Saga of NFL's African-American pioneers is an untold story
The story of Jackie Robinson's struggle to integrate Major League Baseball is told in a library full of books and a multiplex worth of movies and documentaries detailing its impact on the sport and American culture.
The story of the NFL's African-American pioneers, however, remains largely forgotten.
When the league sprang up in the early 1920s, Fritz Pollard was among its first stars. He was the first African-American coach, too. And, ...
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While this is a well-written story, the subject matter is not understudied simply due to race issues. The author makes a connection between race and a lack of reporting out of convenience, but the early years of professional football are routinely dismissed. The game was simply less popular then, and only football purists (until very recently) really cared about the figures that built the game. Fritz Pollard was one of many early football figures who were not inducted into the HOF until recently, but this was a result of the process by which players from the early era gained entry into the hall. Fritz' late induction had little to nothing to do with the color of his skin. Still, bully for him. He was a great player and deserved to be enshrined at Canton, albeit later than his outstanding play and personal courage may have warranted.