Myths & Stereotypes About Black Athletes

Research Proposal I will like to propose an argument about how athletes are portrayed through the media specifically about race. The impact that race has played on professional sports is something that cannot be disregarded. With myself being half black and half white, I take notice in the way the media portrays each race differently. Specifically, blacks and whites. African American athletes are portrayed in a negative, biased light and the way they present the athletes through the mass media. This provides the major issue in this topic which is the skewed perception of the media and how it is inherently going to have racial hostility. How are athletes portrayed through the many forms of media? People should be aware about the racial …show more content…
In the article, “Myths & Stereotypes about Black Athletes,” Duggans (2004) states that “there is a myth that floats around that states that African Americans are able to run faster and jump higher because of their genetic composition.” Personally, I believe this is one of the most absurd statements I have heard. A question that came up in my head when I first heard this was, where is the data to back up this myth? There is zero data collected to support this claim. I have heard this statement being made every since I was growing up. Have you ever seen the movie “White Men Can’t Jump?” The movie is based on a white basketball hustler who banks on black players underestimating his skills on the court. To keep it short, there is a scene where the white basketball player is playing a pick up basketball game and dunks the ball. In my opinion, this movie has somewhat broken the stereotype of white athletes lacking the strength and physical ability to not compete against black athletes. There is zero data collected to support this …show more content…
It also mentions many myths about this particular controversy and how black athletes have more dominance over white athletes when it comes to sports. According to Kerr (2010), “All blacks have the genetic potential to be better athletes than all Whites” (p. 21). This statement is clearly to be mostly said by white society. People look for an excuse to compensate for why black athletes have better performance in sports not realizing that white athletes have the same ability. I would have to disagree with this statement because there are plenty of white athletes who can compete just as well against black athletes, just look up Larry Byrd for example. He is considered a legend now, and he is white. That is just one example, but there are plenty of white athletes who can and are still competing with many other black athletes at the highest levels of