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10 Most Famous Black Athletes in History

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Jackie Robinson thegrio.com

In this text, we are going to give attention to 10 individuals whose excellence brought them fame and altered their sports without end.

What sporting achievements do you’ll want to achieve to go down in history?

Notable black athletes make sports history by playing a key role in winning a championship, breaking a record, or being the primary to realize something in their sport. Some athletes use their platforms to make political or social statements or to drive advocacy, which can even help establish an athlete’s legacy.

Famous Black Athletes Who Changed the History of Their Sport

Get to know 10 famous black athletes and their biggest achievements, and you’ll understand why their names are so famous.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles competes in the course of the freestyle exercise on the fourth day of qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team at Target Center on June 30, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

With 37 Olympic and World Championship medals to her name, Simone Biles is probably the most decorated gymnast in history and, by most accounts, the best gymnast of all time. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles became the primary American gymnast to win 4 gold medals in a single Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the long-lasting black gymnast made headlines again, this time for withdrawing from competition to give attention to her well-being, drawing worldwide attention to the importance of mental health for athletes, for which she is a powerful advocate.

Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts after his victory over Sabrina Ionescu in the course of the NBA All-Star Weekend, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Son former NBA playerStephen “Steph” Curry has basketball in his blood. Curry, a degree guard for the Golden State Warriors, is one of the crucial famous black American basketball players and probably the greatest shooters in the history of the sport. His long-range shooting skills not only earned him multiple NBA three-point shooting records and other awards. They modified the sport significantly, placing greater emphasis on long-range shooting. He’s also a extremely good golfer, and played a significant role in the revival of the Howard University golf team.

Jackie Robinson

Baseball player Jackie Robinson, thegrio.com, famous black athletes
Jackie Robinson, the primary black man to be signed by a Major League Baseball team, is shown in a post-strike stance in front of the stands. Robinson is wearing the uniform of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ then-affiliate Montreal Royals. (Getty Images)

Jackie Robinson made history when he stepped onto the sphere for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, becoming the primary black man to play in the trendy era of MLB. Robinson was an elite athlete, winning Rookie of the Year honors in his first season. His legacy as a civil rights advocate and athlete earned him the number 42 retired by all MLB teams.

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick, thegrio.com, famous black athletes
Colin Kaepernick takes part in a halftime throwdown in the course of the Michigan Spring American Football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick stands out amongst famous black athletes for his resume. His profession highlights include leading his team to the Super Bowl and setting an NFL record for single-game rushing yards by a quarterback. But he’s best known for his actions off the sphere. Kaepernick began kneeling in the course of the national anthem before NFL games to protest police brutality and racial inequality. His activism has not only sparked a movement and brought attention to those issues. It has also earned him Citizen of the Year 2017 in keeping with GQ magazine and the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Awards.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali Unveils His New Book, thegrio.com, Famous Black Athletes
American skilled boxer, activist and philanthropist Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) attends a press conference to launch his recent autobiographical book, The Greatest: My Own Story, on March 10, 1976, at The Savoy Hotel in London, United Kingdom. (Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Muhammad Ali is one of the crucial famous black athletes in sports history. His boxing profession began with a bang — a gold medal in the sunshine heavyweight division on the 1960 Olympics — and included several iconic fights, including the “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman and the “Thrilla in Manila” with Joe Frazier. Ali also made headlines for his peace and civil rights activism, even refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military because he opposed the Vietnam War.

Jesse Owens

Jumping Jesse, thegrio.com, famous black athletes
August 15, 1936: American athlete Jesse Owens competes in the long jump in the course of the USA vs. British Empire track and field meet at White City Stadium in west London. (Photo: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) – Source: Photo Central Press / Getty Images

Jesse Owens was a black track and field athlete and long jumper known for his victories on the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He followed in the footsteps of George Poage, the primary African-American to win a medal on the Olympics, taking home two bronze medals on the 1904 Games in St. Louis. Two many years later, Owens won 4 gold medals, making him probably the most decorated athlete on the Games and a counternarrative to Adolf Hitler’s Aryan supremacist beliefs. Despite his Olympic success, Owens faced racial discrimination in the United States, was not invited to the White House, and struggled to secure sponsorship deals. Still, he persevered and built a fame as a sports and civil rights icon despite the chances.

Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner, Flo Jo, thegrio.com, famous black athletes
In this 1988 photo, American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner of Los Angeles races for a world record in the ladies’s 200-meter Olympic semifinals in Seoul. Once again, the late Joyner’s hallowed women’s sprint records of 10.49 in the 100 and 21.34 in the 200 look like in jeopardy. (Photo by Lennox McLendon/AP, archive)

Florence Griffith Joyner, higher often known as Flo-Jo, is the fastest woman of all time, having set world records in the 100- and 200-meter sprints on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials and still unbeaten. A task model for African-American female athletes, she won three gold medals and one silver medal on the Olympic Games that very same 12 months. In addition to being a unprecedented runner, Flo-Jo is often known as a mode icon, wearing daring, one-legged racing suits and sporting long, painted nails.

Naomi Osaka

Japan’s Naomi Osaka serves against Italian Lucia Bronzetti during their first-round match on the French Open tennis tournament on the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Naomi Osaka is a Japanese-Haitian tennis player who was born in Japan, raised in the United States, and selected to play for the Japanese Olympic team, which was met with criticism. With 4 Grand Slam singles titles, two US Open titles, and two Australian Open titles, she won her first US Open on the age of just 20, defeating 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and becoming the primary Asian woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Osaka became the primary tennis player to light the Olympic flame on the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, confirming her position because the leading celebrity black female athlete.

Serena Williams

Tennis star Serena Williams holds a tennis ball while preparing for a serve, thegrio.com, famous black athletes
Serena Williams of the United States serves against Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain in the course of the National Bank Open tournament, a part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at Sobeys Stadium on August 8, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Serena Williams is widely considered one among the best female athletes of all time. The retired tennis player has 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, probably the most in the Open era and the second most in history. She can be the one player to win a profession Golden Slam — winning all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal — in each singles and doubles. Since retiring from the sport, Williams has develop into an entrepreneur, dressmaker and philanthropist, often involved in education and community development.

Coconut gauff

Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Announcements
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 24: Coco Gauff of Team USA trains during a tennis training session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Roland Garros on July 24, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) – Source: Photo Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

Young tennis player Coco Gauff made her Olympic debut in Paris after missing the 2020 Tokyo Games resulting from illness. She defeated Venus Williams in her Wimbledon debut at just 15 years old. With seven singles titles under her belt, including the 2023 US Open, and nine doubles titles by the age of 20, Gauff is one among our rising stars amongst black athletes.

Stay up up to now with history and the most recent sports news

The above list is just the tip of the iceberg in relation to recognizing the best black athletes in history. There are many other famous black athletes who dominate their sports. Stay up up to now with the most recent sports news, and who knows? You might witness one other black pioneer set a record or set a brand new standard in their sport.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata follows in Deion Sanders’ footsteps and gets the opportunity of a lifetime

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One of the most underrated features of Deion Sanders’ Colorado experience was the journey Alejandro Matahis 20-year-old junior, a kicker. Mata followed Coach Prime from Jackson State to the University of Colorado, but that was only part of his story.

His journey to Boulder, Colorado, took him through Jackson, Mississippi, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where he was born. His father was the CEO of a world company, and there have been more stops along the way: Mexico, Brazil, and finally Buford, Georgia, where his family moved when he was 16.

Of all the changes, the most difficult was adjusting from highschool in Georgia to the historically black college culture in Mississippi.

“It was definitely more of a drastic transition from Buford to Jackson,” Mata said by phone Wednesday after practice. “I really had no expectations. I didn’t know what to expect. And just getting there and seeing the culture that Jackson State had was amazing.”

But whether it was at Jackson State or now Colorado, Mata has develop into a fan favorite wherever he’s gone. He attributes that to his ability to adapt to his many moves when he was young.

