Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kunezimpendulo ezimbili zokusungulwa kwezihlubuki ezinkulu zezombangazwe kwezemidlalo. Ungababona benakekelwa futhi bedelelwa - cabanga uMuhammad Ali - noma zisulwe nje emlandweni. Bala uCarlton Chester “Cookie” Gilchrist phakathi kwabasuliwe. UGilchrist, owayeyiBuffalo Bills ebuyela emuva, wabulawa umdlavuza ngoJanuwari 10^th eneminyaka engu-75 ubudala. Ifa lakhe njengomdlali kanye nembuka labasubathi kufanele libuyiselwe.

 

     UGilchrist, i-1962 American Football League MVP, ushone ngosuku olwandulela usuku olumangalisayo olungagujwanga ncam umhlaba webhola lezinyawo. NgoJanuwari 11^th 1965, Gilchrist wahola i-African American yokuduba yomdlalo we-AFL All Star, owawuzodlalelwa eNew Orleans. Ngo-1965, uhlelo lukaJim Crow olungakahleleki lwabusa idolobha laseCrescent kanye nabadlali base-Afrika baseMelika bakhuluma ngokukhululekile bodwa mayelana nokungakwazi kwabo ukuthola amakhumbi, ukuhlinzekwa ezindaweni zokudlela, noma ukuhlala emahhotela athile. UGilchrist uhlele wonke ama-African American All-Pros angu-22 ukuthi akhulume nokhomishana we-AFL u-Joe Foss futhi acacise ukuthi ngaphandle kokuthi umdlalo ususiwe, ngeke badlale. Abadlali abamhlophe nabo bamemezele ukuthi bazoma ukweseka ozakwabo eZimnyama. U-Foss uvumele izimfuno zabo, futhi wahambisa umdlalo e-Houston's Jeppesen Stadium.

 

       Izenzo zikaGilchrist kanye nozakwabo i-All-Pros ugqugquzele uDkt. Harry Edwards, U-Tommie Smith no-Lee Evans ukwethula Iphrojekthi Ye-Olympic Yamalungelo Abantu, befuna ukudubelwa kwe-African American kuma-Olympics ka-1968 eMexico City. Ukuhlela kukaGilchrist okunesibindi nakho kunanela namuhla njengezihlabani ze-baseball ze-Latino ezifana no-Adrian Gonzalez kanye no-Yovani Gallardo babonise ukuthi ngeke badlale ku-All-Star Game e-Phoenix ka-2011 ngenxa yomthetho oqinile omelene nokufuduka osayinwe emthethweni nguMbusi u-Jan Brewer. 

 

      Kamuva uGilchrist wathi indima yakhe ehola ukuduba kwaba "ingcono kunanoma yini engiyenzile ngidlala ibhola." Lokho kuyisitatimende ngoba sikhuluma ngomunye wabadlali abakhulu abake bawashaya amagoli.

 

      UGilchrist wasayinwa, ngokwephula imithetho ye-NFL, ngumnikazi weCleveland Browns uPaul Brown, ephuma esikoleni esiphakeme. I-NFL ikuchithile ukusayinda, kwathi uGilchrist, naye owayengavumelekile ukudlala ekolishi, kwadingeka ukuthi akhuphukele enyakatho futhi enze umsebenzi wakhe kuCanadian Football League. E-Canada, ukuqala njengomuntu osemusha. UGilchrist wenze amaqembu ayisithupha elandelana e-All-Pro ngaphambi kokuthuthela ku-AFL. Lapho wabusa, waba umgijimi wokuqala wamayadi angu-1,000 emlandweni weligi, futhi wabeka irekhodi lokushesha ukushayisana ngesizini. Kumdlalo owodwa wango-1963 bebhekene ne-New York Jets, u-Gilchrist wagijima amayadi angu- 243 kanye nokuthinta phansi okuhlanu.

 

      Kumuntu ogama lakhe linguCookie, abukho ubumnandi emdlalweni wakhe. Njengozakwethu uPaul Maguire ukhunjulwe kumbhali u-Tim Graham ku-ESPN.com,
       "Enkundleni yebhola, ubengomunye wamadodana amabi kunawo wonke engake ngahlangana nawo empilweni yami. Kwakungekho nhlobo ukwesaba kuleyo ndoda."

