Photo: Singer-athlete Paul Robeson, 1963 (AP Photo) / Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) / Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali , Dec. 3, 2009 (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
The American Football League All-Star Game was an annual game featuring each year’s best performers in the American Football League. It was played from 1961 to 1969.
In 1965, the annual event took a turn for the worse for the Black All-Stars. The game this year was played in New Orleans. Nightclubs on the city’s famed Bourbon Street were still segregated, and a bouncer pulled a gun on player Ernie Ladd, The Undefeated reported. After this incident, the players refused to play.
The protest helped push forward the desegregation of New Orleans, as business owners worried about the financial losses from missing out on major sports events.
