Written by: Jacob Nevis
Every February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. Last year, I wrote about two of my favorite Black athletes, Stephen Curry and Reggie Bush, and this year I want to talk about other Black athletes who have impacted my life as a sports fan.
While some football fans may not have heard of Cameron Wake, he is one of the reasons why I became such a big fan of the Miami Dolphins.
Wake was a defensive end for the Dolphins from 2009 to 2018. Growing up a Dolphins fan was very rough, and it was hard to stay a fan of a team that never won any playoff games.
Wake was always one of the few bright spots for a young Dolphins fan. He was selected to be a first-team All Pro in 2012 and would eventually make the Pro Bowl five times. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to see Wake play, and he will always be one of my favorite Dolphins players.
The second Black athlete who impacted my life was Rickey Henderson, who was an outfielder for the Oakland Athletics. Henderson is considered the best A’s player of all time, and he leads the MLB in career steals. Henderson is also considered to be the best leadoff hitter in MLB history.
While I didn’t get to watch Henderson play in person, I can remember watching A’s games on TV, and the channel was always showing highlights. Those highlights made me very interested in Henderson, so I remember searching for YouTube highlights of his plays. Henderson helped me fall in love with a team that has been very inconsistent. His playing style took the MLB by storm and left a huge impact on the game of baseball.
Without the impact Black athletes have had in the sports world, it would have been hard for me to become the major sports fan that I am today. So for this Black History Month, think about the impact Black athletes have had on your life. Imagine a world where they didn’t play. I can tell you that the sports world would collapse without Black athletes.
