Kelly Ngo
Professor Kevin Sverduk
Kinesiology 332
8 October 2015
Forty Million Dollar Slaves
By William C. Rhoden Sports has become a big part in our society, but also our everyday lives. For some, sports is what represents them. Sports is what allows some individuals to express their talents and showcase their strengths. Jackie Robinson, Muhammed Ali, and Althea Gibson are all legends of the sports industry. But they were more than just athletes; they are also pioneers. In William C. Rhoden’s book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, Rhoden chronicles a history that has revolutionized African American’s place within today’s society. He first starts off by taking us back to when plantation owners fought their slaves to today’s current state. Through …show more content…
To me I think that the title of Rhoden’s novel is a comparison of how much these African American athletes make to their value. In other words, an athlete may make 40 million dollars, but they are worth nothing if they let people walk all over them and control their life. During the mid- nineteenth century, slave owners would take on their slaves in a boxing match to see who had more power. The winner between the two would be named the wealthier, stronger, and more powerful. And so, in Rhoden’s novel, he says, “the heart of the dilemma […] is the quest for power” (33). This quest for power all began during the plantations when black men fought for their freedom through slavery meanwhile white men were trying to control them. Just like the sports industry, when athletes like Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens fought for their power to become a …show more content…
I didn’t even realize how much discrimination and hierarchy there is in the sports industry until I read this book. In Rhoden’s book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, he continuously presents the reader with example after example about how much of a minority African Americans are in the sports industry. Under the white hierarchy on these coaches and owners and the media now, there is no escape. In addition, because athletes’ salaries and comparative to the salaries of coaches, the system has yet to be questioned. The coaches may be higher up in the hierarchy in the sports system, but the athletes ultimately determine their salary and what they want. If the athlete is unsatisfied with their wage, team, coach, etc. then they will be rebellious and eventually move onto a different time. But, otherwise they will follow the instructions provided to them by their coaches and managers. Aside from being a minority and everything that comes along with it, Rhoden also presents the reader with explanations on how African Americans have been slowly integrated and accepted as time has passed by. The positions of the hierarchy levels may not have changed but there has definitely been a change in treatment
Professor Kevin Sverduk
Kinesiology 332
8 October 2015
Forty Million Dollar Slaves
By William C. Rhoden Sports has become a big part in our society, but also our everyday lives. For some, sports is what represents them. Sports is what allows some individuals to express their talents and showcase their strengths. Jackie Robinson, Muhammed Ali, and Althea Gibson are all legends of the sports industry. But they were more than just athletes; they are also pioneers. In William C. Rhoden’s book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, Rhoden chronicles a history that has revolutionized African American’s place within today’s society. He first starts off by taking us back to when plantation owners fought their slaves to today’s current state. Through …show more content…
To me I think that the title of Rhoden’s novel is a comparison of how much these African American athletes make to their value. In other words, an athlete may make 40 million dollars, but they are worth nothing if they let people walk all over them and control their life. During the mid- nineteenth century, slave owners would take on their slaves in a boxing match to see who had more power. The winner between the two would be named the wealthier, stronger, and more powerful. And so, in Rhoden’s novel, he says, “the heart of the dilemma […] is the quest for power” (33). This quest for power all began during the plantations when black men fought for their freedom through slavery meanwhile white men were trying to control them. Just like the sports industry, when athletes like Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens fought for their power to become a …show more content…
I didn’t even realize how much discrimination and hierarchy there is in the sports industry until I read this book. In Rhoden’s book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves, he continuously presents the reader with example after example about how much of a minority African Americans are in the sports industry. Under the white hierarchy on these coaches and owners and the media now, there is no escape. In addition, because athletes’ salaries and comparative to the salaries of coaches, the system has yet to be questioned. The coaches may be higher up in the hierarchy in the sports system, but the athletes ultimately determine their salary and what they want. If the athlete is unsatisfied with their wage, team, coach, etc. then they will be rebellious and eventually move onto a different time. But, otherwise they will follow the instructions provided to them by their coaches and managers. Aside from being a minority and everything that comes along with it, Rhoden also presents the reader with explanations on how African Americans have been slowly integrated and accepted as time has passed by. The positions of the hierarchy levels may not have changed but there has definitely been a change in treatment