Exactly 57 years have passed since Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his soaring “I Have a Dream” speech, and we have seen incremental progress in race relations but nary a scratch on the monolithic body of systemic racism.
It lives on at every level of American society and that includes sports, which many mistakenly believe is immune.
The notion of sports as a meritocracy, with employment opportunities and advancement based strictly on ability and character, rather than principles and pigmentation, is and always has been a myth. Satchel Paige posted a 2.48 earned-run average in his rookie year.