“I was born in Honduras, grew up in Mexico and Brazil, and then I moved to South Georgia, and then after a few years there, I moved to North Georgia,” Mata said. “So all those moves really helped me adjust to different cultures. Moving from an HBCU to Boulder, of course, was a complete culture shock, but it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. So that made it easier.”

Colorado coach Deion Sanders (left) with kicker Alejandro Mata (right) against Arizona at Folsom Field on Nov. 11, 2023.

Boyd Ivey/Icon Sportswire

It was college football that brought him to Boulder. Mata got here to the United States in 2016 but didn’t start playing until he was in the eighth grade, when his physical education teacher saw him kicking footballs out of bounds. He became a kicker for Buford High School, helping the team win two state championships in the past two years.

At 5-foot-9 and 190 kilos, Mata went undrafted, so he and his father visited schools and did workouts. There was one taker: Sanders at Jackson State. Mata eagerly accepted the scholarship offer, although he never in his wildest dreams thought he can be kicking in front of 40,000 college football fans.

“So initially, when I started playing football, I didn’t really see myself as a great player,” Mata said. “I really thought I was going to be a footballer my whole life and then I was going to work a regular 9-5. But football definitely broadened my perspective on what was possible.”

Last yr, Colorado began the season fantastically. They began the season with a surprise to seventeenth TCU. Colorado’s quarterback Sanders-shedeur threw for a school-record 510 yards and scored 4 touchdowns, with the victory being decided by a 46-yard catch-and-run by the freshman Dylan EdwardsColorado won 45-42.

Colorado won just three games the rest of the season and finished with a dismal 4-8 record.

Things are a bit more serious this season. Colorado is currently 2-1 and opens its Big 12 schedule Saturday against Baylor.

Mata said the biggest change for the team this yr is its attitude.

“Definitely the mentality,” he said. “Last year I felt we got a little too comfortable with a few wins, and this year we want to go all out.”

The highlight of Mata’s season last yr got here against Arizona State, when he kicked a 43-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to provide Colorado a 27-24 victory. But once I asked Mata to call the best moment of his college experience to this point, the kick against Arizona State got here in second.

He returned to Jackson State.

“A lot of people might think that was my game-winning kick against Arizona State last season,” he said. “But honestly, I think my first field goal — that Hard Rock Stadium, my first year, my first year against FAMU, 34 yards — was just incredible. Especially knowing that’s how I started my college career.”

Colorado Buffaloes kicker Alejandro Mata (right) celebrates with punter Mark Vassett (left) after scoring the game-winning field goal against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium on Oct. 7, 2023.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mata’s story has so many dimensions. One of them is the role HBCUs play in providing opportunity, serving as launching pads for greater and higher things.

Although he was at Colorado for 2 seasons, the HBCU experience at Jackson State is etched in his heart. Whether it’s the homecoming, the Greek life or the atmosphere, the HBCU culture isn’t something you’ll be able to easily replicate.

“I talk about it with my friends all the time,” he said. “The culture and the fans there are just different. Like homecoming week, Greek life there, it was just a party every day, basically. Or at least that’s how it felt.”

Mata plans to return to Jackson State next month. “Luckily, this season, our week off falls on our home week at Jackson State. So I plan on flying out there for the game.”

Of course, one of the drawbacks of being in Colorado is that he now finds himself playing on a big stage in a Power 5 conference that has a history of producing skilled athletes. He is closer than he ever could have imagined to achieving what once may need gave the impression of an unattainable goal of playing skilled football.

“It’s great to know that I can create wealth for generations, not just for myself but for future generations, my family and my parents, because that’s really the only reason I do this,” Mata said. “My dad worked too hard for me not to be successful, and I want to be able to take that back once I get drafted or join the NFL.”

To try this, Mata knows he needs to enhance. He is usually described as a “line drive” or “low trajectory” field goal kicker. He is comfortable kicking field goals from 53 to 54 yards, although his longest field goal this yr was 27 yards.

