Sports and entertainment have always been windows of opportunity

The words of Lynn Swann carry the gravity of history and the triumph of perseverance: “Sports and entertainment have always been windows of opportunity for African Americans, when other doors were closed.” In these few lines lies a chronicle of struggle and endurance, a tale of doors barred by prejudice and walls built by injustice, yet also of light breaking through narrow openings where resilience could flourish. His words remind us that where the path of power, wealth, and politics was denied, other roads were carved by talent, spirit, and unyielding will.

From the beginning of their presence in America, African Americans were burdened by chains both physical and invisible. Long after slavery’s end, the shadow of exclusion lingered, shutting them out from professions, institutions, and seats of authority. Yet even as these doors were closed, the arenas of sports and the stages of entertainment cracked open slivers of possibility. On the field and upon the stage, skill and artistry could not be entirely hidden; the ball that sailed through the air, the song that lifted hearts, the dance that mesmerized — these spoke truths no prejudice could silence.

Consider the story of Jackie Robinson, who in 1947 shattered the color barrier of Major League Baseball. At a time when segregation reigned and even public water fountains bore signs of division, Robinson’s courage on the diamond became a beacon. He did not merely play the game — he bore the hatred, the insults, the threats, and yet with each stolen base and each strike scored, he proved that opportunity, once seized, can alter the destiny of generations. Robinson’s path was a window through which millions glimpsed a future freer than the present.

So too in entertainment did these windows appear. The voice of Billie Holiday, though emerging in an era of segregation, transcended the limitations imposed upon her. Her haunting song “Strange Fruit” exposed the cruelty of lynching to audiences who could no longer look away. In the laughter of comedians, the brilliance of actors, and the rhythm of musicians, African Americans forged power in spaces where their humanity could not be denied. These stages became both refuge and weapon — a place where closed doors mattered less than the windows flung open by undeniable brilliance.

Yet Swann’s words also carry a note of solemn truth: why should only these windows have been open? Why should entire realms of science, politics, law, and commerce have been barred for so long? His statement is both a celebration of victory and a lament of injustice. It reminds us that while the field and the stage offered avenues of triumph, true equality means that no door should ever be locked against any man or woman because of the color of their skin.

The lesson here is timeless: where society closes its doors, the courageous find or create windows. When injustice seeks to limit human potential, talent and perseverance carve a passage through. And yet, those who come after must not be content with windows alone. They must labor until all doors stand open, so that no child’s destiny is determined by what remains barred to them.

So let us take Swann’s teaching into our own lives: if the door before you is shut, do not surrender — seek the window. Use your gifts, whatever they may be, to push through, to be seen, to shine. But also, once you have passed through, do not forget to return and unlock the doors for others. For the true triumph of opportunity is not merely to find it for yourself, but to leave no door closed for those who come after.

And thus the wisdom resounds through the ages: greatness is born not only in the open halls of power, but also in the narrow spaces where light can still enter. Sports and entertainment were once such spaces for African Americans; they remind us that human spirit cannot be caged, and that even the smallest window can lead to the vastness of freedom.