Race in early 20th century sports

There were many different athletes who faced discrimination in their sport very early on such as Jack Johnson, Jesse Owens, and Joe Louis, but these athletes handled this discrimination in different ways, which allowed them to be viewed more favorably in the eyes of others. Jack Johnon really crossed a major racial barrier being the first African American athlete to be titled a world champion; however outside of the arena he was disliked by his opponents and many White Americans. He somewhat taunted his White opponents and did not win with grace. Marrying three different White women and living the lifestyle he lived caused him to be viewed as defiant. Jesse Owens faced the same racial discrimination in that he was not even allowed to live in the same dorm as his fellow athletes, but contrary to Johnson, Owens became friends with his opponents and earned the respect of them. In the Olympics Hitler attempted to show off his German athletes, but again Owens stole the show and inevitably stole the hearts of some of the audience as they ended up cheering for him and encouraging him as well. Lastly Joe Louis, although Louis attempted to conduct himself well, not many things in his life went as planned. After a successful career he ended up broke and looking for different ways to garner some money. He inlisted himself in WWII, but never really got his life back on the desired path. These three athletes all had to overcome adversity, but the way in which they did so and the outcome of their lives ended rather differently.