Traditional Race Logic Used in Sport

Jackie Robinson

On November 12th, 2013 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed the topic of traditional race logic used in sport. This is a very controversial topic area and is not intended to offend anyone, mostly it is informational facts found that have been stated by several groups of people. Typical achievements of white athletes are said to be due to ability, character, and intelligence. While achievements of African American athletes are due to biology and natural physical abilities. In class we also talked about the physiological dominance of African Americans.

Michael Jordan

Physiological Dominance of African Americans
-Blacks have a slight genetic advantage over whites in some areas
-African Americans are more physically suited for activities requiring speed and power
-Longer levers, slimmer pelvis, less fat on muscles
-More fast twitch muscle (fibers)
-Advanced motor skills at an early age (active/coordinated)
All of these factors have been said throughout the history of sport with African American involvement, yet cannot be fully proven. This brings up many controversial discussions. In a research summary of genetic factors and athlete performance they have come to the following conclusions.
-Are there genetic differences between individuals? Yes
-Are genetic characteristics related to athletic excellence? Yes
-Could one gene account for success across a range of different sports? Probably Not
-Might skin color genes and physical performance genes be connected? No Evidence

In the text on page 312 Coakley discusses this topic, "Racial ideology influences the ways that many people connect skin color with athletic performance. At the same time, it influences sport participation decisions and achievement patterns in sports. Race, gender, and class relations in American society combine to create a context in which black males emphasize a personal presentation of self that is described as "cool pose" - a stylized persona that adds to the commodity value of the black male body in sports and enables some black athletes to use widely accepted ideas about race to intimidate white opponents in sports" (2010 Coakley p. 312). This idea is common and will continue until more research and more factual information can be exposed.


Serena Williams

In Casey Gane-McCalla's article called Athletic Blacks vs Smart Whites: Why Sports Stereotypes Are Wrong, released on April 19th, 2009 he discusses why ideas of African Americans are incorrect. He talks about how not all stereotypes are correct and can be proven to be wrong. For example he goes on to say athletic basketball players are coming from all around the world now, from Europe and Asia, boxing was once dominated by African Americans and is now being dominated by boxers of other ethnicities. China produces a lot of great Ping-Pong players because that sport is a part of Chinese culture, while Kenya produces several marathon winners since long distance running is part of their culture. Each area or country may dominate in their own sports due to their culture and background, which would lead to how often they participate in the sports and interest levels. Overall, I feel that soon the stereotypes of African Americans and people of other ethnicities will eventually come to an end, but for now it is still a problem arising in sport today. For the full article follow the link: Sports Stereotyping