by Wyomia Tyus
26. The USA women’s team did a bit better, beating Yugoslavia in the finals 77–70 and bringing home the gold. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/29/sports/the-seou-olympics-women-s-basketball-us-women-beat-yugoslavia-for-gold.html. Return to text
27. See “110 NFL Brains” at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html?emc=edit_nn_20170726&nl=morning-briefing&n-lid=73209967&te=1&_r=0. Return to text
28. The suppression of Black history in general and the contributions of Black women in particular is part of the problem. The history of Black women in tennis goes back almost one hundred years: Ora Washington and Althea Gibson were champions in the early decades of the twentieth century. Meanwhile, in track, Aubrey Patterson, who was a Tigerbelle before Mr. Temple’s time, won the bronze medal for the 200 meters in the 1948 Olympics. See A Spectacular Leap: Black Women Athletes in Twentieth-Century America by Jennifer H. Lansbury for more information on the hidden history of Black women in sports. Return to text
29. Evidence of both the differences and the persistent challenges can be found in a Philadelphia Daily News story about gymnastics at the 2016 Rio Olympics: a photograph of Simone Biles misidentified and illustrating a column about Gabby Douglas. Both Douglas and Biles are Black. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Philadelphia-Daily-News-Mistakes-Simone-Biles-for-Gabby-Douglas-390449411.html. Return to text
30. Sexism in the coverage of the 2016 Olympics was a story in itself: see Introduction. Return to text
31. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, two American male swimmers’ comments that Team USA’s Katie Ledecky does “respectable times for guys” and “swims like a man” were widely circulated—as positive praise—until someone pointed out how sexist this was. See https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/06/01/olympics-2016-road-to-rio-katie-ledecky-swimming for the latter and http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/17251015/why-frame-katie-ledecky-dominance-terms-women-sports-not-mens for the former. Return to text
32. For example, the press could stop “forgetting” about women’s achievements, as BBC reporter John Inverdale did in 2016 when he praised tennis player Andy Murray for being the “first person” ever to win two Olympic medals in tennis. Murray’s quick reply, "I think Venus and Serena [Williams] have won about four each," set the record straight, but isn’t it the press, and not the athletes, who are responsible for keeping track of such things? https://mic.com/articles/151530/ andy-murray-was-lauded-for-having-achieved-a-first-the-williams-sisters-already-claimed#.yLYCob69e. Return to text
33. According to the New York Times, “Although men and women are compensated more comparably in tennis than in any other major sport, the annual prize money paid to the top 100 earners on the WTA and ATP tours roughly matches the general pay gap in American workplaces, with female tennis players earning 80 cents on each dollar men earn.” https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/sports/tennis/equal-pay-gender-gap-grand-slam-majors-wta-atp.html?_r=0. Return to text
34. “For the 2015 [World Cup] final, an estimated thirty million people watched on TV in the US as Carli Lloyd’s three goals sealed a huge win against Japan. It was and remains the highest-rated soccer match in American history including games played by the US men.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-women-soccer-team-usa-gender-discrimination-equal-pay/. Return to text
35. The story of the American men’s soccer team is instructive; it demonstrates the US Soccer Federation’s long-term commitment to building the team. For example, head coach Bruce Arena thinks that the US men’s team has a chance to win the World Cup—in 2026. http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170413/us-mens-soccer-coach-bruce-arena-thinks-americans-could-win-2026-world-cup. Return to text
Chapter 14
36. Sometimes the publicity seems to make precious little difference: Ron Bryant and J.W. Milam, the men who murdered Emmett Till, were put on trial and found not guilty two weeks after Till’s funeral—during which time Till’s mutilated body was displayed in an open casket because his mother, Mamie Bradley, wanted the world to see what racism had done to her son. It took over a month for George Zimmerman to be charged for the murder of Trayvon Martin and a year and a half before Zimmerman was found—incredibly—not guilty. See http:// www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-death-of-emmett-till and http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts/index.html. Return to text
Appendix
37. Please note that all degrees represent the best information that we could find at time of publication. If you or a Tigerbelle you know has earned another degree, let us know so that we may update the list in future printings. Return to text
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Elizabeth Terzakis—my cowriter—who from the first time we met said, “This is a story that must be told,” and (because of you) now it has. I appreciate you so much. Your vision has helped give this story a platform beyond anything I ever could have imagined. You pushed me to remember so many things; you had me consider and reconsider the impact of experiences that I had seen as simply the way things were. Our long talks, and sharing of stories, along with reflections on race and reality then and now, helped me to grow and navigate the waters to make this book happen. Your open ear and supportive pen made it comfortable for me to open up, and as you know, that’s no easy task. I appreciate all that you brought and gave on this journey. I started with a coauthor and ended with a friend.
