God made us all, but some of us are made special. . . . Some people have
special resources inside, and when God blesses you to have more than oth-
ers, you have a responsibility to use it right.

MUHAMMAD ALI

The life of a post-JFK-era black culture hero was rough-and-tumble, super-
competitive, and so filled with burdensome obligations and ceaseless frustra-
tion that it is a wonder more didn't come to look back upon the bad old days of
the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s with nostalgic longing. To succeed against both
the odds and the competition was a major challenge. This had always been true.
Now, however, it seemed that aspiring heroes had to be everything to everyone
all at once, endlessly, and without complaint. In addition to advancing the
black revolution, they were asked to entertain the mainstream without bowing
to traditional racial etiquette or perpetuating negative stereotypes; to remain
true to themselves, their craft, and their historical role even as they voluntarily
put principle and honor in harm's way by courting the national media. For-
tunately, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius had filled personal horizons
with the intoxicating glow of we-can-teach-the-world-to-sing-in-perfect-
harmony idealism. And if the common people felt this way much of the time,
their culture champions made a career of ignoring impossibilities.

Because of their long-standing involvement with the heroic, sports heroes
are among the most experienced instigators of idealist initiatives. Foes of fail-
ure, they resent retrogression and chafe at changelessness. Never resting until
victory is assured, the athlete-hero has long been recognized as possessing in
abundance the type of never-say-die attitude that is so highly valued by insti-
tutions and groups seeking to make their mark on world affairs. During the
1960s and 1970s, an ever increasing number of black superstars won recogni-
tion as formidable competitors in the athletic arena. Both the history and the
sociology of competitive sports virtually guaranteed that this new visibility
and acceptance would have considerable impact on prevailing notions of race
and status.

-84-