I would like to discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in sports. We will also explore the bigger questions. How much does race and ethnicity matter in the sports world? Are certain races dominant in certain sports? Is there a difference in how we treat players based on race and ethnicity? Does it matter? I would like to answer some of these questions and gain a better understanding of how much of a part they play.
Introduction Race and ethnicity in sports is a very delicate subject. You run a great risk of offending someone when discussing the subject to begin with. Is one race dominant in a certain sport? I think we need to address this with respect and delicacy. But when we look at the need to be so delicate, that should be an indication that race and ethnicity matter with regards to sports.
Gender, Race, and Ethnicity and Sports When we look at the sports world, there is no doubt that some races dominate certain sports. Numerically speaking. If we look statistically, approximately 70 percent of NFL and approximately 76 percent of the NBA players are African American. We can also look elsewhere, such as NHL hockey. As of 2015 approximately 50 of all players were Canadian. We can see finite numbers that give us an indication where one demographic is larger than another. By looking at the percentages and numbers in each sport we know what we see, but does it matter to us as a society? There are some people that say that the numbers have changed
Women’s equality is an issue that has been around for awhile. While women have been given many rights to increase equality, including the right to vote and go to college, the problem hasn’t completely vanished. One area that still sees this is in sports. Women’s sports do not draw nearly as many fans and are not covered in the media as much as men’s sports, pay differences between male and female athletes are large, and female athletes have to wait longer to start their professional career than men, which risks their professional career before it even starts.
One interesting view by Douglas Hartmann in his journal article entitled “Rethinking The Relationships Between Sports And Race In American Culture: Golden Ghettos And Contested Terrain” said that racial issues in sport is; borrowing Stuart Hall (1981) words- “a contested racial terrain” (qtd. in Hartmann 241). The “contested racial terrain” is defined as “a social site where racial images, ideologies, and inequalities are constructed, transformed, and constantly struggled over” (Hartmann 230). In other words, sports have become a medium where the definition and limitation of racism created. This also means that the definition of racial issues will constantly change over time. Hartmann view is interesting seeing that he believes that the context of racism in sports are actually broader than we actually think. He did not agree with the simple view of because racial discrimination happens in our society, thus racial discrimination also happens in sports (Hartmann 242). He further delves into two interesting problems in stereotyping and biasing.
We all know sports are games that embrace the spirit within everyone. They make us cry, work together, overcome obstacles, and most of all they help us believe in miracles. Sports definitely became a main impact on the racial equality movement. Not only did it show people that we are all one of the same but, it opened people's eyes to show them that people of all races can work together and be successful. The reason that sports were so powerful in the movement was because TV wasn't a big fad yet so people watched sporting events for entertainment. This was the way the equality message was shown to the world. During the games the way the athletes portrayed themselves influenced people's feelings toward them and their race. Although African American athletes were accepted into sports that was the easy part. They also fought day in and day out for their teammates respect and for their peers respect. Many of them were even ridiculed by their own race
In recent history it has been evident that some of the most popularize sports in America have been dominated and overran by African American and other minority athletes. In turn when the coaching and management positions in sports are analyzed and broken down, the number of minority coaches and managers in sport are almost non-existent and have been since those sports organization became established.
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
Sports culture in the United States is a double-edged sword for minorities. It can promote a positive and progressive image of race dynamics but can also recreate racial issues in a large scope with more media attention. This is no different for Asian American women. Typically overlooked in research and mainstream media, a new intersectional feminist movement has finally sought to include Asian American women in research and look at their impact on sports culture in their own communities as well as the nation. While representing a small portion of American athletes, only 1.8% of all scholarship athletes, they have made substantial contributions to feminism and family dynamics within their own communities. In popular thought Asian American
When a person of a specific gender enters a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex, many social and moral issues will arise challenging that person involved in that particular sport. The intentions of the individual will be questioned as well as their personal interest in the sport. Before any of these questions are asked, there must be a redefinition of gender roles, femininity, and masculinity. In order for a person to enter a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex without being criticize about gender morality, society must set flexible definitions for femininity and masculinity.
