Black Stereotypes

            A few days ago in American Studies class, we were discussing the topic of racial discrimination in politics. One of the most shocking statistics to me was the fact there have only been four black senators, three of whom were from Illinois. More popularly known is the fact that Barack Obama was the only black man to ever be elected president. But why is this? Why are black politicians rarely elected into office? Is it merely their race that prevents them from being voted for? I was watching a show on Comedy Central, when the comedian, Gabriel Iglesias, began talking about the issue of race in politics…

(sorry for the inconvenience but the video wouldn't load properly onto the blog... here's the link: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/283689 )

            I found it very interesting when he mentioned, “he’s not Snoop Dogg.” I think in that statement, Iglesias brought to light the idea of stereotyping black people. Although we think racism is over, it clearly isn’t because people still have their stereotypes of black people today. In fact, in class today, we were discussing the concept of racial stereotypes in television in the past and present. I find it very interesting that even today, blacks are put under this umbrella of stereotypes by the media. For instance, on clip today that caught my eye was of black men eating fried chicken and watermelon. Although people think that blacks love fried chicken and watermelon, race has nothing to do with taste buds or food preference. All of these ideas leave me very confused about the identity society has given black people. We don’t really know who they are.

            Why do people in society stereotype black people the way they do? Why does the media portray black people the way it does?

The Role of Race in Sports

In American Studies class today, we discussed many ways in which whites differentiated themselves from blacks before and during the civil rights movement. In some instances, whites would go so far to say that the genetic makeup of white people was different than that of black people, which somehow made whites more superior. We then very briefly touched upon the subject of black track stars and how they possess the fast-twitch muscles, allowing them to run faster. This reminded me of a certain video clip from Family Guy, a show that constantly identifies many social issues in the US as well as around the world.

This clip got me thinking. Is it just track that blacks have become more dominant in than whites, or are they starting to make their mark on other sports as well? And which ones? In did some research on the subject, and learned that a lot of the success of black athletes comes from their ability to combine their eagerness to compete with their desire for aggression. I remember one classmate in our discussion brought up a scene in the movie, Friday Night Lights, in which the coaches put the whites in as the quarterback and other “thinking” positions, while they put the blacks in as linebackers where brute force and quick instincts are necessary. I read one article in particular that discussed the education level of some of the most successful black athletes in our day and age. The author talked about how many of the black players seemed to be lacking a substantial education. In particular, he talked about Tony Allen, and how “he can play basketball but beyond that he barely knows what planet he is on.” But then again, if you were born with natural talent in a sport, and had little opportunity for a quality education, what would you pick: “unemployment and a good chance at jail or tens of millions of dollars?”

I then started to wonder about other sports that require more finesse and less aggression, golf and tennis in particular. It doesn’t seem like blacks have acquired the same popularity in those sports as others. I looked into it a little, and came across an article that discussed the segregation of sports. Apparently, these sports maintained the “whites only” policy long after other sports like baseball, football and basketball had become integrated. But is it merely the fact that blacks have not been integrated into these sports as long as others that has hindered their progress in them? Or is it the fact that these sports require a much lower amount of athleticism and aggression compared to the amount of thinking and finesse involved as well?

I have been pondering this idea for a while now. I am not sure exactly why blacks are more successful in certain sports than others. Is it due to the different skill sets required in certain sports that limit blacks from excelling, or is there still segregation through sport today?

Football Evolution

This past Sunday went just as any other Superbowl Sunday goes in my house: my brother and my dad parked on the coach getting through a minimum of three bags of potato chips, my mom constantly commenting on how they are the epitome of American health, and me, drifting in and out of the TV room, amusing myself with a few commercials and then going back to my room to do homework. However, this year was a little different. I decided to spend more time watching the commercials, but with a more critical eye. One commercial in particular came to my attention, and it really opened my eyes to how far sports in America have come over the past century.

If you look closely at the commercial, the yard markings on the field are actually years. For instance, at 0:19, you can clearly see the yardage markings, and someone being tackled at about 1940, which indicates that this is about the time that “we had a game on our hands,” according to the narrator. This commercial to me seems more than anything to be a historical overview of the pathway the game of football has been on for the past century. It is incredibly eye opening though, because this game, although it has not been around very long, it has made quite an impact on American society and taken some huge strides in terms of development.

I went to one website to look at the timeline of American football, and was amazed to find that it only dated back as far as 1820, which was when the timeline stated that “football evolves.” Although it seems like a long time, it really isn’t when you think about it. Sports like lacrosse have been around for centuries, dating back to the native Americans, while soccer dates back before the common era. These sports have grown and developed over an extensive amount of time, whereas football has taken less than two centuries.

            Why is it that football has developed so quickly compared to other sports? Is it coincidence, or is it something about the game itself?