Social Mobility Literature Review

An epidemic that has plagued much of the African American community is the reliance on athleticism as a channel for upward social mobility. There has been little emphasis placed on academic achievement because it is considered too much work; the low expectations already set for African Americans to succeed academically only diminish their pursuit (Semyonov & Yuchtman-Yaar, 1981). Several things are thought to be correlated with social mobility in sports for African Americans. Some examples include: the media, education, and the way children are motivated by parents, teachers, and adults (Coakley, 2004; Gaston-Gayles, 2004). The following literature review will attempt to explain what social factors influence the views of African Americans with …show more content…
According to Lewis (2010), “many White fans are comfortable cheering for Black athletes, yet allow themselves to fear Black men they pas on the streets, and raise little protest when sports media consistently target Black male athletes as criminals” (p. 252). He also explains that sports distract us from racial, political, and social issues because many people connect the integration of races in sport to the diminishing of discrimination, racism, and stereotypes; however, there are far more present than ever. In many African American communities, which are often low income, sports are encouraged for children as a way to keep them away from gangs, violence, and drugs that plague the neighborhoods (Fuller, Percy, Bruening, & Cotrufo, 2013). A lot of the attention on African Americans in the media is placed on their success in sport or negative actions that caused them to become criminals. The attention placed on these two areas without a middle ground can influence the views that young African Americans have about their pathways for …show more content…
The societal teachings and media coverage shows that successful African Americans men pursue careers in sports and if they are not athletes, then there is a strong chance for incarceration or being in low income households (Lewis, 2010). The educational system has done little to motivate and educate African Americans on possibilities and opportunities to succeed that does not involve sports participation (Gaston-Gayles, 2004; James, 1994). Stereotypes and race issues are still present even though they are swept under the rug; without addressing these issues, our society has further encouraged the idea that African Americans will not be successful if they are not a professional athlete (Lewis, 2010; Semyonov & Yuchtman-Yaar,