As a sophomore, he made 10 of 12 field goal attempts — his misses were from greater than 40 yards out. His longest attempt of the season was 47 yards out. “I definitely need to get my distance up. That’s the most important thing for me right now. I know I have the accuracy to get to the next level, but if I really want to guarantee myself a spot there, I definitely need to get a few more yards up in range.”

How? “Getting in shape, obviously getting stronger, getting more flexible, getting more confident from a distance. I know I can get to 55, no problem. I just have to tell myself I can.”

Most importantly, Mata was in a position to complete his studies because of a sports scholarship.

Colorado Buffaloes kicker Alejandro Mata in motion against the Utah Utes on Nov. 25, 2023, at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Very few players in major league college football or the NFL have had an African-American coach. Mata is fortunate to have a coach like Sanders, who played in the MLB and had a Hall of Fame profession in the NFL. Sanders looks in school football through a business lens and encourages his players to look beyond the field and the immediacy of being a college football player.

“What’s special about him is not only that he’s a football coach, but I think he’s great at coaching us in life,” Mata said. “He’s great at preparing us for life after football, in case some of us don’t make it. And I think that’s what sets him apart from other coaches.”

There was a significant Latino population in Buford, a small Latino population in Jackson, and now Colorado has a significant Latino population again. “Especially around Pueblo and Aurora, it’s just great to have people like me around,” Mata said.

When asked how he identifies, Mata said, “To be honest, I just say Spanish because I grew up in a lot of places, so I don’t really know what to say considering where I come from. So I just say Spanish.”

I asked Mata what he considered the pressing issue of immigration, knowing that as a college athlete he needed to walk a very superb line. He was a diplomat.

“Of course I see points of view on both sides, but for the most part I try to stay away from politics,” he said. “I just don’t try to piss anyone off over something I don’t like or something I like.”

Mata’s family still lives in Buford. His oldest sister is a junior in highschool, and his youngest is just starting middle school. Mata will not be a national star like Colorado teammates Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but he’s a legend at Buford High School. “My sister always tells me how the new freshmen come up to her and ask if she’s my little sister, if we’re related,” he said. “The new teacher she has on her roster who taught me always asks her if we’re related.”

Life is sweet, and it is going to be even higher if Mata will help Sanders replicate in Colorado the success he had at Jackson State, where he went 27-6 in three seasons and won two Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.

“Right now, we’re just worried about Baylor,” Mata said. “But if we’re talking about the bigger picture, we’re thinking about competing for the Big 12 championship. We want to compete for the national championship, make the playoffs as a team.”

His individual goals: “I definitely want every opportunity to count for me, whether it’s a field goal or a PAT, and I want to be able to capitalize on every single one of them.”

Mata definitely made the most of the opportunity this trip of a lifetime gave her.

William C. Rhoden is a columnist at Andscape and the creator of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. He directs Rhoden Fellows, a training program for aspiring journalists at HBCUs.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Former Super Bowl player arrested after allegedly assaulting 82-year-old at gym

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A retired NFL player has been arrested after being accused of assaulting an 82-year-old man while they were each at an area Planet Fitness in August. According to , the incident occurred in North Providence, RI, where police arrested former New England Patriots defensive end Patrick Pass on September 18.

The assault allegedly occurred at a gym on Aug. 28. Pass allegedly punched 82-year-old Juan Muriel after the 2 argued over exercise equipment, police said. Muriel fell to the ground and suffered back injuries.

informed that the surveillance recording revealed According to Alfredo Ruggiero Jr., North Providence Police Chief, Muriel went to the machine to wipe it because she thought it was empty. That’s when an argument broke out with Pass, who was standing near the machine.

“I believe the victim thought the machine was empty, which meant he thought he could use it,” Ruggiero said.

Authorities say Pass is charged with assault on a person over 60, causing bodily harm and disorderly conduct. The former football player was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond pending a hearing, in line with court documents.

Police said he was scheduled to seem in court in December.

A Planet Fitness spokesman said:

“At Planet Fitness, the safety of our members is our top priority and we take incidents like this very seriously. The individual’s membership has been canceled and the local franchise group is working closely with authorities on the ongoing investigation. Please contact your local authorities for additional information.”

