Browsing: Sports

A Brief History On March 6, 1964, the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, dubbed convert to the religion boxing champion Cassius “The Louisville Lip” Marcellus Clay, Jr. as Muhammad Ali.  (Note: Elijah Muhammad was born Robert Poole.)  Many White Americans did not take kindly to the name change, and many continued to call Ali “Clay” throughout the life of the controversial and highly vocal boxing legend.  Sometimes sports name changes occur before the person is famous, but when they occur after the athlete has achieved fame it seems awkward for some fans to remember who they are…

A Brief History On February 26, 2013, a sightseeing hot air balloon over Luxor, Egypt, was carrying 20 passengers and the pilot when something went horribly wrong.  A leaking fuel line caused a fire to break out on the balloon when it was only a few meters off the ground, and the ensuing flames caused the balloon to rise dramatically.  Engulfed in flames, some passengers jumped out of the gondola to their deaths, while others stayed in the passenger compartment until the balloon exploded, killing 19 of the 21 people that had been aboard, the worst death toll in hot…

A Brief History On February 13, 1920, the Negro National League of professional baseball was founded, not the first all African American baseball league, but the first to last more than one season and the foundation for African American professional baseball in the United States.  In honor of Black History Month, February of every year in the US, we ran an article appropriately titled February 9, 1971: In Honor of Black History Month…. Just 4 days ago in which we discussed some of professional baseball’s Black pioneers.  Until the Brooklyn Dodgers hired Jackie Robinson to play second base in 1947,…

A Brief History On February 9, 1971, baseball pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first player from the Negro Leagues so honored.  Paige had starred in the Negro Leagues during the years before Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier” in major league baseball in 1947 when African Americans were not allowed to play in the major leagues.  In 1948, Paige became the oldest major league rookie at the age of 42 when he debuted for the Cleveland Indians.  In honor of Paige’s achievements and in recognition of February, the annual Black History Month…

A Brief History On February 2, 2004, Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer ascended to the #1 ranking in the World, a position he would hold for 237 consecutive weeks, an all-time record.  He would go on to be the #1 male tennis pro for a total of 310 weeks, again, a number unmatched by any other male tennis star.  The ranking of tennis professional players by the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) is but one measure of the greatness of Roger Federer.  Perhaps his record number of 20 Grand Slam titles is an even better indication of his dominance over…