Natives In Sport

Posted Up: September 1st 2000

I tried to bring to light some accomplishments of natives in sports here. Some info may be outdated, but at the time, was pretty accurate. The best native sports site out there, and maybe the only one updated consistently is NDN Sports, so check out this article.

Natives in sports, who would have thought it to happen? Who's there to watch? Well, last year, I started up a site specifically for natives in sports. To my surprise, there are some rez heroes out there. Jarvis Mullahon, Kayla Lambert, Lawrence and Lamoni Yazzie, Roderick Denetso, Ross Anderson, Monika Crank, and on, and on... These athletes cover Montana, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, and anywhere there's a kid on the rez who dreams of elevating themselves to another level of competition. I mean, would you have thought of some native playing pro football in the NFL? Kywin Supernaw of the Detroit Lions is a pro player, and is native. What about basketball? Well, I thought Mike Bibby was native, but still have yet to have that confirmed. Oh, but what about this Notah Begay character? A man to look up to. He has had mistakes, but took the consequences of his actions on his own. Not many people still do that nowadays. What's up with hockey though? Well, those that were mentioned on ESPN last year are as follows: Gino Odjick (Islander's Left Wing), Blair Atcheynum (Blackhawk's Right Wing), Craig Berube (Flyer's Right Wing), Sandy McCarthy, Chris Simon, and Danny Lambert. Where else can I go with this?

Oh, all native basketball tournaments. I always see them up in "Indian Country Today" in areas of the Midwest, or northwest. I know they're held everywhere, but I'm just not really seeing them advertised much. Well, I don't have a subscription to "ICT" is what I should be saying. Now, I know there are some pretty good ballers around, but usually, they aren't making claim to the college levels of games. Now, I may be counting my chickens before they hatch, but I am not really seeing, or hearing about natives outside of high school games? I do hope this changes, or maybe I should just clean out my ears and listen more?

Dang, ever see a kid that has what it takes to excel in sports of some type? I mean, here's this kid playing with older teens and stuff, and keeping up with them on their level. I've seen it happen once or twice, but then, it seems that that potential isn't realized as it should be. I can speculate on why that is, but a lot of times it's rare to see a kid with promise reach their true level of talent. If this is the case, I wish that those who do reach higher heights shed some light into their private matters of overcoming obstacles. Some of the same obstacles faced by some of those talented young ones currently on the rez wondering if they are, truly, talented as everyone knows they are.

Up north, in Canada, I know they love the sport of hockey. Well, in the ESPN special they did about natives, it was pointed out that native players are seen as 'Goons' or 'enforcers.' Not really too much is emphasized on finesse play, but hard nose to the grind type of play. They're usually sent in to put fear into opposing teams. Does it happen? I don't know, I'm not much into hockey. But, it would be nice to hear of a native who is the clutch player. To find out someone is sent in because they thrive on pressure and are a 'go to' player in those situations. Not just hockey, but all other areas of athletics that natives will most certainly take part in.

Ever found out that you're genetically gifted to be athletic? Meaning, have you ever found out that one of your parents, or their immediate next of kin, has some natural abilities for running, jumping, or coordination? Well, ask your parents, aunts, uncles, or close friends about past events. They should shed some light into light hearted memories they may have not thought about in ages. Just sit and look at their expressions. See if they truly enjoyed that time explaining it in words as they did when they witnessed it happen. Their stories should show that natives have been excelling in areas of sports without media frenzied arenas. These stories might also show that generations before televised events even occurred, natives have been top notch athletes.

Speaking of times before televised events, what about that Jim Thorpe Fella? Or that Tom Longboat character from up north? Those two made people stand and take notice of natives to two grateful countries: The United States, and Canada. These guys showed that natives are full of tenacity, and versatility. Jim Thorpe's Pentathlon record of points earned still stands to this day. That record was set back in 1912? Of course, there was some controversy about his eligibility for the Olympics, but that was (supposedly) settled after his passing. Oh, Tom Longboat also had his share of controversy too. Winning the 1906(7?) Boston Marathon, and later being declared by an athletic union to be a pro, and denied his return to race in the Boston Marathon in 1908. Other things have gone on with these two great athletes, but these are just some examples. They are truly great, and if ever there were two people to have events and towns named after them, it is these two guys.

Where would I like to see things go with natives in sports? Well, it's nice to see a lacrosse team competing as it's own sovereign nation in competitions around the globe. It's good to see a Navajo native excel in a sport now dominated by a 24 year old Tiger Woods. It's nice to hear about this Brockton High School gal by the name of Kayla set, if not tie, her own scoring record for a single game in the state of Montana. Or how about them Lady Bengals of Gallup, New Mexico consistently returning to the AAAA state championships? Isn't there also team of natives giving some folks of Minnesota a reason to cheer year after year? I like where natives are at now, and hope this trend continues in years to come. Well not only that, but hopefully there will be more names mentioned and also remembered by many.

Posted on 04 Jun 2006 by Windreamer