Cuban Babe(Ruth) is a slightly different view of the integration of sports. I do not claim to know much about this particular aspect of sporting history but I do find it interesting how this text makes it out that female integration mirrored male integration in sports. At least from the aspect that Hispanic women were finding places in the field of sporting before other women of color, of course, the reading stipulates that this only took place when said Hispanic women were of a paler skin pigmentation. The article claims male integration was similar though I do not know enough about the concept to say whether or not I believe that to be factual.
The idea that the racial line was drawn aesthetically is a concept that I feel has come up in history quite a bit in some of my studies though due to my past classes it has mostly come up to how people of mixed heritage were treated in American society based on how well they could pass for white.
While it is not something that often comes to mind I did find myself liking how the reading touches on how Hispanic women were accepted among their sports teams. One would think that taking part in a competition together would strengthen bonds between people but that isn’t always the case when it came to this era so it was nice to hear about a group of people getting over the racial tension of the period and building bonds of friendship. Due to my very limited sports knowledge, it leaves me to wonder how male teams reacted to integrated teammates.
I appreciate that this reading touches on the difficulties that faced the women who joined American sports teams either in their lack of ability to effectively communicate with the people around them. That doesn’t even mention that they were by in large immigrants that left their lives and families behind in order to go to an entirely new place to play a sport. It’s not entirely surprising that the reading details some of the athletes sporting very short careers on the field before heading back home, anyone would feel pressure to go back home in such a jarring situation. It really just goes to show the determination and willpower of the athletes who chose to stay in for a longer period.
