especially in the 1900s. Black athletes were also put on display for the enjoyment of white people.The way that they were shown in sports contributed to how they were seen outside of sports. When you have a generation of white men who's only exposure to Black people is seeing Black athletes displayed in a subhuman way, it contributes to institutional racism.
My grandfather's story helped me to understand how racism is passed down from generation to generation. My grandfather was lucky enough to have his beliefs challenged at a young age, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is in the minority. Understanding the way that many white people were first exposed to Black people is pretty helpful in understanding why racist views and sentiments continue to this day.
Kenny Washington, one of the first black players in the NFL
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