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Joe Louis

SOURCE: The Nation
5/8/2023

Joe Louis was the World's Most Popular Athlete; Racist Businessmen Refused to Let Him Endorse Fords

by Silke-Maria Weineck

Market research documents related to the Ford Motor Company's refusal to grant retired champ Joe Louis a dealership franchise reveal a combination of middle-class prejudice and the willingness of the business world to accommodate Jim Crow.

SOURCE: The Sportsman
6/22/2020

On this Day in 1938, Joe Louis and Max Schmeling Went to War

Although his title fight with Joe Louis was treated as a symbol for both racial conflict and the looming battle between fascism and democracy, the German heavyweight was relieved to be dumped as a mascot of the Nazi party after a decisive loss to the African American champion.