Since the very first Olympic Games in 760 BC, sport has grown and never stopped. Not only because it is fun and a great source of entertainment, but it also has helped people succeed in their everyday lives and helps people come together as one. The ability to overcome segregation has been a major part of our society and will continue to be. Sport has influenced everything from how we dress, how we act, to how we spend our money. The fact is simple, sport is crucial to the society and we are better off with it in our lives, furthermore without sport our society would not be the way it is today.

Our society has become a very diverse group of people. It was  not always the most accepting and equal, but with sport we have made large movements towards equality and acceptance of people no matter what their skin color may be. The largest way sport has impacted our society was its prominent role during integration in the early 1960’s.  In 1963 a church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed which gave a few athletes the chance to make a public statement. The two athletes that were present, Floyd Patterson and Jackie Robison, were able to use their fame in sports as a platform to connect with everyday citizens. That was nothing new then but what was different was that they were both African American. The 1960’s was a very difficult time for African Americans as they were still being racially persecuted. As Michael Cramer explains in his paper about race and sport, “Jim Crow ruled the day. Sports was one of the few ways that Jim Crow could be overcome” (Line 21-22). Jim Crow was a group of laws in which “separate but equal” was implied. When African American athletes used their platforms to address all races, this prompted the motion to eventually overcome separation by the color of skin. One very important thing that happened that helped speed up integration comes directly from sport. The two schools that are part of this story are the University of Alabama and the University of Southern California. Birmingham, where the University of Alabama is located was known as a very segregated city. One LA columnist was quoted saying about Birmingham, “When you talk about evening dress it means a bed sheet with eyeholes” (Cramer). Alabama football coach Bear Bryant understood that he needed to do something to help integrate his school, and more importantly his football team. Coach Bryants’ friend John McKay was the head coach at USC, an integrated football team. Coach Bryant decided to meet with Coach McKay; at this meeting Bryant asked to play USC to open the 1970 season. The game was in Birmingham which worried many USC players to the point that 6 of them brought handguns with them, some brought them to the stadium and even more onto the sidelines. The amount of hate African American players received in Alabama was outstanding, even checking in people were yelling racial slurs at the players. One of the coaches for USC said “This is the Civil War all over again and we’re the good guys.” USC dominated Alabama and won by a score of 42-21. After losing the game, one of the most competitive coaches in football, Bear Bryant walked up to McKay and thanked him. He knew that this was what Alabama needed to try and help desegregate his football team and eventually the whole state. The very next year Alabama integrated its football team. This game was named as one of the 20 Great Tipping Points in sports of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated. With this game Bear Bryant reached his goal of helping integration. This shows the strength of sport more than any other event. A football coach, not a lawyer, a person in politics, or a governor could make this happen. In the book “City Games: The Evolution of American Urban Society and the Rise of Sports” by Steven A. Riess, he breaks down many different ways that sport in urban society helped build something for minorities to gain self-pride. “Sport did play a prominent role among all second-generation immigrants. Success in sports was a step towards assimilation – a means of disproving negative ethnic stereotypes, gaining respect from the outside community, and cementing social relationships among street corner youth” (Riess, 122). In traditionally black areas people would get together and play sports which built a unity within themselves. Since they didn’t have access to training locations or gyms they played whatever they could in their streets and used very little equipment. They continued to play sport and eventually “Blacks established their own voluntary sports associations, their own teams, and even their own heroes” (Reiss,123). Sport continued to grow and they became very successful within the sports they played. “Success in sports raised black pride, provided fans with a sense of self-worth by vicarious identification with athletic heroes, and gained some begrudging respect from the broader community” (Reiss,123). This respect they were gaining was very important as people started to become more accepting to the minorities that lived in the inner-cities because they realized the talent that they had and their ability to compete. “Sport also provided hopes of social mobility- less from college scholarships, which were very rare for blacks, than through professional sports, either segregated baseball or integrated boxing” (Reiss, 123). This gave them the chance to move out of the inner cities and become accepted by the whole society just because of their athletic abilities. Not only did sports help minority’s in the 60’s but it continues to have a positive impact more recently as well. A study done by an alumni student from Stanford looked at the relationship of sports and the benefits it has with minorities that participate in sports.  “Athletics is essential for minority children development because it helps the adolescents become healthier, both physically and socially/psychologically” (Chan). His conclusion was that in fact, minorities that participated in sport were better off in everyday life than minorities that did not participate. This was because minorities often don’t feel as accepted in everyday life because they are different but with sport they view themselves as more equal than normal. Whether they are overcoming depression, anxiety, or just the feeling of loneliness because of their “differences” minorities reap a great benefit from competing in sport. Once again this is just one of the many ways sport is very beneficial to our society.

