But students accepted this, just as they accepted the stories of discrimination and hardship faced by Owens in this country, despite his Olympic accolades in Germany on the brink of World War II. The grandson of a slave, Owens overran the myth of the socalled master race. Yet back in America, he still had to sit in the back of buses. At a hotel where he was honored for his four gold medals, he was forced to use a freight elevator rather than the passenger elevator reserved for Whites.
“Nowadays, the top athlete winds up on the Wheaties cereal box,” Crepeau says, referring to the coveted endorsement contract. “My students haven’t thought about such hostility against Olympic winners, but once they consider the social period, the treatment of Jesse Owens is no longer something that shocks them.” He and other observers believe this year’s Olympics, which last until Aug. 24, could grow into one of the most politically charged in modern times. They agree there’s only one way to find out:
Let the games begin.
| See also, Hispanic Growth Not Reflected on U.S. Olympic Squad |
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