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SEPTEMBER 21, 2000

America might never see Jim Thorpe on a Wheaties box or Notah Begay in a Nike commercial, as Olympic gold medalist Bill Mills sees it.

In 1964, Mills won the gold medal for his performance in the 10,000-meter run, becoming the only American to ever do so. On the radio show Native America Calling, the Oglala Lakota athlete spoke out against racism in the media, sports, and corporate world.

"Notah Begay, our great golfer, may never be able to truly break into the corporate endorsement world as he would if he was [sic] African-American or white American. I call that corporate racism," said Mills on Wednesday.

"Hopefully, Notah does break that barrier," he added.

Indigenous athletes have become somewhat of a news issue this year, particularly with the Olympics taking place in Sydney, Australia. Aboriginals have used the international spotlight on their country to focus on the treatment they have received by the federal government.

Accounting for approximately 386,000 out of a majority white population of 19 million population, many aboriginals deal with problems of poverty, racism, poor education, and substance abuse.

Tthe policy of stealing mixed blood and light-skinned children and placing them into white homes has also had a long lasting effect on the indigenous population, although Prime Minister John Howard has refused to apologize for the past practice.

Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman, who was chastised for wearing the aboriginal flag during the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, has helped focus some attention to the issue. This year, she lit the Olympic torch and said it was an honor not only for herself, but for her people.

Still, indigenous athletes are often ignored by the sports world and the media. So Mills said he was not surprised by the lack of media coverage of issues faced by indigenous athletes and people.

"I think the media obviously is going to ignore" indigenous issues, said Mills. "It does not surprise me when the media is willing to put the Washington Redkins logo on television weekend after weekend, knowing that one of the origins of the Redskins logo is the sale of indigenous body parts."

But Mills expressed some hope for the future. He believes that sports is just one forum in which Native Americans and indigenous people worldwide can make positive changes.

"Ultimately, sport, globally, has to acknowledge indigenous people and as they acknowledge us, hopefully we are in a position to address issues for the betterment of mankind," he said.

Mills is currently on his way to the Olympic games. He said he hoped to meet with aboriginal activists while in Sydney.

Relevant Links:
Watch Billy Mills win the Gold at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan - www.mines.edu/Outreach/k12/mathcamp/BillyMills.html
Running Strong for American Indian Youth - www.indianyouth.org
Cathy Freeman Bio - www.nbcolympics.com/?/bios/tf/freemcat/freemcatbio_01.html
Native America Calling - www.nativecalling.org

Related Stories:
Aboriginals fight racism (Global 07/06)
Runners carry Olympic torch (Global 06/09)
Olympics highlight aboriginal issues (Global 05/25)
Put Thorpe on Wheaties (Sports 05/15)
Put Thorpe on Wheaties (Sports 05/15)
Billy Mills Inspires Success (The Medicine Wheel 04/06)