The United States has a distinct history of racism, as demonstrated by the fact that slavery was legal within the United States as well as the fact that American Indians were forcefully removed from their historic territories and also had countless treaties violated by the American government. That said, the past does not necessarily always present us with a prelude to the future, because there is always the opportunity for society to learn from its past, so as to make progress in adhering to these immortal words that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”
In 1948, President Truman signed an Executive Order stating that “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces…” This Executive Order became the basis for the American military to effectively integrate itself, and though this in its implementation was never going to be a smooth process or even something that instantly occurred, what did happen, is that the pathway for that integration in conjunction with the law, supported the non-discrimination of those so entering into the armed forces of this nation. The end result is that the military provided the foundation for those who previously had not treated one another with consideration and respect to eventually mold together as a team, because those who were part of a fighting unit, had to merge together as a fighting unit, or else they would endanger not only their selves but also the mission, so impressed upon them.
In regards to sports, it has to be remembered, that many a sports team is motivated by winning, above all else, and will do whatever then that it takes, even to stretching the rules, to win the prize. So then, those of the more progressive sort, recognized that many fine athletes were non-white that would as part of their sports team, help that team to win, and therefore it was no real stretch for that management of some of these teams, to determine that adding a player of immense skill and talent to their roster, would provide that team with a better chance of winning. So too, other sports owners and management, would in recognition, that they were falling behind the competition, have to do the same sort of thing to remain competitive. The result then for sports, was the integration into the sport of more and more non-white players which not only made for a better team but also made for a better sport. Additionally, players of different backgrounds and races that played and trained together, day after day, were thus provided with the opportunity to get to know one another, and therefore to let down their guard to one another, eventually to understand their similarities as well as common interests, so that, the net effect was those that were members of the same team, identified first as being of that team, and only secondarily to their individual race.
Indeed, when it comes to the fans of these sports, though they may well have been uneasy about seeing non-white players on their favorite team, at the end of the day, though, as fans, they desired their team to win, and therefore to root for a team with black players on the field, but somehow to hate them as a people, was a contradiction that has eroded over time. As for our military, those who are patriotic, want our armed forces to win their battles, in which, that can only be accomplished by those who make up those forces, working together as a team, thus then superseding the racial classification of a given person, for the collective good of the nation.