Althea Gibson Research Paper

Althea Gibson, a trailblazer in women's sports, not only allows us to see the conditions faced by women in sports but more black women in sports. Althea Gibson grew up in Harlem, New York, and grew a love for tennis. Women in general were given limited opportunities, even in organized sports. Althea came from a tough and disadvantaged background, which affected her lack of resources and connections. To break down the thick barriers built up by society, she had to work the hardest out of anyone. The better that Althea became as a tennis player, the more recognition she received. Women, especially black women, had to fight against societal norms to participate in society. She was a young, tough black girl from New York, so a lot of prejudice was …show more content…
As she continued to improve, she could not be restricted from big championships any longer. Althea went on to become the first African American to win a Grand Slam event, then went on to win several other champion titles. Her perseverance has shed a lot of light on the racism and sexism that were experienced throughout the 20th century. At the time of Altheas triumphs, there was not as much coverage from the media then what we see today. News didn't spread as fast and there were also hesitations to even pay attention to women's sports, as it was only just emerging into society. Women were the victims of heavy bias, so they were not given nearly as much attention, which may have limited the spread of her significance. Along with this was the fact that racial discrimination was still very prevalent, so people did not hold her to the same level of respect as other women, especially white men. Since Althea was a black woman meant that her opportunities were very restricted as she would not be allowed to participate in many high-class sporting events, which was even less attention to

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Althea Gibson Research Paper