"It used to be that politics and sports were as separate from one another as church and state," as the synopsis of "The Heritage" relates. "The ballfield was an escape from the world's worst problems, top athletes were treated like heroes, and cheering for the home team was as easy and innocent as hot dogs and beer. 'No news on the sports page' was a governing principle in newsrooms."
Fast forward to the 21st century and "sports and politics are decidedly intertwined," as is the central thesis of "The Heritage."
Among those leading the charge of modern-day sports superstars who use their fame to draw attention to social justice issues are LeBron James. The epilogue of "The Heritage" describes James' prominent role in activism:
As the old cliche goes, "the player with the biggest number of zeroes on his paycheck shapes the culture. Today, that player is LeBron James. James does not hide from his liberal politics. ... James pledged over $40 million to send children from his hometown of Akron to college. ... LeBron has done what [Michael] Jordan did not. He gave cover to the athletes without his talent or bank account to be more vocal politically. He sent the message that being politically active should not be radical, but commonplace."
Bryant notes that James was among the most vocal celebrities in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014. In this regard, Bryant argues, James picked up the mantle from Muhammad Ali: the most talented player in the game speaking out and risking his livelihood to bring much-needed awareness to an issue affecting his people.
The title of the book, "The Heritage," refers to the history of black athletes using their fame and resources to advance civil rights and other progressive causes, in the tradition of Ali, Jackie Robinson and college football great-turned-entertainer Paul Robeson.
I found the subject matter Bryant explores in the book of particular interest. Not because I'm a sports fan ‒ I know next to nothing about football, baseball or basketball.
"The Heritage" intrigued me because I came across many of the issues Bryant addresses while I was making the documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." The movie chronicles brave black female athletes like Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell, who triumphed over racism and sexism in the 1950s, '60s and '70s to become world champions in a sport dominated by white men.
As Bryant observes in "The Heritage," black women athletes are the unsung heroes of social justice activism. Much attention has been focused on the bold moves of men like LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick, but in many cases, black women have been just as outspoken ‒ sometimes even more so.
As Bryant describes in "The Heritage," female basketball stars in the WNBA took a bolder stance
than their male counterparts in the NBA when it came to protesting police brutality. And Bryant draws the conclusion that the women were emboldened by the fact that they basically had nothing to lose. The WNBA players were already severely underpaid compared to their male counterparts, making only about $60,000 on
average per season, vs. $6 million per season for NBA players.
In the "Lady Wrestler" documentary, wrestling legend Ethel Johnson recounts a harrowing incident when she and another African-American female wrestler took a stand in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the '50s. She and her colleague forfeited their pay and opted not to take the mat when the event's white promoters refused to let in black patrons due to the Jim Crow segregation at the time.
Johnson and her peers didn't necessarily consider themselves activists, but, like the WNBA players, they felt they had nothing to lose. Not only were the working conditions in Tuscaloosa humiliating, their lives were threatened by members of the "White Citizens' Council" who opposed integration and threatened to lynch Johnson and her colleague.
So while activism may be viewed as the domain of men, African-American women, in particular, have always been borne a heavy load.
Anyone who has an interest in black history, sports history, politics and social justice will find "The Heritage" a compelling read. As Bryant relates, there has never been a consensus in the United States about what role, if any, athletes should play in politics ‒ even among the athletes themselves.
Some athletes have chosen the "shut up and play" path, with the most glaring example being O.J. Simpson. During his NFL career, Simpson famously declared, "I'm not black, I'm O.J." Others like LeBron James have chosen to raise their voices, speak out and put their money where their mouth is.
"The Heritage" is a timely book in a highly polarized time.
Very relevant and timely!
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