AMERICAN SPORT1960-1971

CIVIL RIGHTS AND SPORTS• THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN

THE 1960s HAD TWO VERY DISTINCT AND SEPARATE BRANCHES…– THE NON-VIOLENT BRANCH OF M.L.K. – THE MILITANT BRANCH OF MALCOLM X AND

OTHERS IN THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT• ATHLETES, INCLUDING MANY WHITES, USED

SPORTS TO FORWARD THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. THESE ATHLETES WERE PART OF BOTH BRANCHES TO VARYING DEGREES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE DECADE, BUT BECAME VERY MILITANT BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

CASSIUS CLAY / MUHAMMAD ALI• BORN IN LOUISVILLE, KY

(“THE LOUISVILLE LIP”)

• WON GOLD AT THE 1960 ROME OLYMPICS(LT. HVYWT DIVISION)

• WAS A BRASH, YOUNG FIGHTER WITH LITTLE POPULAR FOLLOWING, UNTIL HE BEAT SONNY LISTON IN 1964

• THE NEXT DAY, HE ANNOUNCED HIS MEMBERSHIP IN THE NATION OF ISLAM

CLAY / ALI (cont.)• CLAY IMMEDIATELY

BECAME THE MOST DIVISIVE FIGURE IN AMERICAN SPORT, AND ARGUABLY IN ALL OF THE NATION

• BRIEFLY CALLED HIMSELF CASSIUS X, THEN CHANGED HIS NAME TO MUHAMMAD ALI

THE NAME DEBATE• AMERICANS DIVIDED INTO TWO CAMPS BASED

ON HOW THEY REFERRED TO THIS FIGHTER:– “CLAY” – MOSTLY WHITE; RESISTED THE CHANGES

OF THE SIXTIES, ESP. THE MILITANCY; GENERALLY SUPPORTED THE VIETNAM WAR

– “ALI” – BLACKS AND MORE PROGRESSIVE WHITES; ACTIVE IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT; GENERALLY OPPOSED THE VIETNAM WAR

• 1967 FIGHT vs ERNIE TERRELL– “WHAT’S MY NAME!”– “I WANT TO TORTURE HIM.”

JOE FRAZIER (‘64) & GEORGE FOREMAN (‘68)

ALI AND THE DRAFT• Ali refused entry into the draft during Vietnam• Was arrested for evading the draft– Stripped of titles– Possible 5 years in prison– Claimed to be a “conscientious objector”– Supreme Court eventually overturned lower court

decision and decided in Ali’s favor

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EXPANSION IN BASEBALL• IN 1960 (AS WE ALREADY KNOW), THERE WERE 16

MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS.• MANY CITIES IN THE SOUTH AND WEST WERE GROWING

IN POPULATION, AND SOUGHT TEAMS OF THEIR OWN.• BRANCH RICKEY PROPOSED THE CONTINENTAL LEAGUE,

A NEW 8-TEAM BASEBALL LEAGUE.• THE MAJOR LEAGUES RESPONDED:

– 1961: L.A. & WASHINGTON– 1962: N.Y.C. & HOUSTON– 1969: KANSAS CITY, SEATTLE, SAN DIEGO, MONTREAL

• THE 1960s ALSO SAW TEAMS MOVE TO MINNEAPOLIS, ATLANTA, DALLAS, AND OAKLAND.

RIVAL LEAGUES IN OTHER SPORTS• AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (A.F.L.)– BOSTON, N.Y., BUFFALO, KANSAS CITY, HOUSTON,

DENVER, OAKLAND, L.A. [LATER MIAMI AND CINCINNATI]– ALL TEAMS EVENTUALLY BECAME MEMBERS OF THE

N.F.L.• AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (A.B.A.)• WORLD HOCKEY ASSOCIATION (W.H.A.)• IN ADDITION TO BRINGING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

TO NEW CITIES, THESE LEAGUES ADDED NEW RULES TO THEIR SPORTS.– 2-POINT CONVERSION (FOOTBALL)– 3-POINT SHOT (BASKETBALL)

HOUSTON ASTRODOME

• MULTIPURPOSE (CIRCULAR)

• DOME• ARTIFICIAL TURF

(ASTROTURF)

GROWTH OF THE N.F.L.• THE NFL USED THE MOMENTUM GAINED IN THE

1950s, ESP. FROM THE 1958 CHAMPIONSHIP, TO INCREASE ITS POPULARITY IN THE 1960s.

• PETE ROZELLE BECAME COMMISSIONER IN 1960.– NFL-AFL MERGER– TV CONTRACTS

• THE SUPER BOWL– ORIGIN OF THE NAME (LAMAR HUNT’S DAUGHTER)– SUPER BOWL III– *NOTE*: THE FIRST FOUR SUPER BOWLS WERE

CONTESTED BEFORE THE MERGER.

THE N.F.L. AND TELEVISION• THE NFL SPLIT TV REVENUES EQUALLY

BETWEEN ITS MEMBER FRANCHISES.• BLACKOUT RULE (1973): GAME MUST BE

SOLD OUT 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF KICKOFF IN ORDER TO BE TELEVISED LOCALLY.

TV NUMBERS• 1962: CBS APPROX. $5 MILLION• 1964: CBS $14 MILLION• 1964 [AFL]: NBC $8.4 MILLION• 1970: APPROX. $50 MILLION (FROM

MULTIPLE NETWORKS)• 1977: FOUR YEARS, $656 MILLION • 1982: APPROX. $400 MILLION PER YEAR

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NJ Native- Vince Lombardi

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Super Bowl 1

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Joe Namath

• hjlkjlkhNamath led the Jets to a Super Bowl victory when Most believed the AFL team were inferior to the NFL teams…..also guaranteed victory before the game.

“Broadway Joe”

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Monday Night Football Commentators Don Meredith, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford

-Argued reserve clause was unfair (kept players attached to their original team for life)-His efforts led the way to free agency in sports-Led to large increased in players salaries

Curt Flood- St.Louis Cardinals

• 1969 mets• 1971 pirates The Pittsburg Pirates won the 1971

World Series and were the first team to win with a majority of players being Latino or African American

Roberto Clemente