The Secret Game

The Secret Game

From The Broadside by WUNC News

March 19, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the first interracial college basketball game in the Jim Crow South, which remained a secret for decades.

In March of 1944, two basketball teams in North Carolina played perhaps the most important game that nobody has ever heard of. It was the first interracial college basketball game in the Jim Crow South. And it remained a secret for half a century. Featuring: Scott Ellsworth, author of “The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball’s Lost Triumph” Links: You can check out Scott’s original 1996 article for The New York Times here . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Scott Ellsworth

Topics covered

  • basketball
  • interracial sports
  • Jim Crow South
  • historical events
  • North Carolina
  • courage

Keywords

  • interracial basketball
  • Jim Crow
  • North Carolina
  • Scott Ellsworth
  • historical sports
  • courage
  • secret game

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times

Books & works: The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball’s Lost Triumph

Places: North Carolina

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