Week 10

Troy Maychuk

Sports Journalism

Black Press East-West Classic by Carroll

Fantasy Football and TV Ratings by Fortunato

Week 10

Fantasy Football is an enormous industry and institution in the United States. Over 30 million people participate in Fantasy Football at some level annually. I have played a few times but have friends that revolve their life around picking players with the best stats and putting them head to head in fantasy combination teams. Through instrumental and ritualized media implicating, Fantasy Football garnered media attention and skyrocketed in popularity throughout the past decade. The NFL has Fantasy Football to thank for a noticeable increase in viewers, spreading the brand like absolute wildfire. I personally know so many people who participate in Fantasy Football, it is without a doubt an American institution and media storm giant!

I can’t even imagine being a black athlete during this point in history, day after day you bust your ass to prove yourself and are disrespected and ignored simply because of your skin color. National press payed no attention to the Negro Leagues although some some publications such as the Courier played an enormous role in the desegregation of athletics. One of the most famous black athletes in baseball history, Jackie Robinson openly admits how crucial a role that Wendell Smith of the Courier played in publicizing his signing with the Dodgers which headlined all black press week after week. Even the rest if America took notice although it ignored the historical significance of a black athlete emerging into a white- dominated sports world. It blows my mind how blatantly resistant people can be to any type of change, ignorance smothers so much of our history but thanks to solid journalism the truth can be broadcasted and obtained by the masses.

The East-West Classic game reinstituted the Negro League after its demise in 1931, solidifying it’s place in American athletics. Although the East-West Classic was largely meant to bolster black pride and reignite the Negro League, mainstream media and MLB took notice as well, shining a positive light on black athletes and furthering social integration. Baseball played an enormous role in our nation’s history to help expose the implications of racial inequality and establish a common ground between different social groups. Without the positive support of black newspapers the East-West Classic would have likely never made it off of the ground.