(ThyBlackMan.com) It is hard to believe that the 2010s are nearly over but we are entering a new decade. America entered 2010 under the first U.S. presidential term of a former Illinois senator named Barack Obama and ends the decade under a businessman and former “reality star” named Donald Trump under siege in his first U.S. presidential term. A lot happened during the 2010s as politics and social media have both exploded during the decade and sports has also changed dramatically due to both. Every year of the decade there were a lot of big events and situations involving sports and here are the most prominent every year of the 2010s.
2010: Tiger Woods’ downfall
It was notable that Michael Jordan purchased the then-Charlotte Bobcats to become the first black former professional athlete ever to own one of the sports teams of the four major North America professional sports. It was also really important that the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV just four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana, but the biggest, most recognizable athlete on the planet was arguably a golfer, Tiger Woods. Woods’ fame in 2010 was amazing considering Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and LeBron James, fresh off 
“The Decision” during that year, were all in their physical primes. November 2009 was the much rumored month of the Thanksgiving marital issue and car crash that began the spiral of Tiger Woods. During 2010, Woods’ personal life, affairs, and divorce all became national and tabloid headlines and he lost a ton of sponsorships and even went to therapy in 2010, which was much more taboo then than it would be now. It also seemed to be the end of his dominance on the golf course as the intimidating Tiger Woods also disappeared as he began to suffer physical issues possibly exacerbated by that car crash.
2011: Penn State football child abuse scandal
2011 marked ten years since 9/11 and the terrorist attack in New York. It was a year of another big event in 2011 as Penn State football took center stage and got national attention for off the field issues. Former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was was arrested and charged of abusing dozens of boys for years and legendary Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno was fired due to what his possible “inaction” about Sandusky’s assaults over the years. It led to a huge black cloud around the football program that had been led to a great history under Paterno, whose legacy will always be shaky due to the scandal.
2012: “Sandy”
The word “sandy” would usually conjure up thoughts of laying and enjoying time on the beach but it took on a different meeting in 2012. One of the more devastating hurricanes during the 2010s happened as Hurricane Sandy was the one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the United States in terms of damage done. It affected 24 U.S. states, especially Eastern states, and did a lot of damage to Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. It affected sports as well with travel plans and postponements. As sad as Hurricane Sandy was, it was just as sad when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut happened late in 2012 as a young man shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members. The sports world reacted with emotion but years later there was some joy related to the town affected.
2013: Remembering Nelson Mandela
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. … Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
Those are the words of Nelson Mandela who died on December 5, 2013. Mandela was known for being a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. His decades-long imprisonment drew global attention and he was a vital part of the end of apartheid in South Africa.
2014: Ferguson, Missouri
It could be said that the year 2014 was arguably the most socially important year in sports. Former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam came out as openly gay prior to the NFL Draft and became the first openly gay person drafted into the NFL. He became the biggest story during the NFL Draft and even got some NFL attention as a practice squad player for the Dallas Cowboys but never played in a game. The NFL also had to deal with the fallout from the Ray Rice domestic violence situation and how much of the public feel the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens botched his punishment as the video was released. However, the murder of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman led to protests on the streets and even demonstrations by professional athletes. It was a polarizing story and perhaps the start of the more vocal pro athlete regarding social issues that reemerged during the decade.
2015: The public battle for LGBT rights
Marriage equality happened during the year 2015 as in June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark civil rights case of Obergefell v. Hodges that the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples, with all the accompanying rights and responsibilities, is guaranteed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Athletes are human beings like the rest of society so it affected those were LGBT themselves and their families. More discussions around former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner as a transgender woman happened as LGBT education continues.
2016: Muhammad Ali 1942-2016
One of the most well-known athletes and public figures ever Muhammad Ali passed away during 2016. His death even overshadows the wild 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the awesome, history-making 2016 Summer Olympics, and Colin Kaepernick starting his national anthem demonstration. His boxing talent and accomplishments are only matched by his political views and stances. Ali became as known for his work towards black liberation, his unbridled passion for being a Muslim, his anti-war stance, and being a social activist than any of his incredible accomplishments in the boxing ring. He is “The Greatest”.
2017: Trump versus sports
During the his first full year as U.S. President, Donald Trump decided to have a few sports feuds along with his presidential duties. He used the national anthem protest as a talking point, publicly spoke out against NBA players and teams, and several sports teams and players declined invitations to the White House because of his presence. There was also sports reaction to the Charlottesville, Virginia confrontation and sad murder of Heather Heyer. During the year, people also banded together as Americans experienced many turbulent natural disasters. There were major hurricanes like Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma that destroyed major areas and property in Texas and Florida respectively. Athletes like Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt and Houston Rockets superstar James Harden were major contributors to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
2018: Legalized sports gambling and sentencing of a serial sexual abuser
For as long there has been sports, people have gambled on sports. However, in May 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that gave states throughout America the opportunity to legalize betting on sports within their respective states, which paves the way for states to adopt sports wagering, a largely underground but billion dollar industry in itself. It was also major news during the year that former USA Gymnastics national team doctor and Michigan State University osteopathic physician Larry Nassar, who became to embody the sexually assault predator that numerous women in sports have sadly dealt with in their lives, was sentenced. The public sharing of stories of assault and rape have transformed the structure of USA Gymnastics forever and gave even more credence to the #MeToo movement started by black woman Tarana Burke.
2019: The new landscape of college sports
It is not a surprise that although much of the attention of college sports focuses on major college basketball and football, in which most of the best players are black, the leadership within the NCAA is largely white men. This has had an effect on the hiring or lack thereof of major college football black head coaches and there was a couple of significant hirings in 2019 with the hiring of Keith Gill as the Sun Belt commissioner and Kevin Warren as the new Big Ten Conference commissioner as black men in leadership positions in major college sports. It was also crucial that the NCAA’s top governing board voted unanimously to allow college athletes to be compensated to profit off of their name, image and likeness. Student-athletes must still be treated similarly to nonathlete students and the NCAA also stipulates that college athletes must not be treated like employees of their respective universities. College athletes aren’t getting rightfully paid but it is a step in the right direction.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines