"Today, the NBA is around 74% Black but, when basketball first started to catch on, it wasn't easy for Black people to play. They couldn't enter segregated YMCAs or attend privileged colleges. So Black Americans made their own spaces, playing in dance halls before the dancing started, and eventually forming teams called the Black Fives. [This book] . . . celebrates the history of basketball from a Black perspective, revealing how it changed Black...

Although she's just 4 feet, 11 inches tall, Gabby Douglas made a larger-than-life impact on the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Gabby dominated the gymnastics all-around competition with her flawless execution and amazingly high flips, winning gold by a landslide. In early 2012, this pint-sized powerhouse was ready to quit gymnastics for good, but she kept going. Competing at the Olympics at just sixteen years old, she became the best female gymnast...

Two American athletes made history at the 1968 Summer Olympics, but not on the track. They staged a silent protest against racial injustice. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter sprint, stood with heads bowed and black-gloved fists raised as the national anthem played during the medal ceremony. The Australian silver medalist wore a human rights badge in support. All three would pay a heavy price for their activism....

Relates the story of the Olympic champ who had a huge impact on how African Americans were seen.

An overview of how athletes from various excluded groups have succeeded in the world of sports, leading the path for others to follow.