Football coaches in particular are by large measure Republicans, and this fact more than most anything proves the lie that the party is racist.

After Alabama football integrated in 1969-70, the South made a greater, more profound change for good, in a shorter period of time than any region in all of world history.

The wonderful, lifelong relationships forged by white coaches with black athletes, or by black coaches with white athletes, is nothing less than a social statement.

I witnessed this. In 1981 I played in the St. Louis Cardinal organization in a league encompassing Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. We had numerous African-American and black Dominican players. I can honestly say I never saw a hint of prejudice, and in fact I found Southern belles oddly drawn to the black players more than the white ones.