Babe Didrikson
Zaharias shattered the stereotype that female athletes were delicate, half-court
players.
By
I
recently addressed a rather odd topic for an audience of political
progressives: “Who was your sports hero growing up?”
Of
course, sports today is very political — from billionaire team owners demanding
that taxpayers build sports palaces for them, to the recent show of political
solidarity by athletes who have “Hands up, Don’t shoot” written across their
jerseys.
In
the 1950s and ’60s, when I grew up playing ball, athletes were not supposed to
be political. Yet just by being in the game, some players were making profound
political statements every day. Jackie Robinson, for example, heroically
endured fierce racism to break down the solid wall of segregation in baseball.
I
never considered athletes to be heroes, but some heroes do happen to be
athletes, including the one I chose. Even as a boy, I knew that “Babe” was
unusual, excelling in sports, but doing something bigger.
Raised
in a hardscrabble working family in Texas, Babe was a national champion
basketball player. She also won countless events in national track meets and
set four world records in the Olympics.
She
even went on to pioneer the women’s golf tour, winning 82 tournaments and
founding the LPGA. She was rightfully named sports’ “Woman of The Year” five
times.
But
Babe Zaharias’ greatest triumph was to alter America’s cultural biases about
what a woman couldn’t do. She changed the political climate so girls and women
who came after her could get more programs, funding, coaching, opportunities,
and respect for developing their athleticism.
“My
main idea,” she said, “always has been to go out there and cut loose with
everything I’ve got. I’ve never been afraid to go up against anything.”
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator,
writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the populist newsletter, The
Hightower Lowdown. OtherWords.org.