The Williams Sisters: Double Trouble on the Tennis Court, Gabby Douglas: 2x Olympic Gold Medalist and Lolo Jones: An Avid Olympic Competitor in Hurdles and Now Bobsleigh they are all modern-day athletes who have grabbed headlines with their successes through sport. The civil rights movement changed the daily lives of all African Americans and soon other minorities in America. The movement also changed the world of sports for future African-American legends. The previous successes of African Americans in sports inspired Althea Gibson to make her mark on history. Althea would change the world of sports, impact future athletes to come, and leave her mark on history. Her athletic greatness would not only be bestowed on the tennis court, but golf would also receive its fair share of Althea's greatness. None of his successes would have been possible without the civil rights movement that allowed African Americans to enter the world of sports. African Americans entered the world of sports in the early 1900s, when the first African American Olympian became a gold medalist, Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera. He won a gold medal in rugby (Bosanac). Not only did the early 1900s open the doors to African Americans, but women began to infiltrate the sport as well. Women would be allowed to play in the Olympics; however, they could only play golf, tennis, and croquet. Only 19 qualified women managed to enter the first Olympics with female participants (Bosanac). Before Althea Gibson, Margaret Ives Abbott was the first to win the singles tennis tournament, foreshadowing the future legacy of Althea Gibson (Schwartz). “She also won gold in the 1900 Olympics in golf, just like Althea, so… middle of the paper… like someone before you who pushed for women to get an education, for brothers and sisters of all colors to be friends, dreams of becoming a millionaire and following your dreams were all made possible by someone who wasn't afraid to challenge society and the task at hand that so many others feared testing. Who made your dream possible? Work cited Bosanac, Alexandra. "Breaking barriers." National post. 04 May. 2013: A.24. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. April 16, 2014.Matthews, Glenna. "Gibson, Althea." American Women's History: A Student Companion. 1 December 2000: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. April 16, 2014. Hightower, Kyle. "Female athletes cross the boundaries of sport." Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Florida). 02 July 2005: np SIRS Issues Researcher. Network. April 23, 2014. “Althea Gibson Broke Barriers.” ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures and Web. May 15 2014.