Prejudice And Racism In The Film Glory Road

‘Glory Road’, the movie, is about the 1966 Texas Western Men’s Basketball team, coached by Don Haskins. The movie is like any other sports film but at the same time, different. It shows a rookie coach, an underdog team, resistance from players at first, a coach who imposes a system and is strict (but consistent) with his athletes, and of course, they win the big game. Though it’s the same storyline included in most sport films, the movie is not about winning or losing – it is a true story about racism in American sports and how Don Haskins and the Texas Western Miners Men’s Basketball team changed the game of basketball. During this time, there was an “informal rule” that you couldn’t play more than one black player during home games, two

Clashes were always resolved in private or group forum, where the coach and players speak out and listen to one another, but the movie doesn't linger on them. Instead, it shows Texas Western going on the road with a mostly black team in a South where the teams were mostly white. This team had to go every day of getting looked at funny, looked down upon, and were thought less of because of the black players. Texas Western shows up to their games to the sound of racist comments, food being thrown at them, and being physically abused. One player is beaten in a restroom and the teams' motel rooms are trashed in East Texas. The white players begin to bond with their teammates who are the targets of such attacks. Yet through all of this they endured and pushed forward until there was nowhere to push. All the adversity actually bonded the players together as they all shared the struggle, including the white players. And then, when everything depends on the Big Game, Haskins announces he plans to play only black athletes. He wants to make a point. By this time, the white players understand the point, and agree with

Haskins focused on fundamentals, disciple and defensive basketball. “Discipline both on and off the court. No girls no booze, no late nights, nothing besides fundamental basketball.” He also insisted that when “I speak, you listen. I don’t wanna hear can’t, won’t, coach, I’m bleeding. I don’t wanna hear anything except the basketball bounce. You play basketball my way. My way’s hard. ” Haskins expected his players to be tough and to focus on the game - he respected the game and his players, no matter the outcome, the haters or the race and color. Haskins focused on basketball, his players’ education, sportsmanship, and his team. He was strict with his players, coached them to become better men, and at the same time defended them no matter the