Maury Povich (center) moderated the sixth annual Shirley Povich Symposium, which included panelists Darryl Hill, Bobby Mitchell and Michael Wilbon.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of black integration into this university’s football team and the Washington Redskins, last night’s sixth annual Shirley Povich Symposium highlighted the history of racism in sports — a topic some experts in the field said continues to be contentious.

About 400 students, faculty, alumni and community members gathered in the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center’s ballroom to listen to panelists discuss how race matters have transitioned into the 21st century. The seven panelists — university athletic director Kevin Anderson, former football players Darryl Hill and Bobby Mitchell, filmmaker Theresa Moore, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and ESPN broadcasters Scott Van Pelt and Michael Wilbon — shared stories of their experiences where sports and race intersect.

To start out the lecture, Moore, whose Third and Long documentary on the subject of football integration is slated to premiere next month on CBS, spoke about the history of African-Americans in the early-to mid-20th century.

“There [was] this sentiment if a black player is out there, they must [have taken] the job of a white player,” she said. “And for 13 years, there were no black players in the sport of professional football.”

Because owner George Preston Marshall’s wanted to keep many of his fans happy, the Redskins were the last team to integrate in the NFL, panel moderator Maury Povich said.

“He didn’t want to give up his southern franchise so that’s why he did not integrate — or that’s what he said,” Povich said.

And Hill, who played for the Terps during the same time, said he could attest to the fans’ negative attitude toward integration.

“The fans were terrible. They were spitting on you, throwing drinks on you,” he said.

Hill, who was the first black player on this university’s football team, said his teammates were willing to stay in different integrated motels during away games in southern states, so that he could be included.

“My team … voted unanimously — he don’t stay, we don’t stay,” Hill said. “They were in full support.”

However, Mitchell — who was the first black to play for the Washington Redskins — said because he pre-judged his white teammates, he was not able to share that same camaraderie during his time as a player.

“I never let them get close to me,” he said. “I thought they was George Preston Marshall.”

While the racism in sports can be a point of contention, it’s important these conversations continue to take place, according to Wilbon.

“People are scared of race — they’re afraid to get into it,” he said.

Although most panelists said sports were no longer segregated the way they once were, they said some sports journalists, coaching staff and team owners may still suffer from unequal opportunity.

“Sports has been forced to deal with these things, journalism has not,” Wilbon said. “That’s why I don’t see the progress in my industry that I would like to see.”

Anderson said he is one of two blacks in his position in the ACC, and there are none in the SEC.

“We’ve lost some numbers of athletic directors in this country— period — of color,” he said. “It seems to fluctuate.”

However some students — such as senior broadcast journalism major Daniel Baker — said singling out race makes it difficult to move forward.

“I think the discussion works against the goal because just pointing out numbers I don’t think helps the cause,” he said.

But several other students said the event helped them recognize that the issue of race in sports is far from over.

“I thought it was really interesting to have so many different perspectives,” said freshman journalism major Dennis Ting. “But the same conclusion is that there is a problem, and as a society, we need to address it.”

marcot@umdbk.com