As today is MLK Day, the annual holiday that honors the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, we revisit a past article, on Satchel Paige that embraces the spirit of what this day stands for.
On Aug 29, 2013, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, Keith Olbermann shared his thoughts on the connection between Dr. King’s oratory, his own father and Negro Leagues legend Satchel Paige.
Here’s the link to the story of Martin Luther King, Satchel Paige, and my Dad: https://t.co/DRHrWUb2Hd
— Keith Olbermann?? (@KeithOlbermann) August 29, 2013
The video, which you can watch below is from his new late night ESPN2 show, Olbermann.
On Wednesday night’s show, Keith Olbermann recounted a story his late father told him about watching Satchel Paige pitch when Paige played for the New York Black Yankees in 1941, and why he thought segregation lasted so long.
Yes, there was a time when you actually had a White Yankees and a Black Yankees.
Yes, that really happened in America once upon a time.
The father of Keith Olbermann on the connection:
“There were people who were not racist and still didn’t ask, ‘Why are people kept apart because of color?’ The same people who never asked, ‘Why isn’t Satchel Paige pitching for the White Yankees?’ or never asked, ‘Why aren’t there any black people living in this neighborhood out here in the suburbs?’… Getting people to ask that—that’s what Martin Luther King did for this country. And for me.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.