The Dark History of the NFL’s Original Racial Sins

Blackballed: Gentleman’s Agreement by The Ringer

What’s more fall in America than football? Not much. Both Anna and I are fans and had a good chat about growing up with football in the house. For her it was the Steelers, for me it was the Seahawks but so many similarities in the memories.

How does this relate to allyship? Well… sports, at least in America, tend to both have the opportunity to reveal inequalities and injustice and also the potential to bring together people with different backgrounds and political leanings… and maybe heal some of these wounds as well. So, we thought why not feature this great podcast series from The Ringer that helps share some of the stories of early racial discrimination in the NFL and how it relates to the league today.

Suggested discussion questions (if you need something to start the conversation):

• Where you aware of Colin Kaepernick’s protests when they happened? What were your thoughts about them at the time? What about now looking back?

• What role do you think sports play in society? What responsibility do sports organizations have towards equality?

• Have you ever experienced discrimination related to sports or athletics? How did it make you feel? How did you handle the situation?