Analyzing The Los Angeles Rams Journey To Reintegrate The NFL In 1946

After reading this article, the Los Angeles Rams helped reintegrate the NFL in 1946 when they signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, the first African American players in the league in over a decade. This came about due to a request at a Coliseum Commission meeting by Black newspaper editors. While Washington and Strode did not become stars in the NFL, their signings broke the league’s color barrier and paved the way for further integration. Over subsequent years, more teams signed Black players as the league integrated. By the early 1950s, all but one team was integrated, though the final team held out due to its owner’s refusal until forced to sign a player in 1962. The Ram’s signings of Washington and Strode in 1946 marked an important

Here are my 4 quotations from the article, “There was far less media coverage of the integration of the NFL than there was of Jackie Robinson playing minor league baseball in 1946. This reflected the importance of each sport at the time in the minds of the general public. Pro football in the mid-1940s was still something of a second tier sport, and the NFL didn't occupy the nation's consciousness to the extent it does today.” This quote matters because it provides historical context and highlights the significance of the NFL’s integration in relation to other major sports events of the time. “He (Kenny Washington) would go on to play in 27 games over three seasons with the Rams over three seasons. His most famous game for the team came on November 2, 1947 against the Chicago Cardinals (who later moved to St. Louis, only to then move to Arizona, which allowed the Rams to move to St. Louis in 1995), when he had a 92-yard touchdown run.” This quote matters because he was a big factor on the team which inspired the organization to become