Caged Champions: Colorful Firsts in U.S. Sports - 1855 to 2023
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Who are the game changers in sports? Who are the warriors who laid the pathways for social, cultural, and political advancement? Liberate these caged, unheralded and underappreciated icons in sports history. Unshackle their glory! Discover their uncomfortable truths!
They broke the institutional barriers of prejudice to rewrite the rules of American sport. True excellence cannot be contained by malice attitudes. Long before the era of multi-million dollar contracts, a courageous group of minority athletes fought an isolated war against institutional racism, systemic segregation, and outright hostility—simply for the fundamental right to step onto the field of play. In Caged Champions, renowned historian Larry Lester expands his historical focus beyond the baseball diamond to honor the trailblazers across all major sports who achieved monumental cultural "firsts." Through powerful narrative accounts and deep archival documentation, Lester chronicles the triumphs and systemic hurdles encountered by these athletic pioneers. This moving, rigorous work provides a vital perspective on how the athletic arena and the battle for human rights have always been inseparable. The first 11 chapters cover major sports along with cross references by individual pioneers. Chapter 12 is a catch-all for minor sports and lesser known caged champions other than No. 42, who, along with Larry Doby, et al, dismantled apartheid in America’s most popular sports institution at the time, baseball. Chapter 13 is an add-on tax. A “Black Tax” that weighs the hardships of every athlete of color. Colored athletes that are criminalized, marginalized or chastened for just walking or driving to their field of dream as they are quarantined from the collective mainstream. This chapter testifies to the monstrosities of white supremacy, while showcasing the resiliency of minority athletes in fighting systemic racism, micro aggressions and implicit bias, as their dreams grow bigger than their fears. Sports covered: Baseball, Basketball, Billiards, Bowling, Boxing, Car Racing, Cycling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Horse Racing, Olympics, Rodeo, Swimming, Tennis and Track & Field plus rule changes and systemic roadblocks. “Caged Champions” is a snapshot reference guide for serious fans. Read a review HERE. WINNER of the National Association of Black Journalists' (NABJ) Outstanding Book Award - 2025 Paperback and Kindle copies are available at: https://amzn.to/3PBFhSD |
