Racism in professional sports has been documented for decades. However, only in recent years has it been more noticeable. The recent ‘Take the Knee’ Movement ahs sparked outrage on both sides as people fight for equality and others fight for patriotism. However, this is just one symptom of a much larger disease that is institutionalized racism and how it crossed over into sports. Certain theories like critical race theory and colorism allow for an understanding of what it means to be a person of color in professional sports and how it affects certain outcomes. This essay is meant to highlight what racism in professional sports is, how it has led to the ‘Take the Knee Movement’, and how theory plays a part in understanding it all. Professional sports in the United States has been a ‘Whites Only’ area up until the mid-20th century. It was not until certain black athletes became the first to achieve a professional sports position like quarterback for there to be some integration of people of color on the field. For example, 1953 saw Willie Thrower become the first-ever black quarterback in Am erican Football and it only one black QB, Douglass Williams has led his team to the Super Bowl. “Doug Williams has been the only black QB to lead his team his team to a Super Bowl win when he led the Washington Redskins blew out the Denver Broncos 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII.” (Fuhrman) This shows not only that is was hard to gain such a position then, but it is also difficult now with only 4 spots or so being given to non-white players (QB position).

No one knew the struggle of being non-white in professional sports than Jackie Robinson. His efforts landed him a role as one of the greatest sports players in history. However, he had to struggle greatly to do so. His story is one of the highlights of black athletes in sports and staunch racism as well.

Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player. Through his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he managed to become the first African-American in the Major Leagues. His will and determination set him above everyone else and allowed him to shine amidst such troubling times. Even...

However, the abuse didn’t affect his performance on the baseball field. Robinson played in 151 games, hit .297, stole more bases than anyone else in the National League and was awarded the first-ever Rookie of the Year title. (History.com Staff)
His and other’s stories show that racism was rampant in professional sports in the mid-20th century. However, some people believe it has all but left in modern times. This is not the case as while blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic groups enter sports, there are still racial barriers there that keep such athletes from feeling completely at home in their teams and in their sports. In fact, in the last few years, incidents of racism have increased leading people to believe racism remains prevalent in professional sports. “The same was true in sport in 2016, where such acts tripled from 11 in 2015 to 31 in 2016, according to research…There were 104 reported incidents of racism in sports internationally in 2016.” (Lapchick)

Why is this the case? What can help better understand the existence of racism in sports? Critical race theory and colorism are theoretical frameworks that may help explain why racism remains such a problem in professional sports. Critical race theory (CRT) is a theoretical framework that allows for application of critical theory. Critical theory is a critical analysis of culture and society regarding things like law, race, and power. Some key elements of CRT is storytelling/counterstorytelling, Essentialism philosophy, and structural determinism. (Martin) When applied to the area of professional sports it can help pick apart the different aspects of race and racism inherent in American culture that creates the prevalence of inequality in professional sports.

CRT’s focus on social justice and transformation are two areas…