Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era

by Eric Allen Hall

The first scholarly biography of one of the most famous athletes of our time shows how Ashe worked for civil rights while playing a country-club sport in a white man’s world. Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Choice ACRL Arthur Ashe explains how this iconic African American tennis player overcame racial and class barriers to reach the top of the tennis world in the 1960s and 1970s. But more important, it follows Ashe’s evolution as an activist who had to contend with the shift from civil rights to Black Power. Off the court, and in the arena of international politics, Ashe positioned himself at the center of the black freedom movement, negotiating the poles of black nationalism and assimilation into white society. Fiercely independent and protective of his public image, he navigated the thin line between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and radicals, the sports establishment and the black cause. Eric Allen Hall’s work examines Ashe’s life as a struggle against adversity but also a negotiation between the comforts―perhaps requirements―of tennis-star status and the felt obligation to protest the discriminatory barriers the white world constructed to keep black people "in their place." Drawing on coverage of Ashe’s athletic career and social activism in domestic and international publications, archives including the Ashe Papers, and a variety of published memoirs and interviews, Hall has created an intimate, nuanced portrait of a great athlete who stood at the crossroads of sports and equal justice.

Genres: Biography, History

344 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2014

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong debut from a young academic, this book charts the career of Arthur Ashe on the court and in the realm of politics and public opinion. Hall argues that Ashe, influenced by a father and other mentors steeped in the philosophy of Booker T. Washington, used his athletic fame to bring about positive change from the political center. Ashe concerned himself especially with apartheid in South Africa. Though Ashe's moderation and equanimity make for a story that lacks explosive climaxes and moments of high drama, it's a measure of his dedication and effectiveness that when Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, the one American that he wanted to meet was Ashe.

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by an academic, it is intelligent and interesting but fails to be an enthralling biography about a man who overcame racism to become an influential man of tennis and black activism. Through difficulty and dignity Ashe is shown as a man who was on a mission even before he was aware. Growing up in the segregated south, by a stern widower father, he is discovered and coached to phenom tennis player winning the 1968 US Open and becoming the first African American male to win Wimbledon.

This biography lacks smoothness and is repetitive in places, bouncing in and out of years, when describing his tennis achievements and activism. Not diminished is the message of his black empowerment activism in anti-apartheid, education, and civil rights. He is shown as maturing from a position of engagement and open dialogue with opponents to becoming a staunch advocate of economic sanctions and going to jail with lifelong activists.

Interestingly, for most of his life, until he married, he had blatant sexist ideas about women’s roles, especially in tennis. He openly stood against Billie Jean King’s fight for equal pay and acceptance in tennis. Even though he had strong convictions on civil and human rights he was way off on women’s rights.

An article in the New York Times titled Should Athlete’s Stick to Sports (2/14/17) considers the controversy of athletes speaking out (or not) on political issues. Ashe's life definitively gives insight on what is to be gained and the cost of doing so.

[Steve Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge Arthur Ashe fan even before his 1975 Wimbledon win over Jimmy Connors. Starting with seemingly insurmountable obstacles in Jim Crow Virginia, Ashe showed how it was possible to leverage fame to promote social justice. Although redundant and with writing lapses in places, this book does a good job recounting AA's struggles and successes. Ashe's untimely death robs us of a singular human being.

[Mills College Library]

Biog A824h 2014