(ThyBlackMan.com) The Philadelphia Eagles have a notable history of Black quarterbacks for their franchise. A generation before Jalen Hurts won a Super Bowl as the starting QB, Donovan McNabb was the face of the franchise during the 2000s, and the Eagles have even had two of the most unique QB talents in both Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick. This summer, the city of Philadelphia hosted another former NFL Black quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, who never played for the Eagles but has a unique legacy for different reasons. He is a quarterback who has become as well-known off the field as known for his NFL accomplishments on the field.
There are not many events in history that transcend the sport landscape and make a significant cultural impact. Muhammad Ali’s name change from Cassius Clay for religious reasons, Jackie Robinson’s integration into Major League Baseball, and Jack Johnson’s World Heavyweight Championship victory are a few of the more notable events that transcended sports and made an impact on the American historical landscape. Those events also incorporated the issue of a race at a time when it was an extremely volatile issue. However, one of the events in sports history that intertwines the issues of race and sport with the most controversy is the Black Power salute by Olympic medal winning sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympics.
Before making history in political sense, Tommie Smith and John Carlos represented the United States in 200-meter track event during the 1968 Olympics. “The gold medal that Smith won in the 200-meters on October 16, 1968, was a spectacular athletic achievement. What followed after the race would stand as one of the most powerful images in sports and Olympic history. As “The Star-Spangled Banner” began, Smith and Carlos bowed their heads and simultaneously raised a black-gloved fist, and the stadium crowd slowly but steadily booed and jeered in reaction. Smith remained perfectly still, while Carlos raised his head slightly. In terms of an explanation for their actions, in an interview with broadcaster Howard Cosell Tommie Smith clarified, “The right glove that I wore on my right hand signified the power within black America. The left glove my teammate John Carlos wore on his left hand made an arc with my right hand and his left hand also to signify black unity. The scarf that was worn around my neck signified blackness. John Carlos and me wore socks, black socks, without shoes, to also signify our poverty,”.
The 1968 Olympics occurred during a time when race was at the forefront of American society. The Civil Rights Movement was working towards ending racial discrimination and increasing civil rights for African Americans. This made racial tension within the United States a serious problem that extended into sports. Although the boycotts by Black athletes at the 1968 Olympics were a possibility in the eyes of the American media, they never were put into effect as although black athletes did participate in the 1968 Summer Olympics, two young black men would instead make a political statement that would last a lifetime.
Before Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in the National Basketball Association during the 1990s, before Colin Kaepernick of the National Football League during the 2010s, there was John Carlos and Tommie Smith. The Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics is unarguably one of the most powerful images in sport of the last 50 years. However, it is its legacy outside of sport that will have a greater impact.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
