Matt Hines

Sport Management
2/19/16
Bill Russell Biography
Throughout history the world of sports has never failed to shock the world. Between the
players, coaches, fans, and staff, sports effect almost every person in America today. Its a killer
industry; it keeps hundreds of millions of fans glued to their TVs, phone screens, and other
devices, while also attracting millions of other fans to actually attend the game or watch
somewhere else like a friends house or the local bar. While entertaining so many people each
unique sport is also raking in huge amounts of revenue. Ticket sales, concessions, and
merchandise are just a few of the ways that sports will help generate a profit. This is huge
because in todays world theres only one thing that these sports and fans and such couldnt exist
without; money. Anything that makes money will interest somebody these days. Because sports
are so popular and the fans love their teams so much they will continue to spend the money on
them over and over again which creates a consistent profit for the team.
Why do people love sports so much? In my opinion the players are the biggest factor in how
popular or likeable a team will be. When a fan is really good or really popular, it brings in a
much bigger crowd. But what makes a player a superstar or a fan favorite? Typically one that
makes big plays, wins games, or does something else notable on or off the field/court that makes
the fans specifically enjoy them. Probably the best way to get big recognition is to be dominant
in your sport. When players dominate, score a lot, and make big things happen, its a total crowd
pleaser.

One sport that has faced major growth and change because of a certain athlete is basketball in
my opinion. There have actually been a few players that have actually made them change the
rules like Shaq or George Mikan, but I believe Bill Russell changed the game more than anyone.
When thinking about this it must be considered that Russell played in a pretty much completely
different league back in the 60s; although didnt every athlete that changed their sport play in a
once different league? They did indeed, but Bill used a strategy, dunking, that is now used pretty
much all the time, because no one could stop it. In todays game you still get excited when you
see someone dunk, but not like they did at this time. Along with his dunking ability, he was also
the first real shot blocker. He would leave his feet and reject opponents shots frequently, even
after his coaches advised against it claiming it to be unsound for a defender to ever leave his
feet. He used a part of todays NBA to consistently beat defenses year after year and they
couldnt stop him because of his height and athleticism. He was a 12-time All-star, amassed
21,620 rebounds (led the league 4 times,) 4100 assists, and almost 15,000 points. He was also a
5-time league MVP (58, 61, 62, 63, 65,) all-star game MVP in 63, and won 11 champions in
just 13 seasons, probably the most unbelievable feat in sports history.
Bill Russell has made incredible contributions to the game of basketball in a variety of unique
ways. Way back in 1955 and 1965 he won back-to-back NCAA titles with The University of San
Francisco being the first black player to ever lead a team to a national championship. Also
significant about this great run was that Russell won it with two fellow African-American
teammates on his starting 5, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry, while most other programs only included
African American players as token integrations to add diversity to their rosters. He changed the
way NCAA teams would evaluate players; many wouldnt even consider starting a black player

over a white one, but by watching Bill lead his team so effortlessly over opponents over and over
again they had to reconsider.
Not only did he leave a lasting impact on NCAA basketball, but Bill Russell helped contribute
to the growth of basketball in a huge way. He was an immediate factor in the NBA, and even
took his team to the NBA Finals that year. It was Celtics vs. Hawks, Game 7, double-overtime; it
was an incredibly vital time late in the game when Russell sprinted the entire court to come from
behind and block a shot that wouldve put the Celtics in a deep hole. Many had referred to this as
the most athletic play seen in basketball or a hint of the future at the time; and they were
right. In the NBA now players are always looking to block their opponents, whereas at the time
Russell did this it was a jaw-dropping, No way moment for basketball fans everywhere. He
made himself known on the court; his knack for blocking the ball and scoring in the paint was
just uncanny.
Not only was Russell an icon on the court, but he was also a very caring and professional man
outside of his sport. He traveled out of his way to go to Washington D.C the night before Martin
Luther Kings March on Washington to personally speak to him. Very recently he was actually
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom; an award given by the president of the United States
himself for outstanding citizenship. It is the highest civilian award in The US.. He also ran
basketball clinics and programs on his own to better the community he was living in. He spoke
for equal rights and was never afraid to share his opinion publically to help bring fairness to the
world he was living in at the time. His inspiration went further than just what he did on the court;
Bill Russell went out of his way to be a good person, player, and role model. He inspired
millions of African American athletes by showing them that not only can black players play and
complete, but they can even be great. It started in college when he started dominating and caught

the attention of many aspiring African American children, and when he went on to find huge
success in both in the NCAA and the NBA it just made them even more encouraged to try the
game out themselves. This was conducive to massive growth for the game of basketball: imagine
a league today without any African American stars.not even the same league.
Bill Russell helped the NBA and all basketball associations grow because he incorporated a
whole new, unique group of people that were only given very limited participation otherwise. He
inspired them and showed them that they could do it. Along with all the inspiration he radiated,
he also changed the physical play of the game of basketball. Dunking, blocking, and dominating
the paint were now looked at as much more important skills. If they could get another player to
block the way Bill did then maybe they could win 9 championships in 10 years, too. He inspired,
amazed, and improved the world of basketball even to this day. Without Bill Russell we wouldnt
have the same league we do today and I am appreciative we were lucky enough to have him play.

Sources:
-"Bill Russell - Celtics Legend." Boston Celtics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
-Haubner, Mark. ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
-Land Of Basketball.com." NBA Players: Bill Russell Profile and Basic Stats. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb.
2016.
-"NBA.com: Bill Russell Bio." NBA.com: Bill Russell Bio. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.