Thank you, Johnny Temple and Akashic Books, for making it possible for my story to be told and shared with the general public. Your honest feedback and continuous support were instrumental.
Thank you, Dave Zirin, for bringing Elizabeth, Johnny, and me together. What a team. From the beginning, your knowledge of the Tigerbelles, your appreciation for the true legacy of these women and our coach, really moved me. Thank you for your time, your edits, and your support.
To the Tigerbelles who have come before me—with me—and after me: We are a sisterhood of strength, power, and determination. Thank you for being strong Black women, letting the world know that no matter where we came from, we could excel on the field, in the classroom, and around the globe. We worked hard to achieve our goals. And our story is worth being told.
To Edith: We have been on this journey together for over fifty years, and I couldn’t have had a better friend to be with than you. You have been my wings when I couldn’t fly. Like a sister I never had, you have always supported me and encouraged me to push outside my own comfort zone. Thank you and much love.
To Cora: Thank you for all the laughs you’ve given me and the fun we’ve shared. Most of all, thanks for your support and friendship, and for being the one who always understands. My sister, my friend. You are loved.
To my children—Simone and Tyus—my life: I love you! This book is for you and your families. So that you (they) will always know all things are possible. Thanks for making my life as a mom such a joy.
Finally, to my husband Duane Tillman: My love—who worked so hard on this book, making sure we had all the facts and history correct, staying on the Internet night and day to find every piece of documentation—you are my inspiration, through all my ups and downs. My deepest gratitude and love.
Wyomia Tyus was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia. She attended Tennessee State University in Nashville and ran under the tutelage of visionary coach Ed Temple as a member of the Tigerbelles until she graduated in 1968. A four-time Olympic medalist, and the holder of multiple world records, Tyus was also a supporter of the Olympic Project for Human Rights during the 1968 Olympics, doing her part to promote justice for oppressed people around the world. As a founding member of the Women’s Sports Foundation, she continues to advocate for women’s equality in sports to this day.Photograph by Brian Lanker
Elizabeth Terzakis teaches English and creative writing at a community college in Northern California. Her fiction has appeared in New England Review, Minerva Rising, Solstice, and Birdland Journal, and her nonfiction publications include articles on t
he global AIDS crisis, education, free speech, human nature, and capital punishment. Tigerbelle is her first book.Photograph by David Wakely
Tigerbelle is the latest title in Dave Zirin’s Edge of Sports imprint. Addressing issues across many different sports at both the professional and nonprofessional/collegiate level, Edge of Sports aims to provide an even deeper articulation of the daily collision between sports and politics, giving cutting-edge writers the opportunity to fully explore their areas of expertise in book form.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published by Akashic Books
©2018 by Wyomia Tyus and Elizabeth Terzakis
The photograph of Wyomia Tyus on the first page of this book was taken by Brian Lanker and originally published in his work I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. It is reprinted here with the permission of Lynne Lamb.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61775-658-0
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61775-676-4
EISBN: 978-1-61775-673-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018930200
All rights reserved
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