The Boycott: How Refusing to Play Opened New Doors

In January 1965, professional football players refused to play in an all-star game after experiencing racial prejudice in New Orleans. Taxis refused to pick up players at the airport, nightclubs turned them away from entering and citizens treated me with racial snobbery. As a result, the players said they would not play. This came during the heat of the civil rights movement. With memories of Emmett Till and Rosa Parks still recent, the players took a stand much like their contemporaries at Woolworth lunch counters. The result: the league moved the game to Houston. The stand was significant as it signaled athletes taking a political stand against social injustice they faced. The repercussions surfaced in the entertainment where the Beatles took their own stand towards racial progress. Black coaches and quarterbacks, never given opportunities to date, slowly began to win opportunities. It comes full circle with teams refusing invitations to the White House or kneeling during the anthem to make statements about perceived injustice.