There are a number of athletes I admire for their accomplishments in their sports. But there is a much smaller number whom I respect equally, or even more, as human beings. They include Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaerpernick, Simone Biles--and Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor.
Some day, I'm sure, a documentary or biopic will be made about Ms. Biles. Films have already been made from the triumphs and struggles of Robinson and Ali. Five years ago, "Battle of the Sexes" focused on King's 1973 match--which she won--against Bobby Riggs. While it was a good film, I think it also helped to reinforce the tendency to think of Ms. King only in terms of that, and not on, not only of the way she dominated her game as Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams would later on, but also of her advocacy for women and LGBTQ folks.
But, to my knowledge, Major Taylor hasn't received cinematic canonization. One reason for that may be that there isn't anybody alive who saw him ride or can even remember how he dominated bike racing to the same degree as the other athletes I've mentioned towered over their sports. Thus, most people who aren't familiar with the history of cycling or African Americans don't realize that he was the first African American champion of any sport half a century before Robinson set foot on a Major League baseball field.
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| Clement Virgo (l) and "Major" Taylor |
It seems that situation is about to change. Canadian director Clement Virgo, who also helmed feature films "Rude" and "Lie With Me" as well as the six-part miniseries "The Book of Negroes," has been tapped to direct "Black Cyclone." The title comes from one of the more flattering nicknames given to Taylor. (As a black man in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, he also was called names that I, someone who isn't exactly profanity-adverse, won't repeat.) John Howard, a three-time Olympic and four-time U.S. Road Champion cyclist (who also set a land speed record that stood for a decade) will serve as a consultant on the project.
Production is set to begin next year.
