Becoming A Black Athlete

Every elite athlete makes it look easy. Splashing through the water or striding gracefully down the track making it look effortless. Some people assume they are “naturals,” that their perfect DNA sequence is what has brought them to this level. Others argue that hard work and drive is what has made the difference, separating the elite from the average. These thoughts are the ones that give rise to the age-old nature vs. nurture debate. Countless hours of studies and research has concluded: it’s both. High performance sports consultant Ross Tucker puts it this way, “The science of success is about the coming together of dozens, perhaps hundreds of factors” (1). The relationship of such factors, including genetics, types and lengths of

"Gender Oppression Involving Men's and Women's Sports." : Analysis of a Scholarly Source: Equal Pay? Not on the Basketball Court" by David Woods. N.p., 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. .

Michael was laying on the ground because he was tackled but after the referee blew the whistle, a member from the other team kicked Michael in the head. Michael did nothing to react in a threatening way, he just continued laying on the ground. His couch asked the referee why the other team did not get a penalty for kicking Michael. The referee then waved his yellow rag and called “un-sportsman like conduct” for Michael team, despite the fact that they did not do anything wrong. Another example of discrimination towards Michael on the field was when he was blocking a player on the other team. Michael did not execute any foul plays, yet the referee’s called out his team. The coach asked the referee what they did wrong and they responded by saying, “I don’t know… excessive blocking.” The referee’s obviously did not have a significant reason for blowing their whistles and they likely would not have mentioned it if Michael was white.

Why then is racism still there? Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins says its because of our color blind society. This color blind perspective assumes that discrimination is a thing of the past. Playing fields have been leveled and if someone doesn’t succeed it’s because of their poor choices. Collins states that, “its not racism but cultural differences that can explain differences between racial groups and the inequality faced”. Racial differences that exist result as naturally occurring rather than by social forces (Bonilla-Silva, 2003). This idea leads some people to behave differently. Afraid of being regarded a racist people consciously omit talk of race and sport. They believe if they talk about race they end up singling out black athletes and explain their lack of success in ways different than they would for someone who was say white (Edwards). The absence of talk about racism in sport leads to the fact that certain sports become dominated by African American and others by whites. African Americans have begun to dominate sports like basketball, football, track, and boxing, but in sports like tennis, lacrosse, soccer, hockey, swimming, golf and skating they are way underrepresented (Pierce). This separation of black and white athletes in sports points out the divide that is happening. The reason for this could be from the believe that Black athletes do not believe they can compete with whites in all sports such as tennis and moving to

The topic of race in sport, particularly African Americans in sport, has long been a controversial yet, widely discussed matter. Human and social issues are never easy subjects to discuss or debate, and racial differences tend to provoke very strong reactions. To begin, we will explore those whom claim that black athletes excel in sports as a result of their biological make up. Of all players in the NBA, more than 75% of them are black; of all players in the WNBA, more than 70% of them are black; of all players in the NFL, more than 65% of them are black (Hoenig, 2014). Evidently, black athletes make up a vast majority of these sports in the United States. Athletes must be of elite caliber to have the ability to play at this level, so this

When looking at the topic of academic success of African American student athletes you need to look at all the factors involved. The problems that African American student athletes face are much the same that all African American students at higher education institutions face but the student athletes have other stressors that the normal students do not have. Such as In addition to the daily student routine (attending classes, going to the cafeteria, and participating in social events), student athletes also have their sport-related activities (practicing every day, visiting the athletic trainer for injury treatment, traveling for away games, studying team plays) (Watt, Moore 2001).

“That nigger is spitting on our floors, get his ass out of here!” were the harsh words that onlookers shouted from the stands to the players and game officials. I cannot believe that people can be so mean to other people simply based on their skin color. Anyway, Martinsville high school was punished and sporting events were banned at the high school for the next year ("Showing Martinsville in Indiana,”1997-2010).

