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Arthur Ashe

            
             Arthur Ashe rose from a segregated Virginia neighborhood to become not only one of the best professional tennis players in history, but also a trailblazer for African-American athlete's everywhere. Ashe was faced with adversity throughout all years of his life because of his race, which made his moment of greatness that much sweeter. This moment came in 1980 when Ashe was named as the first African-American Davis Cup captain. An honor, and responsibility, that many dream of but few ever achieve. .
             While growing up in Virginia Ashe was not allowed to play tennis on pubic courts or in junior tournaments because of his race. He was looked down upon throughout his career for being the only black in a predominately white sport. Ashe once said, "discrimination and ultimate despair have dogged the steps of the mightiest of [African-American] heroes" (P. ix). It is this kind of determination to overcome this discrimination that allowed for Ashe to earn a tennis scholarship to UCLA and work his way into the USTA (United States Tennis Association) hall of fame. It is this kind of heart that lead to him being not only the first African-American Davis Cup captain, but the first African-American to play Davis Cup for the United States.
             It is somewhat ironic that Ashe had worked through adversity from his country just so that he could represent his country. It seemed as though every match he won was a victory for him as well as for the African-American community. Ashe brought racial lines right into the living rooms of Americans and showed them that there is a place for a black man in a predominately white sport; just as Jackie Robinson, one of Ashe's boyhood heroes, had done decades before (p. ix). However, to say that Ashe merely represented the U.S. would be an understatement. He would lead the team to victory in 1968 by becoming the first African-American to win the U.S. Open. Ashe would later go on to win 28 of 34 Davis Cup matches over fifteen years (p.


Essays Related to Arthur Ashe

1. The Definition of Success: Arthur Ashe

... , the downfall of segregation, and AIDS studies. On July 10th 1943, tennis received one of the most significant contributions; Arthur Ashe was born. Arthur Ashe wasn't just one of the greatest players in tennis, he was one of the main reasons for tennis" success. Ashe picked up a racquet as early as seven when he became interested in tennis shortly after his mother Mattie Cunningham died ... based on segregation. Many individuals and organizations throughout the world supported this call for expulsion. His voice was so well respected that Ashe decided to speak out on racial policy, and b...

  • Word Count: 1303
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. King Arthur: He Who Fell to Death and Rumor

... to prove anything. Thus, the question one should immediately ask is: "What proof exists at all?" In fact, there is evidence which proves that an Arthur existed: "The original Arthuras Messrs. R. G. Collingwood and Geoffrey Ashe have since proved beyond reasonable doubt, was a heroic British cavalry general named Artorius" (Graves xii). According to the records kept by the Welsh priest Nennius ... leader (Lopoz 211). Perhaps the strongest piece of connecting evidence was discovered in 1970, when the Camelot Research Committee excavated Cadbury Castle (Ashe 7). First, this structure was fou...

  • Word Count: 1595
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

... the Civil War. Nor was this passion confined to books and movies. Fights kept erupting over displays of the rebel flag, over the relevancy of states' rights, over a statue of Arthur Ashe slated to go up beside Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in Richmond.It seemed as though the black-and-white photographs I'd studied as a child had blurred together, forming a Rorschach blot ... and political power in the contemporary city or left as historical markers. The suggestion had been made to move the statue of Arthur Ashe, a Black legend to Monument Avenue and place him next to other General...

  • Word Count: 2116
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

4. "Send Your Children To The Libraries"

In the essay "Send your children to the Libraries" by "Arthur Ashe", he describes how he feels about sports and school. Arthur believes that while it is ok for children to have idols, they must focus on education, and place sports second. In this essay, Arthur states, "Black youth have had the goal of professional sports for too long." This shows his belief that the ... who have failed. Most children grow up watching sporting events believing that everyone who wants to can play, or make the team. However, as they grow older they learn otherwise. Arthur also states his belief on that matter in...

  • Word Count: 342
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Jane Eyre

... wrote a number of novels and a couple of poetry books in her lifetime. Some of the novels published include The Professor, Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette. Later, she was married to Arthur Nicholls, a professor, the 29th of June in 1854. After a mere year of marriage, Charlotte Bronte died in pregnancy in 1855 when she was just 39 years old. (Bronte, Charlotte, pg ... 's friend, at Lowood School. Also, both Bronte and Jane were governesses at one point in time in their lives. Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane's character to be much like Charlotte herself. (Ashe, Pg. 125). Both women were inde...

  • Word Count: 1622
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

6. AIDS Research Paper

... -known people have revealed that they have the disease and many others have passed away. Two other celebrities who have died as a result of AIDS syndrome are tennis star Arthur Ashe and rapper Eazy E. Arthur Ashe contacted the disease when he received HIV-infected blood during open heart surgery, while Eazy E. got the disease from practicing unsafe sex. Basketball great Irvin "Magic" Johnson and ... ...

  • Word Count: 1698
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Stress

... problem with Selye's view is that not everyone ends up in exhaustion from stress, because stress affects everyone differently, depending on their perception, personality and context of the stressor. Consider Arthur Ashe in his experience with AIDS: Because of his previous brushes with death, having gone through major heart surgeries, he was not phased with the news of having AIDS. Also, because ... to keep circumstances out of awareness to avoid dealing with them, is a harmful way of coping. Social support is important in helping us cope with stress. In "Days of Grace," Arthur Ashe stat...

  • Word Count: 1985
  • Approx Pages: 8

8. Through the Labyrinth: Symbol and Spiritual Journey

... . The shaman's chief deity was an Earth Mother and Mistress of Animals, and in their mythology Ursa Major belonged to the Goddess. In his book, Dawn Behind the Dawn, Geoffrey Ashe further surmises that "Her (Earth Mother) cult and symbolism, passing from tribe to tribe, played a part in forming the Paleolithic Goddess substratum across Siberia and Europe".(2) Even today the number ... out again allows rebirth.(4) A very similar meaning is suggested in the Christian practice of walking the labyrinth. An archeological site on Crete named "Palace of Knossos" by its discoverer, Sir Arthur Ev...

  • Word Count: 2250
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Stonehenge--An Ancient and Modern Marvel

"Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest icon, symbolizing mystery, power, and endurance" (Stonehenge 1). Those are the words of historian Gregory Ashe. The monument, located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, now lies in ruins. It consists of a circular group of large upright stones surrounded by a circular earthwork. It is the best ... preserved and most celebrated of the megalithic monuments in all of Europe ("MSN Learning" 1). Built throughout three different time periods spanning over 2,000 years, Ashe and other experts have yet to figure out who and why Stonehenge was constructe...

  • Word Count: 1013
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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