NFPLE Senior Vice President
Troy Vincent Sr.
August 28, 2013 marks the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington headlined by the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. America in 2013 and the National Football League are in very different places than they were in 1963. The progress that our Nation and our League has made in the area of equal opportunity has been tremendous.
Professional sports have been a major catalyst for change and opportunity in America. In 1920, Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall integrated the National Football League. Sports, and football in particular, teaches the importance and necessity of hard work, sacrifice, courage, commitment, persistence, resolve and most importantly, teamwork. Teamwork in football is colorblind. Teamwork simply demands that each person pull for one another as hard as they pull for themselves. Teamwork shares a common vision and common goal. As I reflect upon the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the words of Dr. King, I am reminded of his prophetic words,
“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise, live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
We are light years away from where we were in 1963, and though we still face opportunities and challenges, I do believe we can and will, rise to meet any opportunity and challenge we face as a League and a Nation.