The state of Texas considered re-naming the field at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after Heisman trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams reported The Daily Journal.
Calling the thought merely a moderately warm start.
Black people as a whole are being celebrated for 28 days in the month of February, but the article says that is not enough for what Blacks went through.
From slavery up until recent protest, Blacks have been fighting for what most feel to be equality and social justice in America, said the article.
Many Whites and other nationalities have joined that sentiment for Blacks and are now eradicating old relic statues, monuments and names of those who were attached to slavery and racism of any kind, from its places.
One area that is advocating for change is the renaming of Sports arenas and Stadiums. The Daily Journal points out that there are too many sports buildings named after Whites and not enough after Blacks. It raised the question while suggesting names for consideration.
Renaming UCLA basketball arena after Los Angeles Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar was one suggestion. And Georgia’s football stadium after football great Herschel Walker. Even placing the football legend Jim Brown’s name on the dome of Syracuse.
In all due respects, White sports players have contributed a lot to the world of sports and some may say that their names should also be on the buildings, especially if they have not contributed to the violence of racism or even was complicit to it in any form.
The Daily Journal is pointing out the lack of oversight of having more Blacks in honor as well. There are only two Blacks who are honored in the Power Five football and basketball arena in that fashion according to the article.
For basketball, there is Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum of Wake Forest in North Carolina honoring an African American Vietnam War medic hero, who received the Medal of Honor.
The other is Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium honoring their first Black athlete Jack Trice who died tragically from injuries during a football game in 1923. With the contributions blacks have made in sports, one would assume that more Blacks like Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron would have their names on some baseball arena somewhere as well.
The author of a children’s book called Footballs Fall en Hero The Jack Trice Story, Steve Jones honored Trice not only because he was worthy, but “He was trying to open doors for other African Americans,” said Jones.
Wake Forest athletic director John Currie tribute Lawrence Joel as being a “Big part” of the unity between Wake Forest and Joels hometown Winston-Salem. Currie also desires that more African Americans would be noticed in that way.
“We have opportunities to make how we’ve honored people more inclusive of the heritage of our Universities, concluded Currie.”
