By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
As a Colored, Negro, Black or African American growing up in America, we have witnessed the enormous weight placed on the shoulders of athletes and leaders who had to not only perform but succeed in the athletic arena where overt, pervasive racism existed/ exists in all aspects of our lives, particularly athletics. How many of you recall the accomplishments of the great Jesse Owens in the face of Aryan supremacy or the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling fight with a people’s pride squarely on his shoulders. Or Althea Gibson and Arthur Ash winning Wimbledon while bearing the unspoken but palpable burden of Black America. Perhaps you personally recall other stark examples as you peruse and ponder this proposition.
I submit that the same pressures to succeed individually in leadership positions are applicable today. Just recently in Major League Baseball Dave Roberts, the only remaining Black MLB manager since Dusty Baker’s retirement, led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series victory over the New York Yankees, his second in four years. He also led the Dodgers to a World Series victory during the Covid stricken ‘20 season. However, if you are only a casual observer or follower, you may not have been aware of the tremendous pressure he was under to win based on the talent at his disposal. Since his ascension to manager, the pressure has only increased and many times during his tenure he and the team fell short of those lofty goals. Despite the pressure he has persevered.
Then we have Penn State’s football coach, James Franklin, who despite a successful tenure, has failed to lead the team victory over top ten teams, especially Ohio State, to whom they lost a crucial game at home this past Saturday. I can’t say that the PSU administration and rabid fan base haven’t demonstrated patience, but we all realize that if his Nittany Lions aren’t selected as one of the 12 for the CFP, then Coach Franklin will more than likely end up on the unemployment line. I know he feels the pressure even as I do as a casual observer. It was clear to me that OSU had better skilled athletes than PSU, something that he must rectify and address.
Because of his persona and self-assurance, Deion Sanders is ridiculed and vilified by many, openly cheering for his failure. I, conversely, as I am assured many of you do, cheer for his team’s, the Colorado Buffaloes, success. It is in our DNA to accept seemingly insurmountable challenges and overcome them with the grace of God. We will always be confronted with challenges in these United States of America as people of Color,, and we always meet them head on.