Issues of Race in Sport

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

• Bryant Gumbel called the combination of race and sport: “the third rail of polite discourse”
• Reggie White: “Native Americans excel at sneaking up on people” and Asians can “turn a television into a watch”
• Rob Parker labeled RG3 a cornball (non-black, black man) brother due to his political beliefs and choice of wife
• Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas vs. Larry Bird
• Curt Schilling made comparisons between Nazis and Muslims
• The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012
• Former LA Clippers Owner Donald Sterling
• The racial unrest in 2015 at the University of Missouri
• George Floyd
• Here is a major issue: Race in America should not be, but is, about a Black/White binary
• Duke lacrosse case - watch
• Christian Mccaffrey

Question 2

Ethnicity in American Sport

Answer 2

• Race and ethnicity are not synonyms and should not be treated as such
• Ethnicity represents a person’s heritage and culture
• Race is something that can be socially constructed (hairstyle and dress)
• Ethnicity is a cultural heritage that people use to identify a particular population while race is when the population is believed to be naturally biologically distinct from other populations (skin color)
• America also follows the one-drop rule
• And again, for the most part, we are dealing with a White vs. Black dynamic
• Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight champion in 1980 amidst death threats and riots
• Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the face of Nazi oppression in 1936
• In early America, Blacks had to have separate sports leagues until 1947
• Interest convergence caused social strides in sports before they happened in society; which means these advancements in sports happened because they benefited people, benefited the Dodgers to have Jacki Robinson on their team because he was a good player and it benefited them

Question 3

Activism

Answer 3

• Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Black Power Salute (68 Olympics)
• Muhammad Ali and the Vietnam War
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, and Bill Russell, amongst other in the 1960s and 70s
• LeBron James
• Colin Kaepernick

Question 4

Lack of Activism

Answer 4

• OJ Simpson: Known for the killing in the driveway; prior to that he was loved
• Period of Political Dormancy
• Michael Jordan (Republicans buy sneakers too)
• Tiger Woods
• Steph Curry

Question 5

Sport selection and Participation

Answer 5

• America had a history of privileging one race at the complete exclusion of others… this is no longer the case in sports
• Race now often segregates themselves into particular sports
• Latino people are more likely to choose baseball
• White people are more likely to choose baseball, golf, and soccer
• Black people are more likely to choose, basketball and football
• Some of this is done by parental guidance

Question 6

Stacking

Answer 6

• Also known as positional segregation…… but it’s the idea that certain people or races are better suited for certain positions
• Baseball: blacks are better suited to play outfield, Latinos are better suited to play middle infield, and whites are better off at catcher and first base
• Football: Blacks should play the skill positions, and whites should play the thinking positions
• There is also self-stacking if that particular athlete believes in what makes them better off in their sport

Question 7

Coaching Issues

Answer 7

• Coaching connections are often tied into what’s known as the “Good ole boys network” in college and professional sports
• The vast majority of professional sports leagues are owned by white men
• The result is that it’s difficult for minorities to get coaching opportunities in most sports