The Issue of Racism in Sports in Glory Road

Glory Road has some main themes are particularly concerned with racism in sports. The racism is firstly highlighted by the atmosphere surrounding the players from Texas Western. As Don Haskins goes to recruit, he looks at primarily white players, but then is forced to recruit black players because they are given little opportunity in the predominantly white sport. The white players were dominant; white athletes were considered to be smarter and black athletes were considered unable to win at the highest levels. This is further exemplified by the fact that there were unwritten rules limiting blacks’ participation in college basketball, and also reflected in the African-Americans' notions that they would not have the opportunity to play in college.

Whites are given the upper hand in society and this is reflected in college basketball. The White people were offered more opportunities for scholarships and playing time ahead of blacks regardless of talent. It was not until after Haskins beat him that Rupp recruited the first black player at Kentucky. This is indicative of the notion of white privilege as whites at Kentucky. Whites were afforded greater opportunities in sports than blacks. And while Haskin's helped to break down the colour barrier in major college sports, this does not instantly change people's minds and end white privilege, and therefore, the racial overtones of the movie have greater implications on the long-lasting issue of white privilege in sports and also in society. Racism relating to sports is also a key issue in the film as sports help to overcome racism, but they also help to re-enforce it. Basketball separated blacks and whites along social lines in ways which helped to keep racism in sports as it existed in society. Yet sports were also a way for a group of black individuals to make progress by defeating an all-white team, and thus helping to break down the barriers of racisms. Sports offered a non-violent way of competition between blacks and whites, but it was also used as a way to limit the opportunities afforded to blacks. Thus racism was a key aspect relating to sports and racist attitudes within society carried over to amateur athletics as well.