While observing the current media frenzy over the "Historic" aspects of tomorrows inauguration; it is difficult to not recall the similar, if slightly smaller, media frenzy over the "Historic" nature of Major League Baseball's first black Manager. 

Frank Robinson, a certifiable superstar player, was named as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975.  The media spoke loftily about the racial breakthrough and positive historical implications this event held for all Americans.  To make matters even more dramatic, Frank Robinson was to be a "player / manager."  That is, he would be managing the team on the field,  and also be playing a position.  This added something to the drama of the first black manager, not only would he be seen in the dugout and walking to the mound, but he would actually be at the plate, taking his swings. 

When opening day came in Cleveland, every square inch of the enormous, cavernous, Cleveland Municipal Stadium sidelines were filled with reporters, photographers, and TV cameras.  Keep in mind this was before the existence of cable and internet news - if such an event were to take place today, the 80,000 person capacity stadium might not even hold all the media .  Indians fans, while enjoying the hype, had more serious thoughts in mind.  The Cleveland Indians were, at the time, perhaps the most discouraging franchise in all of professional sports.  Cleveland fans were filled with "hope" that this "change" would lead their team to new winning ways.

When Frank Robinson strode toward the plate for his inaugural at bat as a manager, the near capacity crowd rose to its feet in a thunderous ovation, camera flashes came from everywhere, the frenzy seemed to have peaked.  Robinson then drove a towering fly ball to left field,  the already frenzied crowd exploded into a euphoric roar as the ball bounced triumphantly behind the fence, and Robinson took his historic "home run" trot around the bases.  Some choked back tears of joy as they cheered their new hero.  Others cried openly, unable to suppress  the overwhelming emotional belief that this single event  marked an emphatic exclamation of racial justice and equality.  Some found themselves once again believing in the goodness of God. 

The Indians went on to win on Opening Day, and the euphoria continued for about 3 months.  But alas, results in sports are objective and empirical.  No amount of "hype" can turn a strike-out into a hit, or loss into a win.  Soon Frank Robinson found himself subject to the same issues all managers face.  After a two and a half mediocre seasons, Robinson was fired.  Nothing much changed in Cleveland, or in baseball for that matter.  Robinson went on to be a mediocre manager for four other Major League teams, twice finishing as high as 2nd, and never managing a post season game.  The Indians continued their poor to mediocre performances until a new Stadium and ownership breathed life into the ailing franchise.  There have been many black managers since Frank Robinson, and their will be many to come.  

The reason that nothing much changed in baseball, was that there was  not any real racial barrier in 1975 to blacks being managers in Major League Baseball.   While there may have been some reluctance on the part of owners to be the first to hire a black manager, the overriding reason for there being no black managers was a simple lack of qualified, eligible, and interested candidates.  When Jackie Robinson became the first black Major League player it did change everything.  There were Negro leagues where hundreds of qualified, capable, black players plied their trade without hope of ever making it to the segregated Major Leagues of baseball.  Once the barrier was broken, qualified black players were steadily welcomed into baseball, changing the game forever.

Such was not the case when Frank Robinson became manager of the Cleveland Indians.  Being a major league manager requires a very narrow set of skills and experiences that can only be acquired over long periods of time.  Since, blacks had only been playing major league baseball for less than 30 years, their were very few blacks that had both the qualifications and the desire to be a major league manager.  By 1975, it was inevitable that there would one day be a black manager, just as it was inevitable that there would one day be a black NFL quarterback, or NFL head coach.  There were no institutional biases to prevent these things, only the lacking of an available talent pool prevented blacks from entering those roles. 

Consequently, while everyone remembers Jackie Robinson, few remember Frank Robinson as baseballs first manager, fewer remember Fritz Pollard as the NFL's first head coach, fewer still remember Marlin Briscoe as the NFL's first black quarterback.  This is because while they were the "first" blacks to reach certain positions, there were no institutional barriers being broken.  Black managers, coaches, and quarterbacks have come and gone since, none of which has had any serious social or professional impact. 

It is likely that much will be the same with Barack Obama.  While, as in the cases of Frank Robinson, Fritz Pollard, and Marlin Briscoe, the media has hyped the occasion of a black rising to a new position as a moment in history; it really is simply the occurrence of an inevitable event, given that there exists no barrier for a black person to become President.  There are not "leagues" of competent black politicians languishing in wait of a break through.  Blacks have been involved at all levels of political activity in this country since the civil rights movement and the unrest of the 60's.  The battles over racial injustice have been fought and won for a long time in the United States.  There has been no institutional, nor significant voter bias against a black President for many years.  Rather to the contrary, the country seemed to bend over backwards to elect the first plausible black candidate to run for President, when no white person could reasonably be expected to be elected with the resume of Barack Obama.

In conclusion, it's likely that the election of Barack Obama reinforces the true reality that few racial barriers exist in the United States rather than to actually break down an existing race barrier.  As a result, it's unlikely that there will be any significant "change" associated with the racial aspect of the Presidency, and once the media hype dies down - we can return to business as usual.   Perhaps even the media will resist  making "race" the issue every time a person of color achieves something.  Now that's a change for which we can all hope.