Racism In Glory Road

The movie, Glory Road directed by James Gartner was released on January 13, 2006 (IMDb staff., 2018). It was rated PG-Parental Guidance Suggested for racial issues including violence, epithets, and mild language (IMDb staff., 2018). This 118 minute sports film depicts the inspiring true story of the underdog Texas Western University basketball team with the first all-African American starting lineup of players, who surprisingly won the 1966 NCAA tournament title on March 19th (IMDb staff, 2018). Unlike college basketball teams of today, in 1966 blacks were not allowed to play college basketball (Integration, 2012). Josh Lucas stars as the future Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins, the passionately dedicated college basketball coach who recruited

In 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education deemed segregated public schools unconstitutional, yet white southern colleges did not begin to admit African American students until the early 1960s; furthermore, even though African Americans encompassed raw talent and the necessary physical characteristics, they were excluded from athletic teams until the late 1960s and early 1970s (Integration, 2012). Coach Don Haskins, a man with no prejudices, did not care about what other people thought. He explained to the players he was trying to recruit, "I do not see color, I just see talent and that is what I put on the court (Gartner, 2006). Haskins realized that talent does not differentiate between race, color, sex or age. By utilizing this novel idea to play the best players no matter the color of their skin, Head Coach Haskin’s true desire was to create a competitive team. However, his winning team revealed that black players could not only play well but also they could lead, think, and do everything white players could; thus, they modified the sport that had been overrun by white players and began to change the world by exposing discrimination and promoting equality for all. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment

During this most important game in the history of college basketball, Coach Don Haskins shattered racial barriers and encouraged the Texas Miners to succeed against all odds, while Martin Luther King, Jr. influenced and paved the way for the desegregation of schools and other institutions and the landmark legislation, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act (History.com staff, 1996). Through self-discipline, hard work, and bonding together as a team, Coach Haskins formed a team that withstood violence, discrimination, verbal abuse, and death threats and triumphed to expose and reduce racism in basketball and society. The film’s sports suspense illustrates how the Miners paved the road for future generations to play in a league that was thought to be mainly for white people; thus, today basketball is a sport that is predominantly played by black players. Additionally, African Americans began to be treated more equally in