At that time the NFL had 12 teams and only 15 Black players; Thrower was the only one on the Bears roster.

Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-chicago-bears-willie-thrower-black-quarterback-20230916-kv5hisflwbfptgqzyowzuf6kbm-story.html

He was there with “Ohio Tip-Off,” a drama about seven athletes on a minor-league basketball team who are vying to make it to the N.B.A. The team has four Black players and three white players.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/theater/august-wilson-biography-patti-hartigan.html

In 2020, a year when race was at the forefront of the American conversation, Black players won 80 percent of the league’s postseason awards: M.V.P., Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year, to name three.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/sports/basketball/wnba-draft-marketing-race.html

My friends in the student section, clad in all black to show support for the Black players on behalf of the Black Students Union (BSU), groan.

Source: https://www.campustimes.org/2023/02/19/ur-womens-basketball-triumphs-over-brandeis-81-70/

PHOENIX (AP) — Zion Rose is well aware that the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball has been on the decline for decades.

Source: https://www.gjsentinel.com/sports/professional/in-its-push-for-more-black-players-mlb-hopes-results-are-on-the-horizon-from/article_134105d7-8cc5-5113-babc-25b99d841ea2.html

The offensive chant targeted Black players, leading to consequences for nine students under the school’s Code of Conduct.

Source: https://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2023/12/daily-news-brief-december-13-2023/

They may never again feel the impact of colliding head-on with a 300-pound defensive tackle or being sacked before making a pass, but the pain from the sport lingers on — especially for Black players.

Source: https://seattlemedium.com/endgame-agony-black-ex-nfl-players-suffering-more/