HUNGRY GERALD

HG was always a sports fan. In HG’s very young days, HG listened to NFL games on the radio. The little fellow admired the players with tough guy names—Bronko Nagurski, Tuffy Leemans, Bulldog Turner, Bruiser Kinard, etc. HG gloried in the skills of Sammy Baugh, Don Hutson, Ward Cuff and Mel Hein. HG’s active imagination made the radio as compelling as TV. Basketball stars were Jewish (plus some tall gentiles). Baseball players were Anglo-Saxon (Many of Irish background plus a sprinkling of Italian-Americans). It was a white, white sports world. No Black Americans (except in boxing). Over the years, HG has welcomed the dominance of Black athletes. Yesteryear’s lily white teams would be overwhelmed  by today’s Black athletes (it would be laughable in the case of basketball which is a predominantly Black sport with the exception of some gifted Europeans). Football (college and professional) has a majority of Black players. For years the only position that was wholly White was quarterback. No more (Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels (the Washington Commanders rookie sensation), Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson are champs). Baseball, since pioneer Jackie Robinson, has many North/South American/Caribbean Black players (and now, some Japanese). Even NHL hockey has a Black player. It is a more skilled, exciting sports world since the Black ascendancy.