A: The concept of race and social access have influenced who participate in a sport because according to the narrator of the film, “The Difference Between Us: Race- The Power of an illusion” even though “Racial differences are not necessarily discussed openly, they are often part of the careful calculation of competitive edge” of specific individuals. Therefore, the idea of race as biology is extremely constant on
I recently saw the film, 42, and I found many connections with our Sociology of Sport class. First and foremost, the movie was about the baseball legend, Jackie Robinson. Jack broke the baseball color barrier and was the first African American player allowed in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in 1947. Jack was a strong, talented player, but he also had a mind of his own. He played with an attitude that would be taunting to other players. When he made it to the Montreal Royals in 1946, he had to quickly get rid of this taunting, smart attitude. He was the only black player in a time of hatred and prejudice in the United States. Although he
Race, gender, history and sexual orientation play major roles in women's participation in sport. Through out the history of women in sport, opportunity has increased. Many athletes and coaches are presented with the issue of sexual orientation throughout their sporting career. Regardless of sexual orientation, all female athletes are affected by heterosexism. One's racial or ethnicity background greatly shapes the experience they may have in sport. This essay explores the many issues women in sport face today.
There are many reasons why the number of minorities that participate is sports vary from sport to sport. Race plays a big part in sports as well as in our society. Why is it that a group of people can harass and abuse a young black male for raping a white female, but on the next Saturday at the big football game cheer him on and hope that he has a great game. Over the years there have been some great black sports players, in almost all sports. Michael Jordan, OJ Simpson, Mohamed Ali, Bo Jackson, just to name a few. When players like these come along that are black and sort of take over a sport, many white male sports fans say stuff like, "He's black, he's faster than the white players." This tends to be true, blacks dominate the speed
There was a great many ways in which sports helped to form and keep ethnic and racial identities during the time frame. Some ethnic groups used their culture’s sports, and the clubs they formed, in order to resist assimilation into American culture thus keeping their own country’s ethnic culture intact. While some groups made the choice to maintain their ethnic culture rather than integrate it with America’s larger culture, others had no say in the matter. The group that comes to mind are the African American people. Contrary to European clubs that tended to fight inclusion African Americans wished to be integrated into the American culture but were denied due to systemic racism spanning across the country. Even when they were allowed to participate in sports it wasn’t for long. Take Moses Fleetwood Walker for instance, he was one of the first African Americans to play professional baseball because another team’s player manager “refused to play games with an African American (Gems 145).” One of the few real sports avenues left for African Americans was the sport of boxing and even that was rife with racism. The only reason Africans were even allowed to participate “because white spectators enjoyed watching the brutalization of blacks (Gems 145).”
Professional sports in the United States of America, most notably basketball and football, was one of the earliest job markets that Black males were able to succeed in on their own merit by using their bodies to obtain a profitable career. However, the relationship between White team owners, the White public, the predominantly White media and Black player continues to have a long complex existence with its genesis in racial exploitation. Black men were able to break into the sports industry because of the historical focus on Black male hypermasculinity - the exaggeration of male behavior that places an emphasis on physical strength and prowess. These stereotypes are deeply rooted in the history of slavery and the systems of oppression
Before this class I always viewed sport as a sanctuary for everyone regardless of their race, social class, and gender as something they can do together. That once everyone was on the field or at the game, we were all the same. I believed that it was an activity that did not have a political influence and it was purely for entertainment. While I still believe some of that is true, this class has challenged my view point by forcing me to view sports through a different lens. As students, we tend to look at everyday activities through our personal experiences and assume that everyone else around us is experiencing them the same way. We tend to overlook the truth because we are uncomfortable admitting that things such as discrimination, and sexism still happen in today’s world.
Three of the most important issues facing us regard to race and ethnicity are, immigration, discrimination and racial inequality. Throughout the history of the United States, a variety of events of the interminable fight for the civil rights have been documented. In 1976, he Declaration of Independence states “All men are created equal”, however, since the election of the actual president of the nation, racism, hate, and prejudice have arisen again. The proof is the massive deportation of illegal immigrants who are searching by the authorities based on their race or appearance, people from some specific countries from the Middle East such as the Muslims, are banning from entering to the United States, and more recently, the ending of the DACA benefits for immigrant students.