A reporter from spoke to Pass at his home, and he responded, “Look at me, do you think I’m going to do this? Really? Please come on,” Pass said. “I’ve got better things to do than try to mug someone.”

Pass is because of appear in court in December.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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‘Mike Doesn’t Look His Healthiest’: Fans Spot Disturbing Changes in Michael Jordan’s Appearance That Raise Serious Health Concerns

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Many sports enthusiasts consider Michael Jordan to be the best skilled basketball player of all time. However, fans of the NBA legend are actually concerned about his well-being.

Jordan traveled to Monaco together with his wife, Yvette Prieto, for the UEFA Champions League match between Monaco and Barcelona on September 19, which Monaco won 2-1.

Michael Jordan Donates $10 Million to Medical Clinics in His North Carolina Hometown: 'Everyone Should Have Access to Quality Healthcare'
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 24: Michael Jordan attends a press conference before the NBA Paris Game between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks on January 24, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Photos of the American billionaire in the European country sparked concern from social media users after Bleacher Report shared photos of Jordan on Instagram. Fans who zoomed in on the photo immediately noticed that his sclera (the white of his eyes) appeared discolored.

“What’s up with his eyes, man?” one person wrote in the comments section. Another asked, “Does he have jaundice??? His eyes are way too yellow.”

A 3rd fan wrote: “Mike doesn’t look the healthiest. Maybe he’ll have to give up the cigars and cognac.”

Jaundice is a disease that causes the skin, sclera, and mucous membranes to show yellow. According to Cleveland Clinicthe disease could also be brought on by liver dysfunction.

“His liver is begging for help,” one Instagram user wrote of Michael Jordan. Another account exclaimed, “Check out the GOAT’s liver!”

People on the web also offered advice to the six-time NBA champion. For example, one suggested, “MJ, drink some water, man, for fuck’s sake.”

There was also speculation that His Airness can have been smoking marijuana, with an Instagram user wondering: “Is this guy high or did he have a shot to the liver?”

Jordan was often known as a celebration animal in the ’90s. According to his former teammates and players, he had a habit of drinking beer while playing golf all day, then heading to the basketball court for a game. Today, he can often be found partying on yachts with friends, smoking a cigar.

Magic Johnson told an identical story about how Jordan, whom he described as “the strongest, non-basketball player… athlete I’d ever seen,” once wanted him to come back home after hours.

“I told Mike I can’t stay up until 4 a.m., have a drink, get up, play 18 rounds of golf, sleep for an hour and then come in and score 30 (points) by halftime,” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe on “Club Shay Shay.” “I know who I am.”

This isn’t the primary time Jordan’s eye color has been rumored. After the 10-part Netflix docuseries The Last Dance premiered in 2020, viewers theorized a few possible MJ condition.

“Yellow eyes should not be ignored because they are a sign of something more. There is literally more than meets the eye,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Val Phua VICE in 2020 in response to Jordan’s appearance in the film “The Last Dance.”

The doctor from the Eagle Eye Centre in Singapore also said that “leaving eye diseases untreated leads to vision deterioration and even blindness.”

While questions on his health proceed to arise, Jordan has expressed interest in helping others receive treatment. The North Carolina-raised athlete has teamed up with Novant Health to open three clinics in his home state.

Two Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinics have opened in Charlotte. The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic in Wilmington will open in May 2024.

“Everyone deserves access to high-quality health care, no matter where they live or whether they have insurance,” Jordan said in press release earlier this yr.

He added, “I am truly inspired by the many moving stories of people who are now experiencing success thanks to the support of our medical clinics in Charlotte.”

Jordan was previously married to Juanita Vanoy in September 1989. She was reportedly awarded a $168 million settlement after filing for divorce for a second time in 2006. They had three children: Jeffrey, 35, Marcus, 33, and Jasmine, 31, who’s involved in her father’s athletic shoe line.

The NBA Hall of Famer married Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto in April 2013. The couple, who met in 2008 and got engaged in 2011, share 10-year-old twin daughters named Victoria and Ysabel.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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