Late American athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the greatest female athletes of the 20th century, who was part of several controversies, including one in which she allegedly threw water on her black teammates.
To date, Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias is remembered as one of the most remarkable athletes of her time, who even battled cancer.
Not just in Golf, Babe was excellent in multiple other sports, including track and field, and basketball, which was her specialty.
Late Gold Medalist Babe Didrikson Once Reported to Act Racist When She Threw Water on Her Two Black Teammates!
Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes were two young Black women in the U.S. Olympic track team in 1932.
They were talented runners who were going to be the first Black women to represent the U.S. in Olympic track and field.
While traveling on a train with the team, Babe Didrikson reportedly threw a bucket of ice water on Pickett and Stokes. This was a cruel and racist act.
After that, the two women were removed from the relay team. They didn’t get to compete, even though they had trained hard and deserved to be there.
No official reason was given for why they were taken off the team, but many believe it was because of racism.
Instead of running in the Olympics, Pickett and Stokes had to sit and watch from the sidelines. Babe Didrikson went on to win medals and became a national hero.
Later, Tidye Pickett finally got to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, becoming the first African-American woman to compete in the Olympic Games.
On the other hand, Stokes made the 1936 team, too, but once again, she was replaced in the relay team before the race and didn’t get to compete.
Babe Didrikson is remembered for her sports achievements, but this part of her story reminds us that being great in sports doesn’t excuse bad behavior.
In Case You Don’t Know
- Babe Didrikson Zaharias had Colon Cancer.
- In 1950, Babe co-founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
- Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the first woman to compete in a men’s PGA Tour event, playing in the 1935 Cascades Open.
