ABSTRACT
The improvements in transportation and communication that knit the globe closer together in the twentieth century increased international sporting competition and gave sports new meanings. International competitions such as the Olympic Games were generally billed as ways to build goodwill among nations through friendly competition. But amid the shifting global politics of a contentious century, sports events quickly became political arenas, used to build patriotic fervor and to show off national “prowess” through the orchestration of impressive events or the triumphs of a nation’s athletes. This rise of sports as a forum for showcasing national virtues and pursuing international rivalries proved a boon to African Americans who sought to use athletic successes to win greater racial respect, especially in the years just before World War II. When sprinter Jesse Owens became the star of the 1936 “Nazi Olympics,” and when boxer Joe Louis knocked out German champion Max Schmeling, Americans of many backgrounds rallied around them with unprecedented patriotic zeal. While many white observers qualified these victories as being the result of exceptional physical ability, thus denying black athletes full respect or equality, athletic accomplishments helped lay the groundwork for a broader transformation in American sports and society.
