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Zusatztext “Full of colorful detail.”—James Sullivan! Boston Globe “Smith skillfully follows two narratives—the founding and growth of the Redskins franchise and the move to integrate pro football—until they collide in 1961.”— The Sunday News “A classic gridiron tale for history junkies and avid sports fans alike.”—Phillip Hoose! author of Hoosiers “Thoroughly researched … does a fine job of filling in this bleak episode on our cultural history.”—Michael Tomasky! The New York Review of Books “In a fascinating narrative! indefatigable team owner George Marshall is an aging football lion surprised to find himself backed into a corner by the gathering forces of a new era.”—John Eisenberg! author of That First Season Informationen zum Autor Thomas G. Smith Klappentext A classic NFL/civil rights story-the showdown between the Washington Redskins and the Kennedy White House In Showdown! sports historian Thomas G. Smith captures a striking moment! one that held sweeping implications not only for one team's racist policy but also for a sharply segregated city and for the nation as a whole. Part sports history! part civil rights story! this compelling and untold narrative serves as a powerful lens onto racism in sport! illustrating how! in microcosm! the fight to desegregate the Redskins was part of a wider struggle against racial injustice in America. Chapter 5 The Washington Whiteskins On November 23, 1947, the Washington Redskins held a fanappreciation day for their iconic quarterback, Sammy Baugh. They presented him with a glistening maroon car with wide, white-walled tires, the number “33” on the front bumper plate, and a door panel reading “Slingin’ Sam—the Redskins Man.” On that special day, before more than 30,000 fervid fans, Baugh had one of his best games, rifling six touchdown passes to down the defending league champion Chicago Cardinals, 45–21. After the game, he drove his sister and brother-in-law to Philadelphia. On his return to Washington that same evening, an oncoming vehicle forced him into a skid that demolished his spiffy new automobile. Baugh was unhurt, but the car wreck would come to symbolize the Redskins’ football fortunes in the years following World War II. From 1946 through 1961, the Redskins enjoyed only three winning seasons, appeared in no title or championship games, and amassed a record of 69 wins, 116 losses, and 8 ties. They devoured eight head coaches and played no black athletes. The most obvious reason for the Redskins’ futility is that they did not have enough skilled players, and for that crucial shortcoming, George Marshall must be held accountable. His skill at promotion did not extend to the building of a winning franchise. His monumental ego, and perhaps the team’s past success under Sammy Baugh, gave him an exaggerated sense of his understanding of the game and his ability to assess talent. Arrogant, autocratic, meddlesome, bigoted, and caustic, he also failed to establish a comfortable work environment for his players and coaches. By the mid-1940s, if not earlier, Marshall had developed an obsession with football that bordered on the pathological. To paraphrase Washington Post writer Richard Coe, George Marshall not only owned the Redskins, but the Redskins “owned” him. “I’ve never found anything I enjoyed more,” Marshall said of football. “If I get out of football, I’ll retire; there’s nothing else I’d want to do. To do anything well, you have to enjoy it first. And not just for the money, either. Anything else is just another form of prostitution.” In 1946, he sold his laundry business to devote more time and attention to football. Aside from football, only the theater captivated him. When he went out on the town, which was often, he did so mainly for ...
