by Jamie Trecker

But things in America, and across the world, changed Tuesday night.

As the world knows, for the first time, a black man was elected to lead the United States of America. I happened to attend the rally in Grant Park, and listened to President-elect Barack Obama speak eloquently, and forcefully, about what this meant for a country that not so long ago denied both women and blacks the very right to vote.

Those of you who saw the pictures streaming live from Chicago know that hundreds of thousands of people turned out to celebrate this event. Similar, spontaneous demonstrations burst out across the United States and indeed the world. I had never seen anything like this for a politician.

It felt like the World Cup — joyous, and historic — but with immeasurably higher stakes.

Since I'm in sports for a living, I spent a lot of time thinking about the changes I've seen over the past four decades, and how we as a nation came to this moment. I've always felt that sports provide one of the purest mirrors on a society, and I can't help but feel that sport in general, and soccer in particular, has helped change our country and our planet.

Four decades ago, the European teams where almost entirely white. The American team was white. When I was a kid in Scotland, there was no such thing as "black players." They didn't exist, at least to those of us on the terraces.

That changed in 1978, when a man named Viv Anderson was called into the England national team. I remember the moment vividly, because it was hotly discussed. Why? Just two years before, a man named Viv Richards — one of the greatest batsmen to play the game of cricket — had led the West Indies team to a brutal demolition of the English team at Lord's. The politics of race around that match were brutal, and would have long-reaching implications for a society that had always been homogeneous.

Viv Anderson broke the color barrier in the England national team. (Allsport UK/Allsport / Getty Images)

Anderson, at that time playing for Forest, was one of several emerging black players in the English professional game. He would be the first to break the color barrier.

The manager at the time, Ron Greenwood, has always insisted that Anderson was called in on merit, but only a fool could have ignored what was happening in the country around him. And, the case of Jack Leslie was still remembered: Leslie was a fixture in the early days of the English First division and received his call-up before World War I. When the team found out he was black, he was dropped.

Since that time, 56 black players have appeared in England's whites, and many of them are legends: John Barnes, Ian Wright, Sol Campbell. Arguably, the best player of today's squad is young Theo Walcott. But just thirty years ago, Walcott might not have had a chance.

Ground of course was broken long ago in South America by Brazil, but black players at the highest level remained rare until recently. People should not forget that the French team that lifted the 1998 World Cup was bitterly criticized by Jean Le Pen as "not truly reflecting our nation" — because some of the players were black, and some were Algerian. Eusebio looks like a fluke in Portugal today, and Italy still struggles to integrate its team.

Sport surely helped America to finally integrate. Jim Brown and Ernie Davis helped smash the barriers at my alma mater, Syracuse, in the late 1950s. But despite more black players getting chances in big sport, the hate did not end. Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Brown were trailblazers, but, still marginalized. America actively disenfranchised blacks through the 1960s, with Lyndon Johnson needing to sign the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to remove many of the obstacles placed deliberately in their path at the polling box.

Arguably, it wasn't until Tiger Woods, the first mixed-race player to succeed — and dominate, no less — that perceptions began to change. Woods not only smashed the barrier in golf, he kicked the doors of the country clubs down. For once, there was no excuse. Woods wasn't an "entertainer" in a "black" sport: He was and is the top athlete in one of the whitest and most-monied sports on the planet.

Here, Chicago's first great modern sports figure was Michael Jordan, who became an international superstar thanks to his excellence at sport. Today in Chicago, one of the biggest stars doesn't even speak English. That would be Cuauhtemoc Blanco, of the Chicago Fire. His face is everywhere, and he is adored.

Blanco's acceptance is due in part to the seismic shift that happened with the American national team under Bruce Arena. For years, the USA had all but ignored black players, and the rare ones had rough rides: Cobi Jones endured withering racist abuse during his tenure in England at Coventry City, just 15 years ago. Under Arena, however, men like Eddie Pope, Oguchi Oneywu, DaMarcus Beasley and Tim Howard were given chances.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Fire has become adored in Chicago. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

MLS began to take chances, hiring Latino players, and Americans learned to accept players who didn't speak English, and perhaps didn't look like the kids "Soccer Moms" were driving to youth soccer games.

Today, half the U.S. team is black or of Hispanic origin. That's a sea of change in a sport that only a decade ago was largely upper-middle class and staunchly white in this nation.

Make no mistake, racism still endures in our sport, and across the world. This year, teams will be fined for the acts of their fans in places as far afield as Bulgaria and Spain. And here: No one should forget the troubles early this season at a Columbus Crew game.

But things are changing. Now, fans and teams are punished for saying what was acceptable only a decade ago. Players today are judged on their talents, not on their accents or origin.

And here, in Chicago, last night, I saw a man win the highest office on the planet, not because of his skin color or in spite of it, either. He was chosen because the electorate thought he would do the best job.

I'd like to think, in some small way, that the world game helped.

Jamie Trecker's newest book, "Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks" is out now from Harcourt. Jamie is assisted by Jerry and Janice Trecker. Contact Jamie at jamie.trecker@gmail.com and visit his blog and website at www.jamietrecker.com.

The views and opinions expressed by Jamie Trecker do not necessarily reflect those of the Fox Soccer Channel or FoxSoccer.com.