The Heritage

March 15, 2018
A well-researched meditation on the historical pressures on African-American athletes to embrace (or avoid) political engagement.ESPN the Magazine senior writer Bryant (The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, 2010, etc.) writes with passion on this sensitive and relevant topic, currently embodied by the protests inspired by Colin Kaepernick. Sports, writes the author, have often served as a "barometer for where African Americans stood in the larger culture, how American they would be allowed to be." He develops an intense historical narrative to illustrate this idea, analyzing how black athletes like Joe Louis and Jackie Robinson were granted a grudging route past segregation. "The black athlete wanted to stick to sports," writes Bryant. "It was white America that wouldn't let him." He uses their experiences to mirror America's racial travails, discussing many significant athletes who stood up for civil rights in the 1960s and '70s, often paying the price. However, the rise of O.J. Simpson (and later, Michael Jordan) arguably crimped the legacy's power by offering an alternative that moved "from identifying with black issues to green ones. Simpson opened up a world of financial possibilities to black athletes." Jordan and Tiger Woods added further complications by purportedly downplaying their blackness during the 1990s: "there was no advantage to identifying with being black." Following 9/11, professional sports organizations focused on celebrating the military and police, which seemed at first cathartic and then authoritarian and were eventually revealed to be profit-driven. In the sports-military complex, Bryant concludes, "patriotism has been turned into a white ideal." He sees a response to this in the evolving views of players, including superstars like LeBron James, "that being a politically active black athlete should no longer be considered a radical gesture but a commonplace one." Bryant controls his narrative with confidence, and he avoids polemicism while making clear the ironies of what is asked of the black athlete.An appealing blend of sports history and provocative discussion of race and success, respect and representation in America.

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April 2, 2018
In this timely book, Bryant, senior writer for ESPN Magazine, astutely explains how sports serves “as a barometer of blacks’ standing in the larger culture,” with some black athletes facing harsh criticism for their support of equal rights. He cites Paul Robeson, who was the first Rutgers All-American star to play in what would become the NFL in 1921, and whose labor union campaigning got him blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Bryant then turns to baseball trailblazer Jackie Robinson, who, Bryant argues, as a political moderate undercut the public’s resistance to his playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers; meanwhile, Muhammad Ali was suspended during his prime for his opposition to the draft. Outspoken athletes such as Olympian track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos and hoops legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar courted controversy as they railed against injustice during the civil rights era. Bryant discusses how the apolitical views of O.J. Simpson and Tiger Woods kept them out of public scrutiny, while quarterback Colin Kaepernick got blackballed from professional football for kneeling during the national anthem. “Through the great unifier of sports,” writes Bryant, “with the black players kneeling, the white players standing, the police heroes to one, center of protest to others, America would discover explosively and definitively just how severe its fractures truly were.” This indispensable book expertly chronicles a fractured nation dealing with black players who no longer want to (as Fox News host Laura Ingraham told LeBron James) “shut up and dribble.”

May 1, 2018

When San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem, he shined a spotlight on the intersection between sports and politics and the role athletes play as activists. This intersection is perhaps more important for black athletes, according to journalist Bryant (Shut Out). Bryant posits that the activism of Kaepernick and other contemporary black athletes is not a new phenomenon but part of a "heritage" of black activism in sports begun by Jackie Robinson, Tommy Carlos, and Muhammed Ali in the 1960s. The heritage was interrupted by apolitical athletes such as O.J. Simpson, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods who chose protecting their personal brands over taking political stands. Bryant also discusses contemporary activism in light of the role that sporting events have been used to promote patriotism, especially the corporate marriage between sports and military boosterism. VERDICT A fascinating and complex look at the role of black athletes as political activists. Bryant's analysis of the intersection of professional sports and promoting patriotism (or nationalism, depending on one's point of view) is especially enlightening.--Michael C. Miller, Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
The Heritage, as Bryant defines it, is the responsibility that successful athletes of color inherit to embrace social activism. Muhammad Ali passes the test, as does Jackie Robinson, with reservations; O. J. Simpson, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods do not. Bryant traces this heritage from Paul Robeson, its charter member (whom Robinson testified against), through Curt Flood, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos, and on to Colin Kaepernick. Bryant also details how the incongruous mix of politics and sport has evolved, from a time when playing fields existed apart from politics to the modern day, where activism has become a litmus test for determining support of teams and players. The tragedy of 9/11, Bryant asserts, was a turning point, as was the phenomenon of greenwashing, which came with big money. With the cultural shift toward unconditional support of law enforcement and the military, real concerns about police mistreatment of blacks were misinterpreted, and standing or kneeling for the anthem has became a constant source of agitation. A fascinating, insightful look at race, politics, and sports.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)