 

       Ngaphambi komdlalo owodwa obalulekile wokuhlungela, njengoba uMaguire ekhumbula, “UCookie wasukuma 'Ngizokutshela okuthile. Uma singawunqobi lo mdlalo, ngizoshaya u-s— kuwo wonke umuntu okuleli gumbi lokushintshela.' " U-Cookie wabe esekhomba umqeqeshi u-Lou Saban.  “'Futhi ngizoqala ngawe, Mqeqeshi. Ngizokukhahlela kuqala.' Ngivele ngizihlalele ekhabetheni lami. Ngangazi ukuthi uqonde lokho.’

 

      Kodwa uCookie akazange abonakale njengomholi ngoba nje ekwazi ukudlala. Wayekhulumela phezulu. Wayengenalo ithemba.

 

      Njengoba yena kusho ku-Sports Illustrated ngo-1964,  "Abantu bacabanga ukuthi ngiyinqaba ngoba ngiwuNegro okhulumayo. Kodwa kuningi engikucabangayo. Kuyisifo sangaphakathi, futhi sizongidla ngiphila uma ngingakususi kimi. uhlelo lokho engikucabangayo ngezinto."

 

       U-Cookie wathatha ukuqina kwakhe ngokumelene nokucwasa futhi wakusebenzisa ekusebenzelaneni kwakhe nabaphathi. Uthumele incwadi evulelekile kumnikazi weqembu uRalph Wilson ngaphambi kwesizini eyodwa funda, "Madoda, ngeshwa kudingekile futhi ukuthi ngicele ngokusemthethweni ukuthi nenze imizamo yokungidayisela kwenye iklabhu yebhola." Uthole ukukhushulelwa. Kodwa wayefuna okwengeziwe.

 

     Njengoba esho phakathi ingxoxo nge-Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Bengifuna iphesenti lokudayiswa kwezinja ezishisayo, ama-popcorn, indawo yokupaka kanye nokudayiswa kwamathikithi," kusho uGilchrist. "[Umqeqeshi uSaban] uthe lokho kuzongenza ngibe umnikazi weqembu. Ngabe sengiyindoda emakiwe ngemuva kwalokho."

 

       UGilchrist uchithe isikhathi sakhe sokuthatha umhlalaphansi enganakile nhlobo izindlela zakhe zokukhuluma ngokungagwegwesi. Wanikezwa ukufakwa ehholo lodumo laseCanada, futhi uGilchrist waba ngumuntu wokuqala ukumane anqabe. Uthe ukucwasa nokuxhashazwa ngokwezimali akuthola ku-CFL ngeke akukhohlwe nje. Ubuye futhi iminyaka enqaba ukufakwa ku-Bills Ring of Honor ngenxa yokungqubuzana kwakhe impilo yonke noRalph Wilson, usengumnikazi weMithethosivivinyo namuhla eneminyaka engama-87.

 

       Kepha ngasekupheleni kwempilo yakhe uGilchrist wathambisa isimo sakhe, ngemuva kokuthola ukuthululwa kothando kuBuffalo ngesikhathi kuzwakala izindaba zokuthi ulwa nomdlavuza. Ngisho noRalph Wilson wayefuna ukubuyisana futhi wakhuluma noCookie ngempelasonto ngaphambi kokushona kwakhe. "Nginalo lonke ibhokisi lamakhadi nezinhlamvu," Kusho uGilchrist. "Ngamangala; zazehlela izinyembezi. Ngacabanga ukuthi uNyathi ungidinelwe." Babengahlanyi uCookie. Babengazi nje ukuthi banani kwaze kwadlula.

 

[UDave Zirin ungumbhali we “Imidlalo Emibi: Indlela Abanikazi Abayonakalisa Ngayo Imidlalo Esiyithandayo” (Scribner) futhi usanda kwenza idokhumentari entsha “Akuwona nje Umdlalo.” Thola ikholomu yakhe masonto onke ngokuthumela i-imeyili dave@edgeofsports.com. Xhumana naye ku edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

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