The Bad Image Of Black Athlete

In the book titled Race, Sports, and the American Dream, it discussed how sports helped change the place of African-American in society. “Sports was well segregated deep into the 20th century” (Smith 9). How college football looked in America in the 1950s was exactly how American society looked in the 1950s, segregated and racist. African-American athletes in college football helped fight and negate stereotypes because it showed that they are equally as good

pioneers, and Rhoden acknowledges the good events and also describes the impact of the bad events. The highs and the lows, the strengths and weaknesses, the good points and the shortcomings are all crucial in understanding integration and where the athletes stand as history

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.

Like female athletes, African Americans have had a difficult time getting equal treatment and representation for their successes by the media. African Americans were thought to have a feeling of hate towards others, as displayed in the classic feature, Remember the Titans, “Look at them, they hate us, they’ll always hate us.” In today’s sports arena, African American athletes are represented in their sports’ categories in a much larger group than in the past. However, they are still struggling to have the same equalization as their teammates in the media’s representation of their talents and skills. A typical stereotype of the African American by the media is their depiction of them having more brawn than brain. For example, Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers, for example, is a white male whom commentators often commend for his high basketball IQ when he makes plays, but often fault for his insufficient physical ability when he doesn’t. African American teammates of Walton’s, in contrast, find their “skills” praised when they execute well and their “mental errors” blamed for failures to execute. Sports-related socialization of this discriminatory type can perpetuate stereotypes generation after generation.

When they are represented positively in the media, it is often limited to depictions of their skills in music, sports, and physical achievements in general. There is an inflated proportion of the depiction of black male role models as rap or hip-hop stars and basketball players (Media Representation and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys).

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

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

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.

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.

The history of sports goes back since ancient times. It has been a useful way for people to explore nature and their environment. Sports include different activities and games such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. to express their skills and talents. Also, sports are a way to relax and have fun; but are sports all our African Americans rely on? The dream to become future sports stars. The reason why Gates begins his essay with an anecdote is to show and compare how many african-american athletes were at work today and how little the chances of African-Americans becoming athletes are compared to being a lawyer, dentist, or even a doctor. African-Americans assume that they are born athletes and it’s because the school system doesn’t

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” Barack Obama. The question is always asked does the media reflect the reality of society, or does society try and imitate the reality shown by the media? There are a number of stereotypes associated with African Americans in our society such as African American men are athletes, rappers, criminals, deviant, streetwise, uneducated, and unemployed just to name a few. African Americans in the media have changed through the years. The history of African Americans on TV or minorities in general is hampered by the racial conflicts and segregation that are embedded in American society. Historically, black actors have been grouped stereotypically and assigned to comedy. This has often been traced to the genre of black minstrelsy that was popular in the early 20th century.

The Effects of Media on African American Community Modern media as a whole, has taken over the opinions of our society including our views on different races and ethnicities. Many minority groups are underrepresented or misrepresented in today's modern media, particularly African Americans. The African American community, is one with a unique history. The misrepresentation and underrepresentation of these people, can be linked back directly to the historical representation of African Americans shaping negative stereotypes. Out of all minority groups, a 2000 study from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience found that African Americans were more negatively portrayed “than any other ethnicity in prime-time television.”

The way entertainment in the media portrays us has greatly affected how others identify us. Movies and shows like; Madea’s family Reunion, Bringing down the House, Love and Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives all portray us in a degrading way. People sometimes find it comical of course, but the fact that it is comical does not justify it being debasing. This image of us has evolved from things in the media, and its’ power to shape people’s idea of us. We as a race must stop living up to our stereotypes. As soon as we take action in not succumbing to our own stereotype, people will not think we are “Ghetto” or any other undignified term they think of us; therefore in the media we won’t be perceived in that way. As Colin Powell once said, “Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.” Although African American stereotyping is prevalent in the media now because of its’ entertaining quality; it perpetuates a cycle of harmful stereotypes. As long as this cycle continues, our culture will always be illustrated negatively.

From the men being thugs and gangsters to the women being aggressive, emasculating, and primarily sexual beings: manufacturing false profiles to actual figures in the minds of society. Nevertheless, the media’s portrayal of African-Americans also influences them in ways that causes them stand up to stereotypes. Over the years, through films, news, and music videos, the media has portrayed African-Americans in a way that affects the African-American community and society profoundly.

Since the early 2000’s we have seen the rise and power of the mass media. However what most people fail to realize are how mass media manipulation negatively affects African American athletes on all levels. When dissecting this situation there are several key things to understand. America is a country that was born out of racism and is still being controlled to this day by racism. So naturally every institution that is run by racist such as the NBA, NCAA, NFL, the Supreme Court, major banking companies or the media. Within every racist institution there is a natural plan built in for blacks to fail. While on one hand there is a plan for most blacks to fail on the other hand there are plans set up to capitalize off our talent on every