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?