On Jim Thorpe

I learn new things everyday. I saw a documentary on Jim Thorpe, the legendary Olympian.. I remember Dad talking about him in glowing terms all my life...the famous exchange between Thorpe and King Gustav of Sweden (Booku laughingly narrating this..:) after his 1912 Summer Olympics win in Stockholm

King Gustav: 'You, Sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.'
Thorpe: 'Thanks, King'.

Sweet. Unpretentious.

I learnt that he was part Native American. What an athlete... He played American football, baseball, basketball and athletics (pentathlon and decathlon) and excelled in all; considered the greatest athlete of the 20th century....and a sad life...died in poverty despite reaching such heights.

In Olympics, Native Americans (I refuse to use the term Indians...though Original Americans would be a good one) and other non-white athletes (including African-Americans) were considered 'wards of the US' and not citizens...this is so unfair...I am disheartened by human cruelty.
He was stripped of his Olympic medals (thankfully returned much later) because only amateurs were allowed in Olympics i.e. athletes should not play for money as it was expected that only the privileged and rich had an idea of what real sports is....not people in the workmen class.

The biggest shocker for me (yeah, I am ignorant) was that Native Americans were not considered US citizens till almost 1924...the nerve! How unjust on their own land.