September 27, 2021 BY KANE HARRY WILLIAM
Many people view sport and society as separate entities. They believe that sport should be its own separate thing, that should be something where people can forget about the real world for a few hours, and instead focus on just enjoying a few hours of entertainment, watching men or women running around on a field/pitch/court, in a safe environment.
That attitude isn’t as widely held as it once was. Now, most people think that sport is just a prism for how we view modern society and that problems that are seen in stadiums or pitches, whether professional or amateur, are reflective of society at large.
Take the Euro 2020 final for example. England had made it through to the final, with Black players such as Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka being widely supported for their starring roles in England’s good run. However, when Sterling didn’t step up to take a penalty in the final, and Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all missed decisive spot-kicks to hand the victory to Italy, all of them were subject to horrible racist abuse on social media. Unfortunately, these weren’t isolated incidents and the majority of Black or other non-white players have all had to go through this at some point in their careers. Despite what some commentators in the media might say, it is not solely a problem with football. It is a problem with society as a whole, that people think it is acceptable to say such awful and disgusting things to people. We like to think that in modern times we’re more liberal than we were 50 years ago, but sometimes it’s difficult to really believe that.
The world of golf has historically been a sport that rich, white men play. Many of the most recognisable famous players in the history of the sport, such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are all white men, and in fact, very few non-white players have been members of the PGA Tour. However, there are some very notable exceptions to this rule, and these players deserve to be remembered, not just for being trailblazers for promoting equality, but also for the simple fact that they were/are amazing golfers and sportspeople in general.
With some top golf competitions on the horizon, fans and bettors will be looking at their favorite online sportsbook and top betting companies, to see what sort of odds they can get when betting on the sport. At the same time, they should recognise how few African American players there are on the PGA tour, and lend the ones who are there their utmost support.
Those who lead the way for others to follow
Born in North Carolina in 1922, Charles Sifford began golfing professionally when he was 26 years old. He competed in golf tournaments that Black golfers organized themselves, as they were excluded from the PGA at the time. Sifford won the United Golf Associations’ National Negro Open six times in the mid-1950s and was eager to prove himself not only against other Black players but against the best on the PGA tour as well.
With the help of the California attorney general, and Jackie Robinson (the first Black player in the MLB) Sifford became the first Black player on the PGA tour in 1959. He won two official events during his career, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open, and the 1969 Los Angeles Open, whilst playing 21st in the 1972 US Open, his highest finish in a major tournament. He is rightly remembered not only for being a great golfer but for being brave and paving the way for others to follow. He was entered into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014
Tiger Tiger
The most well know African American player in golf, if not sport in general, is Tiger Woods. It is hard to list all his achievements in the sport, but we’ll give it a good go. He has 81 PGA tour wins, more than anyone else (he is tied in 1st place with Sam Snead). He has won 15 major championships, ahead of every other player except Jack Nicklaus. He has won The Masters 5 times, again with only Nickalus ahead of him on 6. He was the world number 1 for 683 weeks, a staggering 13 years. He overcame huge difficulties in both his professional and personal life to return to form to win the 2019 Masters, 11 years after his last major. The man is a true icon, one of the greatest sportspeople of all time.
What does the future hold?
Shamefully, it is believed that only 3% of recreational golfers are African American. This statistic was probably significantly lower before Tiger came on to the scene, but it is still incredibly low. There are only two other Black players on the PGA tour Harold Varner III and Cameron Champ. We hope to see this number increase in future years, as golf, as well as all other sports, should be a place for people of all colors and backgrounds.
