--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's more important than who's going to…" description: "\"What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.\" — Bill ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/bill-russell-12966_black_what-s-more-important-than-who-s-going-t_1957174.jpg" --- # What's more important than who's going to be the first… ![“What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.” quote by Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/bill-russell-12966_black_what-s-more-important-than-who-s-going-t_1957174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/bill-russell-12966_black_what-s-more-important-than-who-s-going-t_1957174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/bill-russell-12966_black_what-s-more-important-than-who-s-going-t_1957174.jpg) > “What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.” [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes that breaking racial barriers in leadership matters more than being first in any specific role. **In simple terms:** Focus on creating opportunities for others. Key Takeaway Prioritize mentorship and systemic change. Themes e justice leadership Mood determined inspired Type motivational advocacy When to use this quote - corporate hiring - newsroom staffing - sports management Key Concepts civil rights representation legacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to support future leaders? - Who can you mentor today? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched biases is slow and resistant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-times/) ## Related quotes > [Listen, I was the first black manager in baseball and there was incredible pressure. I don't blame anyone else. 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But I am conscious that I'm a black manager and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughton/my-concerns-have-always-been-to-do-the-best-job-i-can-but-i-am/) [Chris Hughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughton/) > [Owning a club in a multi-ethnic community and firing managers for fun, I never once received an application from a black manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jordan/owning-a-club-in-a-multi-ethnic-community-and-firing-managers-for-fun/) [Simon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jordan/) > [As a black manager, somebody talking in good terms about me I don't think can be a bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughton/as-a-black-manager-somebody-talking-in-good-terms-about-me-i-don-t/) [Chris Hughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughton/) > [I worked at my high school newspaper at Andover, which came out weekly, unusual for a high school paper. Then my first day at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-worked-at-my-high-school-newspaper-at-andover-which-came-out-weekly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The two keys to success as a sportswriter are: 1) A blind willingness to believe anything you're told by the coaches, flacks, hustlers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-two-keys-to-success-as-a-sportswriter-are-1-a-blind-willingness/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I was sports editor for my high school newspaper, but I think I shied away from journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bush/i-was-sports-editor-for-my-high-school-newspaper-but-i-think-i-shied/) [Jenna Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bush/) > [I'd like to run a professional football team. I'd love to run the USTA, be the sports editor of the 'New York Times.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-zucker/i-d-like-to-run-a-professional-football-team-i-d-love-to-run-the-usta/) [Jeff Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-zucker/) > [First of all I have to ask myself what am I trying to say and who am I trying to tell the story to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bunce/first-of-all-i-have-to-ask-myself-what-am-i-trying-to-say-and-who-am/) [Steve Bunce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bunce/) > [One of my first jobs was at the Boston Globe. I worked in the sports department six months a year. When I was ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-mcdonough/one-of-my-first-jobs-was-at-the-boston-globe-i-worked-in-the-sports/) [Will McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-mcdonough/) > [The New York Times is the worst in that hardly anybody can write English over there. Most of it reads like slight translations from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-new-york-times-is-the-worst-in-that-hardly-anybody-can-write/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I get questions from Richard Sandomir at the New York Times or Michael Hiestand at USA Today about issues .., 'well, there's a blog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-get-questions-from-richard-sandomir-at-the-new-york-times-or/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [While opponents label (Howard) Dean a throwback liberal, The New York Times recently noted that as governor, Dean cut income taxes, reformed welfare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/while-opponents-label-howard-dean-a-throwback-liberal-the-new-york/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I read the New York Times, and if I'm in a different city, I'll skim that paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/i-read-the-new-york-times-and-if-i-m-in-a-different-city-i-ll-skim/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) ## More by Bill Russell > [What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/what-distinguishes-a-great-player-is-his-presence-when-he-goes-on-to/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [Don't knock the ball in the stands, keep it in your hands!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/don-t-knock-the-ball-in-the-stands-keep-it-in-your-hands/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [After the season with the Celtics, he said he wouldn't pitch for the Red Sox for four weeks because it took him that long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/after-the-season-with-the-celtics-he-said-he-wouldn-t-pitch-for-the/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [We learn to make a shell for ourselves when we are young and then spend the rest of our lives hoping for someone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/we-learn-to-make-a-shell-for-ourselves-when-we-are-young-and-then/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [My father once told me that anyone who worked for three dollars an hour owed it to himself to put in four dollars' worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/my-father-once-told-me-that-anyone-who-worked-for-three-dollars-an/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [If you can take something to levels that very few other people can reach, then what you're doing becomes art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/if-you-can-take-something-to-levels-that-very-few-other-people-can/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [This monument is going to be built as a symbol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/this-monument-is-going-to-be-built-as-a-symbol/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [The last five or six days, I've been running. The last two days, I've been running pretty hard. Everybody's got to be someplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/the-last-five-or-six-days-i-ve-been-running-the-last-two-days-i-ve/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [Young man, you have the question backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/young-man-you-have-the-question-backwards/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [We overreached our decision power. Sometimes our decisions have to fit the reality of the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/we-overreached-our-decision-power-sometimes-our-decisions-have-to-fit/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/the-most-important-measure-of-how-good-a-game-i-played-was-how-much/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [Friendship is a full-time job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/friendship-is-a-full-time-job/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/most-people-have-a-harder-time-letting-themselves-love-than-finding/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [The most important thing to me is the friends that I've made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/the-most-important-thing-to-me-is-the-friends-that-i-ve-made/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) > [We learn to make a shell for ourselves when we are young and then spend the rest of our lives hoping for someone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-russell/we-learn-to-make-a-shell-for-ourselves-when-we-are-young-and-then-2/) [Bill Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) [Explore all 52 Bill Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-russell/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. 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