And he'd point out Hitler at least waved to him from the stands, whereas FDR never acknowledged him in any way, at all
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Owens had to ride the freight elevator to the Waldorf Astoria ballroom for a banquet in his honor bc he wasn't allowed in the hotel proper
1 reply 43 retweets 95 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect
Jesse Owens never competed in any Olympics after 1936 bc the US officials barred him for life after controversy over him doing endorsements
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Once that happened the endorsements dried up and Owens was thrown back into poverty and relative obscurity
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Replying to @arthur_affect
Jesse Owens applied to OSU for an ME program so he could teach PE but was summarily denied due to his poor academics as an undergrad
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Replying to @arthur_affect
(During which he had set 3 world records as captain of OSU's track and field team, while living off campus bc dorms were whites-only)
2 replies 24 retweets 70 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect
One of Jesse Owens' jobs in the 1940s was promoting a minor league baseball team by racing against racehorses between doubleheaders
1 reply 24 retweets 53 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect
When asked whether he found this degrading he famously replied "You can't eat four gold medals"
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Replying to @arthur_affect
As he aged Owens ended up having to work jobs like dry cleaning and pumping gas to support his family
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Replying to @arthur_affect
He declared bankruptcy and was prosecuted for tax evasion in the 1960s
1 reply 15 retweets 49 likes
(It was at this juncture that the media noticed the incredibly shitty way Owens had been treated and it became A Story)
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Replying to @arthur_affect
(Leading to his resurrected celebrity speaking on racial issues in sports toward the end of his life)
1 reply 13 retweets 51 likes -
Replying to @arthur_affect
Many people noted Owens' opposition to the athletes performing the Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics but don't repeat his exact quote
1 reply 18 retweets 44 likes - Show replies
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