Willie O'Ree

I may quite possibly be getting ahead of myself in terms of content related to the course, but when stumbling across this man’s name in the PowerPoint slides – Proper APA Formatting – section from Class 10 (dated 9/28), I felt the need to discuss what he means to me as a pioneer and humanitarian.

As you may or may not know, Willie O’Ree is credited for breaking the color barrier in the National Hockey League, being the first person of color to play in the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1958. Similar to Jackie Robinson in the game of Baseball, O’Ree endured a litany of threats on his life and well-being as he played in the professional ranks, faced ostracism from his teammates, and the measure of his impact on the game was not completely grasped until after long after his retirement.

An amazing fact about O’Ree is that he was able to play professional hockey despite having a visual impairment in one eye as a result of a stray slapshot that hit him in the face years before he made his NHL debut. He was able to keep his condition hidden, and did not divulge the information until playing days were over. Resulting from his efforts in the late 50s and 60s, there are many players of color in the National Hockey League today – most notably Calgary Flames superstar Jarome Iginla – who can thank Willie O’Ree for shattering color lines in the sport.

It can be argued that the triumphs Mr. O’Ree can be attributed to the efforts of another black hockey player, a pioneer in his own right that was denied an opportunity to play in the NHL years earlier, the legendary Herb Carnegie.

Currently, Mr. O’Ree continues to open up doors in the world of hockey by remaining involved in the NHL with their “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative, and sharing his story with the youth all across North America.

To me, the courage of Willie O’Ree and his story serve as a testament that despite any and all obstacles, if you work hard enough at something you truly love, there are no limits as to what you are able to accomplish.

For more on O’Ree and his contributions to the game, take a look at this article written by Kevin Allen of USAToday.

Good day.

20th Century Sport Icons – Most Overrated and Underrated Athlete

In class recently, we learned about a few of the key figures in sport during the 19^th century, according to our textbook, names like – John Cox Stevens, “Father” Henry Chadwick, and John L. Sullivan – were prominent in their field (Rader, 2009). While learning about these gentlemen, my mind began to wonder into more recent history. I began to think of athletes that I would consider to be icons of sport in the 20^th century. Based on my own reasoning and information that I have learned about athletes in the sporting world of the 1900s, I produced a list of two names whom I consider to be the Most Overrated and the Most Underrated athlete of the 20^th century.

Most Overrated – Joe Namath (NFL Quarterback)

While I am pretty sure he was able to handle himself well outside of the football field, his results on the field do not even come close to the level of acclaim and praise he receives. Aside from successfully predicting that his heavy-underdog New York Jets would beat the seemingly-great Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, in what turned out to be a career defining victory, Namath only completed 50.1 percent of his pass attempts throughout his career (NFL.com), a shockingly low number.

To his credit, “Broadway Joe” embodied New York fashion and flare, characteristics that probably turned him into a billboard sensation and media darling. Two other statistics to consider that may help bolster my argument, according to his profile on NFL.COM: Only 173 career touchdown passes versus 220 career interceptions. Nonetheless, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Most Underrated – Jack Johnson (Boxer)

As the first African-American heavyweight champion of boxing, Jack Johnson was perhaps one of the most underrated individuals of the 20^th century, let alone the world of sports. I first learned of the “Galveston Giant” while watching a documentary about his life on PBS titled "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise And Fall of Jack Johnson." He was nearly unbeatable in the ring during his time, and suffered the majority of his professional losses after the prime of his career. Johnson was the victor in the "The Fight of The Century" on July 4, 1910 against Jim Jeffries, a former boxing great who was brought out of retirement in an attempt to stop the reigning World Heavyweight champion. According to documentary Director Ken Burns, “For more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on earth” (Unforgivable Blackness, 2005).

Due to his rebellious “you can’t tell me anything” attitude, frequent run-ins with the law, and his ways with women – white women in particular, during an era when the concept of slavery was still fresh in the minds of many – not much is said or written about Jack Johnson when it comes to creating lists of 20^th century sporting icons. Johnson passed away in an automobile accident in 1946. Since his death, many proposals have been submitted to congress to posthumously grant Johnson, a legendary boxer, with a full presidential pardon.

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So there you have it readers. Do you agree or disagree? Any suggestions? Consider my list as you wish.

Good day.

Background on the Author

Hello again, welcome to round 2 of the most exciting blog on the planet (not exactly). Because I got a little carried away in the initial installment, I would like to take the time to share with you some of my background in the sporting world. Also, I want to hear what readers have to say about what they read, or any other comments regarding content inside this blog. Feel free to add your two cents. In order to do this efficiently, it is only fair that you (the reader) are given a little information on me (the author).

I hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I can assume at this point that quite a few of my classmates have clicked the “x” on their web browser after reading that statement. Naturally, I am a fan of the professional sport franchises that call the city of Pittsburgh their home, the Penguins of the NHL, and the Steelers of the NFL. A sharp-minded reader would point out that I omitted the ‘Pirates of Major League Baseball’ from my list of teams above. That action was very much intentional. In 2005, I decided that enough was enough, and I would no longer bring myself to lend support to a team that operates at the management and ownership levels in the way that the Pirates have consistently done since 1993. Often times, I act as though a baseball team does not exist in Pittsburgh, and this has probably diminished my interest in the sport to some degree.

I could continue to discuss, at length, the reasons why I loathe the Pittsburgh Pirates. Perhaps I will save that information for another post on another day.

Anyway ...

As stated in my answer to the question posed on the class discussion board, sport has been an outlet of creativity and imagination for me through out my life, continuing to this day. Somewhere around eighth grade, I realized that I was not an elite level athlete and I should probably look at different outlets in order to remain involved with athletic competition. Fast forward through the years in between, and this is what brought me to Bowling Green State University. Currently, I am a Junior, studying Sport Management – with a Sport Enterprise specialization.

With a decent level of certainty, I can say that I am a fan of, and have at least moderate viewing interests in, all sports (including NASCAR, Soccer, Golf, etc.). As a youth, I played Baseball, Soccer, and Basketball for many years, and was a member of the Baseball and Basketball teams in high school. Around age 8, I successfully persuaded my parents to allow me to play the game of Hockey, a move that had a profound effect on my complete adoration of the sport. It goes without saying that 2005 was a rough sporting year for me because of the NHL Lockout (thankfully, the Steelers were able to capture their 5^th Vince Lombardi trophy in early 2006). To wrap things up, this past year was nothing short of superb as my two favorite teams in their respective sports, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Steelers, brought home world championships.

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In closing, I realize that I may have alienated myself from the readers (hopefully not my Professor) as I spoke about my allegiance to sports teams. To make amends, I offer you a video clip of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Lebron James’ opening monologue from Saturday Night Live.

Enjoy and good day.