Jamal L. Ratchford (2012) discusses public response to self-determination and forms of racism in America and sports in “Black Fists and Fool’s Gold: The 1960’s Black Athletic Revolt Reconsidered – The LeBron James Decision and Self Determination in Post-Racial America.” Through use of various testimonies of important figures, statistics, and examples of celebrity athletes, Ratchford seeks to determine the relationship and impact that black athletes have on American society through self-determination. Some of the questions that were answered are why there is uneven ratio of blacks to whites in the media and sports, and the impact of this. Although Ratchford discusses the relationship between sports and racism, he does not explain the consequences
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He states, “According to Tides, in 2010, 94 percent of sports editors were white, 2 percent black, and 4 percent other… Out of five surveys, blacks only comprised double-digit features in one category: 10 percent of columnists” (Ratchford 54). These statistics show the imbalance of races in sports media. Athlete’s actions are talked about in the media and they could commonly be misinterpreted or misjudged similar to the LeBron James Decision. This uneven ration is similar to other jobs. In Erasing Racism, Asante explains how there is racism in the workplace and it is difficult for blacks to get certain jobs, or even reach higher positions. Asante argues, “Many whites would typically argue that racism does not exist in the workplaces. Yet in almost all cases where African Americans work with whites, operate on the basis of race… they face racial discrimination that often prevents them from reaching their highest potential” (Asante 276). This is related because even if African Americans wanted to get jobs in the media, they are constantly discriminated against, and this is one of the things that Ratchford does not mention. This causes problems because it means that black athletes are being misrepresented by those in the …show more content…
Jesse Jackson, and it is mentioned that Gilbert had a slave master mentality. Due to this, people were shocked because as Ratchford mentions, “Jackson became the bigot to those that advocated a colorblind agenda, or in other words, denied the persistence of racism in the US. Jackson and other critics of a colorblind framework, say it defends white advantages.” (Ratchford 53). Although Ratchford mentions that colorblindness defends whites and their advantages, he fails to mention what are the consequences of defending white advantages. This explanation can actually be seen in Michelle Alexander’s the New Jim Crow, where she states, “Although this new system of racialized social control purports to be colorblind, it creates and maintains racial hierarchy much as earlier systems of control did” (Alexander 13). On a broader scale, defending white advantages means that we are setting up and continuing a rigged caste system. This makes it difficult for blacks to move towards equality. Therefore, Jackson’s message is one to prove that colorblindness is only used as when whites are being accused of being racist, which Ratchford fails to
He states, “According to Tides, in 2010, 94 percent of sports editors were white, 2 percent black, and 4 percent other… Out of five surveys, blacks only comprised double-digit features in one category: 10 percent of columnists” (Ratchford 54). These statistics show the imbalance of races in sports media. Athlete’s actions are talked about in the media and they could commonly be misinterpreted or misjudged similar to the LeBron James Decision. This uneven ration is similar to other jobs. In Erasing Racism, Asante explains how there is racism in the workplace and it is difficult for blacks to get certain jobs, or even reach higher positions. Asante argues, “Many whites would typically argue that racism does not exist in the workplaces. Yet in almost all cases where African Americans work with whites, operate on the basis of race… they face racial discrimination that often prevents them from reaching their highest potential” (Asante 276). This is related because even if African Americans wanted to get jobs in the media, they are constantly discriminated against, and this is one of the things that Ratchford does not mention. This causes problems because it means that black athletes are being misrepresented by those in the …show more content…
Jesse Jackson, and it is mentioned that Gilbert had a slave master mentality. Due to this, people were shocked because as Ratchford mentions, “Jackson became the bigot to those that advocated a colorblind agenda, or in other words, denied the persistence of racism in the US. Jackson and other critics of a colorblind framework, say it defends white advantages.” (Ratchford 53). Although Ratchford mentions that colorblindness defends whites and their advantages, he fails to mention what are the consequences of defending white advantages. This explanation can actually be seen in Michelle Alexander’s the New Jim Crow, where she states, “Although this new system of racialized social control purports to be colorblind, it creates and maintains racial hierarchy much as earlier systems of control did” (Alexander 13). On a broader scale, defending white advantages means that we are setting up and continuing a rigged caste system. This makes it difficult for blacks to move towards equality. Therefore, Jackson’s message is one to prove that colorblindness is only used as when whites are being accused of being racist, which Ratchford fails to