Black student-athletes are taught to value sports over academics at a young age because it is seen as the “only way out”. Black student-athletes are heralded for their athletic prowess from middle school up, so they begin to focus less on their education and more on their sport. Unfortunately, so do the teachers. Black student-athletes are more often than not just given passes, as schools value what their athletic abilities could do for them over the academic success of the athlete. Even normal black students can be seen the same way just because of the perception that they might be an athlete. The sad truth is that the athletes that don’t make it to the professional level are left without the education needed to be successful.

Sports played and continue to play a pivotal role in American history and culture. Baseball provided an escape from the stress and frustration of WWII, a beacon of light during hard times and later helped influence integration. Athletes became symbols of what being a true American meant and many sports enhanced American culture. One of the most prolific changes sports brought to our society was the beginning of racial equality on the field. It encouraged and aided the fledgling equal rights movement that evolved in the 1960s. African American athletes were considered second-class citizen until sports provided the first taste of equality. Teams life the Indians, Dodgers and Giants led the way for all teams to accept black players on

Many Native Americans face racism on a daily basis from name-calling on the streets to offencive sports mascots mocking native heritage, as well as the stereotypes in films and televisions. Furthermore, organizations that monitor racism say that incidents of racism against all people of color are on the rise since US president Donald Trump’s election. In 2017 a Montana radio host suggested Native American basketball players should host their own tournament because the players are “unruly”. Furthermore when a family traveled to watch their kid play at a basketball game they were told to wait outside with another couple of their community and later informed by the sports director that they were only letting the white people in; not being permitted into a place because of your race, it's hard to put it into words how it makes you feel when you are on the receiving end of racial discrimination said the family that was denied entrance they added “Discrimination it weights

Society in the United States has changed the way discrimination is from the 1800’s to the 2000’s and is a big impact to people all around the country. Many African-Americans have been discriminated for a long period of time and now, many athletes are taking a stand to show its physically and morally wrong and occurs in past history, sports, and even the police force. Discrimination is is immoral tell this day and is still a horrifying act.

Racism is an evolving problem that we have face in our society for generations. This issue is evolving because it opens itself to all components of life. Sport is no stranger to involvement with racism, in fact it has been a platform which sparks change or intensifies the state of racism in society. Racism refers to the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races (Oxford Dictionary). Historically racism is an ideology systematically developed as the Europeans made their journey to the New World to explore and colonized the globe and the differences in it. This Great expedition was the excuse used to justify colonialism, slavery and genocide. This racial ideology has manifested itself in to the sports world in creating the modern-day apartheid which resides in the form of the black athlete in the major conferences of the NCAA. In this paper, I will be breaking down: the systemic institution of the NCAA, the generational racism the black athlete faces and the intuitional racism faced on campus to prove the existence of modern day apartheid.

People do not acknowledge the struggles that African Americans had to endure for them to be treated equally, the way a true American is supposed to be treated. One of the ways they were not treated equally was by not being able to participate in sports with whites. From the beginning of our nation, colored people were highly disrespected and treated as if they were some type of animals, which have no say in what happens to them. They were not given any opportunities and were treated harshly because their skin color was different. Whites were able to practically do anything they wanted, unlike blacks, who were racially discriminated or beaten for no apparent reason. African Americans were among the worst treated races in the US; however,

Many of my life experiences have given me a glimpse of what it means to be in the margins of society. My family’s history of racism and poverty, my father’s physical disability, my experiences as a woman, and growing up in the diverse Bay Area with friends, mentors, coaches, and teachers from different backgrounds has opened my eyes to the disparities in society. When I was sixteen I had a particularly salient experience that awoke my heart and mind to the ideas of social justice. I was in Memphis, Tennessee for a basketball tournament and on our day off we went to the Civil Rights Museum, which was built around the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. We saw the counters from sit-ins, buses from the Freedom Ride, and learned about the systematic oppression of Jim Crow. I was confused by the hate and anger I saw but found myself clenching my fists with rage at the injustice of it all. Yet, what was even more powerful was sitting in the parking lot with my team and listening to our assistant coach, who was an African-American man, share his experiences of racism, how it shaped his identity, and his fears for his two sons. Our head coach then shared about her experiences as lesbian and the ways in which she was continually denied rights because of her sexual orientation.

basketball, soccer, and tennis. I loved each and every one of these sports in a