great white hope

1. Something or someone that is expected to succeed. For example, Mark is the great white hope of the international division. This expression dates from the early 1900s, when heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who was black, seemed invincible and the term was used for any white opponent who might defeat him. It gained currency as the title of a Broadway play and later (1970) a film. By then it had been transferred to anyone of whom much was expected.

Example Sentences

Professional boxing is where the concept of the great white hope — and the Black villain — gained traction.

From Salon

They are pitied by white liberals, resented by white nationalists and entirely absent in conversations about the next great white hope for rock.

From Los Angeles Times

As she told Religion News Service, she was disheartened that Trump ascended to become "the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America."

From Salon

“He became the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America,” she said.

From Seattle Times

If I try really hard, I can imagine what those Trumpers must feel, as the reign of their great white hope nears its end.

From Los Angeles Times