Participation in organized sports should be available to everyone. Sports are an excellent form of exercise and entertainment, and they don’t discriminate by race, class, or gender. Unfortunately, however, that hasn’t always been the case. Improvements have been made –– and still are being made –– in professional sports so that they can treat players of all types as equally as possible.

1946

Jackie Robinson breaks the baseball color barrier

In the early 1940s, African American and white baseball players were being completely segregated into two leagues: The MLB along with its minor leagues, and a series of leagues for African Americans called the “Negro Leagues” at the time. African American players and games were treated with a significantly lower level of respect than in the MLB. However, big changes were coming in 1946.

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Jackie Robinson, an aspiring young African American player, was making his mark on the “Negro Leagues”. Although he was performing well, Robinson was upset with the management of the League, and he pursued a career as the first African American in the Major League. Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers was interested in an African American player, and Robinson had seemed like the perfect choice. Robinson, after Rickey had warned him of the harassment he may receive for his skin color, was signed to the Montreal Royals—a minor league team—before he would eventually make it to the Dodgers in 1947.

Rickey’s warnings ended up coming true, as Robinson faced much ridicule upon entering the MLB, although his teammates tried to help when possible. Robinson managed to push through despite this, proving himself as not just a great baseball player, but as a baseball legend. He earned the Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award, and made it to six World Series Championships (only winning one of them).

Robinson’s legendary baseball career led to major advances for racial diversity in the MLB. Today, the MLB is composed of players from a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. Although Jackie Robinson was not the only African American ballplayer at the time, he was the first, and his bravery changed the makeup of the MLB forever. 

1996

Formation of the WNBA

The WNBA is an American professional basketball league, and it is the NBA’s equivalent for female players. This was naturally a major step in women’s sports, expanding one of America’s most popular forms of sports entertainment to female players (although a women’s basketball league had been made one or two years prior to its founding, the WNBA had the advantage of being run by the NBA).

Opening with the fittingly titled, “We Got Next,” marketing campaign, the WNBA took off fast, and has since expanded from eight teams to twelve teams. Since its debut game in June of 1997, the WNBA has increased greatly in popularity and pop culture relevance, even getting the chance to finish its playoff games alongside the NBA inside 2020’s NBA Bubble.

Although some issues still need to be addressed in the WNBA, such as the issue of WNBA wages compared to those of the NBA, it has helped pave the way for other professional women’s sports leagues (such as the National Women’s Soccer League) and has made a clear impact on the sports world.

2016

Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem 

Opting to not stand for the National Anthem became a topic of frequent discussion and debate in the world of sports throughout 2016 and onward, and it started with San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. Originally choosing to sit before switching to a kneeling position, Kaepernick silently protested police brutality in support of the Black Lives Matter movement during the 2016 preseason and midseason games.

As the season went on, more and more of Kaepernick’s fellow players began to join in. However, this form of protest also had its fair share of controversy, as many disagreed with the players’ choice to “disrespect the flag”.