Throughout the years African Americans have dominated professional sports. Basketball, football, boxing, baseball and track are all sports a lot of African Americans succeed in. However, there is a lack of participation in swimming, golf, tennis, hockey, skiing and many other competitive sports that most White people play. Many factors greatly influence these statistics such as social, cultural and economic constraints. The question is, are Blacks superior to Whites in athletics due to their biological make up?
According to the Introduction to African American Studies textbook, organized activities historically, have developed a sense of unity in the African American community. Truthfully this would be the case in any community. Some …show more content…
Based on certain demographics black communities are statistically known for being poor, having a difficult family life and exposed to fewer opportunities. Of course this is not true in many cases but based off of certain areas in the United States this is accurate. Although Blacks are athletically talented some say that they, “lack the intellect to excel in various other sports activities or even in such positions as quarterback in football or as a pitcher in baseball” (Anderson, Stewart 141). There is no proof that Black people lack intellect to thrive in these positions but when this book was published in 2007, there was a small number of Blacks you played these positions. However, after the book was released there has been an increase in black pitchers and black quarterbacks. Also due to their economic constraints, sports that include expensive equipment such as tennis, golf and hockey prevent a substantial number of African American participation. It is not just the equipment that is expensive but most of these sports are considered “country club” activities meaning there is usually a monthly membership fee involved. Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams have been involved in promoting inner-city youth in golf and tennis, which has led to the …show more content…
However, women are also pinned with the same stereotypes as men when it comes to athletics. “African-American women athletes, like their male counterparts, are often seen as “natural athletes.” This stereotype depicts African American athletes as biologically and physically superior while the while the white athletes’ success is attributed to their “hard work” (Withycombe 479). In a discussion we had in class, it was stated that most people describe African American women as loud, aggressive and strong-willed. A lot of people would associate this description with men and not a woman. In the academic journal, Intersecting Selves: African American Female Athletes’ Experience of Sports, it claims similar adjectives describing Black women. It also labels these women as “muscular with manly strength.” When we talked about African Americans and sports we tend to forget about Black women categorized in this
According to the Introduction to African American Studies textbook, organized activities historically, have developed a sense of unity in the African American community. Truthfully this would be the case in any community. Some …show more content…
Based on certain demographics black communities are statistically known for being poor, having a difficult family life and exposed to fewer opportunities. Of course this is not true in many cases but based off of certain areas in the United States this is accurate. Although Blacks are athletically talented some say that they, “lack the intellect to excel in various other sports activities or even in such positions as quarterback in football or as a pitcher in baseball” (Anderson, Stewart 141). There is no proof that Black people lack intellect to thrive in these positions but when this book was published in 2007, there was a small number of Blacks you played these positions. However, after the book was released there has been an increase in black pitchers and black quarterbacks. Also due to their economic constraints, sports that include expensive equipment such as tennis, golf and hockey prevent a substantial number of African American participation. It is not just the equipment that is expensive but most of these sports are considered “country club” activities meaning there is usually a monthly membership fee involved. Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams have been involved in promoting inner-city youth in golf and tennis, which has led to the …show more content…
However, women are also pinned with the same stereotypes as men when it comes to athletics. “African-American women athletes, like their male counterparts, are often seen as “natural athletes.” This stereotype depicts African American athletes as biologically and physically superior while the while the white athletes’ success is attributed to their “hard work” (Withycombe 479). In a discussion we had in class, it was stated that most people describe African American women as loud, aggressive and strong-willed. A lot of people would associate this description with men and not a woman. In the academic journal, Intersecting Selves: African American Female Athletes’ Experience of Sports, it claims similar adjectives describing Black women. It also labels these women as “muscular with manly strength.” When we talked about African Americans and sports we tend to forget about Black women categorized in this