We’re wrapping up our Black History Month posts with highlighting
athletes who have made a difference.
We all know Walter Payton
for his legendary time with the Chicago
Bears, but did you know that he became the first black team owner in the Indy Car Series? After his retirement he became co-owner of CART racing team.
Not only was Jackie Robinson
the first black to play at any level in the major leagues, but he was also the
first black batting champion and the
first black enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. During his baseball career he had many highs,
but also many lows as it pertained to racism.
He is widely credited for opening the doors for other blacks to have the
opportunity to play major league baseball.
Violet Palmer made history
in 1997 after becoming the first black woman to serve as a referee in the NBA. Before
refereeing in the NBA, she refereed games for the NCAA Women’s games. In 2009 she refereed her first NBA Finals
Game.
Any true basketball fan loves the Jordan era, loves the legacy he
left behind before retirement. Lacy J. Banks was the first black full-time sports reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times and began reporting
on the Chicago Bulls in 1980. He had the
esteemed opportunity to cover Michael Jordan’s entire career.
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