Black athletes shape world of sports

Throughout sports history there are several names of individuals that come to mind that have had an impact on the world of sports as we know it today. The following ten individuals, all black athletes, are some of the most influential.

They are in no particular order as the list was lengthy and distinguished. In honor of Black History Month, take a walk through history...

10. Curt Flood

Flood compared baseball's reserve clause to slavery. The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder refused to accept a trade after the 1969 season. He took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and although he lost his groundbreaking objection led players to fight the reserve clause and eventually gain free agency rights.

9. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Her Olympic medal count: six (three of which are gold in track and field) Her all time points at UCLA: more than 1,000. Amount of performance enhancing drugs used: 0

8. Hank Aaron

He ignored death threats and harassment from racists and showed grace and class on his way to breaking the Major League Baseball home run record held by Babe Ruth. Today Aaron works in baseball as an executive and an ambassador to fight for the rights of minorities, particularly among baseball's front offices.

7. Muhammed Ali

Ali us arguably the greatest boxer in history and outside the arena was a symbol of controversy in the 1960s. Ali stood behind his beliefs and became a leader for racial equality and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was influential in the way that athletes deal with the media and vice versa.

6. Althea Gibson

She broke the color barrier in tennis and won five Grand Slam events in the late 1950s. She became a public service figure and a champion of youth sports.

5. John Carlos/Tommy Smith

Carlos and Smith are most known for their raised black-gloved fists on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics in protest of the poverty and treatment of black people in America. This brought the issue of race and discrimination to center stage throughout the world in one of the most powerful demonstrations in sports history.

4. Arthur Ashe

He was the only African-American man to win Wimbledon and also a staunch civil-rights supporter both in America and internationally. He supported causes like anti-apartheid and the rights of undocumented immigrants in the United States. He died of AIDS in 1993, which was contracted after a blood transfusion.

3. Michael Jordan

His talent and charisma, along with his intelligence and business savvy made him the most marketable athlete ever. The sports landscape and how players are used to pitch products changed forever because of Jordan. He is, quite possibly, the best and most famous athlete of any color to ever live.

2. Jesse Owens

He was an inspiration to all Americans when he won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in front of Hitler and his idea that blacks and the rest of the world were inferior to his "master race."

1. Jackie Robinson

Robinson courageously broke baseball's color barrier in 1947 at the height of segregation. His impact and influence was so great that baseball retired his number (42) and his name is spoken almost daily in sports circles. He not only broke the color barrier, but opened a door for African-Americans in all walks of life to be inspired to be something great. Each of these athletes has something to teach every one of us. All of them looked within themselves to be something better than what society had decided they would be. Each of us can take something from them. When we expect more of ourselves, we can achieve great things. These people helped to shape history as we know it.