Stereotypes -- Why Are Black People Good Essay

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Stereotypes -- Why are Black People Good at Sports?

In the United States black people, African-Americans that is, make up roughly 1/16th of the population. Yet, if one looks at professional sports, in particular, football, basketball, and baseball, relative to their overall population percentage (1/16th) they make up a disproportionate percentage of professional athletes. The NFL is roughly 70% African-American, as is NBA, and baseball, which has seen a relative decline in the number of black athletes over the year (for various reasons) still boasts a healthy figure. Moreover, even in sports where black athletes are not traditionally known for being preeminent figures, i.e. golf and tennis, black athletes have, in recent years, made their mark (Tiger Woods, The Williams Sisters). Unfortunately, as a result of their success, black athletes have been forced to confront stereotypes that pretend to explain and/or rationalize their athletic prowess and relative dominance in the world of sports - here one can pause and just rattle off examples, Best golfer: Tiger Woods; Best NBA player: MJ; Best NFL player: Jerry Rice, Best Baseball Player: Willie Mays, etc. These stereotypes include suggestions that black athletes have different bones in their body than other races, ethnicities, that black athletes had to pursue athletics because they didn't possess a high enough IQ to learn and/or study in school, that black athletes have a different musculature than other races, etc. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss these stereotypes as well as others used to explain the unparalleled success of black athletes both in the U.S. And abroad.

Before one addresses stereotypes the concern black athletes, he/she should consider where stereotypes in general emerge. That is to say, most stereotypes emerge from a climate or environment where racism, jealousy or ignorance is (are) prevalent.

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And by definition a stereotype is a label. A somewhat popular label that is used to define an individual or a group of individuals that is typically derived from half-truths and/or prejudicial ideas about that individual or group of individuals. Stereotypes are not always negative, but when discussing the nature of black athletes, they almost always are. The question then becomes, why is this? Why are stereotypes regarding black athletes almost always negative?

Well, the answer to this question is because the majority of stereotypes regarding black athletes shift the paradigm from what the black athlete has personally done to reach his goal of becoming a prized athlete to external factors or conditions that explain his/her success. In other words, if a black athlete is the fastest man in the world, i.e. U. Bolt, then it is because he is endowed with musculature or bone density or innate physical attributes that athletes of other races/ethnicities are not endowed with. His supremacy is therefore a product of external or "supernatural" forces that he did not control. He was born with those attributes and that is why he is the fastest man in the world. While there may be some truth to the notion that U. Bolt has been endowed with certain physical characteristics that are conducive to running, he doesn't have the competitive advantages those stereotypes imply. His bones are not different. His musculature is not different. And when people make such claims about him, citing genetics or physicality, they seek to diminish his personal efforts, his hard work, his commitment, and his pedigree, in favor of those "supernatural" or external forces to explain his success. This is inherently racist. U. Bolt is the fastest man on earth because….....

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