Besides the benefits sport has on racial issues, they also play a large part in our economy. Sport has become a massive area of income for our economy. Because of this sport has to be more than just what it is, sport. Sport has changed to fit in to our everyday society. “Sport coincides with community values and political agencies, as it attempts to define the morals and ethics attributed not only to athletes, but the totality of society as a whole” (Macri 1). Sport has changed from just being a game that people play to becoming a main source of entertainment and relaxation for everyone to watch on television or stream online. Originally sport was thought of as football, soccer, baseball and more, but as the views of citizens changed so has sport. Now people can watch competitors on television playing video games on ESPN, which is a sports entertainment channel. This is one of the reasons that the money brought into our economy from sport has become larger as time has passed. “The economic impact of sports is not limited strictly to the $500 million the Super Bowl is estimated to have brought to Phoenix in 2008, or the $65 million the NBA All-Star Game inspired” (Rentilly). This amount of money is a very large part of the economy. Not only does sport bring in a ton of money which helps strengthen our economy but it also brings in a very large amount of jobs. Between 2010 and 2014, the total amount of jobs brought in from the sport industry has increased from 314,125 jobs, to 353,653 jobs, respectfully. Thus, this is a gain of 39,529 jobs, or 12.6% (Grasz). The economic impact of sport is so large that it will likely keep growing. “Sports is, after all, a $240-billion industry nationwide, larger than all the domestic auto makers combined. Somebody’s got to crunch those numbers” (Rentilly). One key part of why sport is so successful is that no matter what is happening in the economy, may it be a recession or anything else, people still will watch, and attend sports games as it is something that they are very passionate about. This goes to show how important sport is in our society, that even if the times are tough, people will still spend money to watch their favorite teams and favorite sports.

I have found that one of the most important reasons sport is crucial to our society is in plays a role in which some people may never learn certain things such as respect, life skills, character, and an emotional escape. A study done by Nate Lowery at Boise State explains how these things are related to each other. In this study he asked a mix of 7 athletes and coaches why sport was important to them. When asked about the life skills she has gained from sport, gymnast Maddie Krentz explained, “I think after someone gets out of sports its role in society would be the skills it gives you—time management, dedication and determination.” These three skills are very important in our everyday lives and to future employers. Time management is taught from having a regular gruesome schedule of practice and competitions, all while managing relationships and their education. This allows them to be able to balance out very hard work schedules in the future while still getting everything else they have planned accomplished. A second important lesson that is taught threw sport is character. The difficulty of sport is a key to building character in young athletes. Assistant women’s soccer coach Maite Zabal explained how sport and character are related when she said, “Difficult times can also allow someone to step up and learn how to do things the right way.” Whether it be losing in the very end of the game, or getting hurt and not being able to play, these times of struggle help make you stronger and build character that you wouldn’t have retained if you were not competing in sport. Besides character and life skills, sport also is able to create a family type relationship within teammates which is very important for success. It is even more important for athletes who outside of sport might not have a good parental structure or people they can rely on like a family. “The case of Antoine Turner provided the perfect narrative of sports providing an individual with a basic human need—stability”(Lowery). Prior to receiving a waiver from the NCAA, Antoine Turner was homeless and alone. With this waiver he was allowed to receive financial assistance and compete at Boise State. He was able to build a family type relationship and now feels that he has the stability that he did not have prior to participating in sport. The head cross country and track and field coach also feels very strongly about the importance of family in sport. This is not because he was homeless but because he has experienced family in his team. “The people that you meet and the ones that you are around, they shape who you are and the path that you go down. I’m not doing what I’m doing today without quite a few people (I’ve met from sports)” (Lowrey). The coach credits his success to the positive influences that he was around when he was an athlete on a team. The final way sport successfully helps athletes is that is provides an emotional escape, or a safe space, where they are able to escape the noise of everyday life. When you compete you forget about what is happening before and after because you are now focused on one thing, trying to achieve your personal goal. “Krentz added that her career in gymnastics has provided her an escape from the trials and tribulations of life” (Lowrey).

After analyzing all of this data I strongly believe there is an undeniable benefit of sport in our society. A simple game with a ball, a bat, or a racket is able to change people’s beliefs and lead people in the right direction. In the early 1960’s sport led one of the biggest civil rights movements that ultimately ended with desegregation in the south. The ability for African American athletes to push for integration is one of the greatest accomplishments in our society. Without sport our society would still be divided based on the color of someone’s skins color and we would not be as powerful as a nation.  Not only this but sport has allowed people who might not have the best family structure or chance for success to reach their goals and learn crucial life skills that they would have been without if it weren’t for sport. Sport gave them something to look up to and to try and achieve. It will not stop further strengthening and improving our society because sport is something that many people will always follow as it is one of the largest sources of entertainment in the modern day. In conclusion, sport has succesfuly bettered our society whether it be through racial issue, youth development, and economic impact. 
