This might be a somewhat controversial blog post, but I believe it is worth being discussed and hopefully I will get some good feedback and conversation out of it! I believe that in today's sport society there exists a reverse racial role. Take, for instance, the NBA as an example; the majority of the exceptional players are african-american. This is no knock on those players, they are great at what they do and deserve to be recognized as the best. However, does the ratio of great black basketball player to great white, latino, and european basketball players automatically create a stigma to the lesser part of the ratio? As another example, the number of white starting cornerbacks and running backs in the NFL is a total of zero athletes. Does this number create an automatic assumption that non-black athletes cannot play these positions? I would love to hear everyone in class respond to this question because it is a question I have had to discuss in prior classes and have heard mixed opinions.
Joey Durant
The stereotype remains not in that white players cannot fulfill what black players would in particular positions, but that the styles of play are much different and certain positions/teams prefer different styles of play. White players are viewed as "smart" and sometimes "safe" players, while black players are more likely known as "risk takers," stronger, and faster. Black players are also known to be more agile than white players. Certain teams prefer having quarterbacks who are white in order to have a great pocket passing game rather than the quarterback running the ball. I believe that the style of play a coach desires for his team dictates the player's race at a particular position. This is kind of sad, but true because not all players play the way their race is stereotyped to play in a certain position. In all honesty I do not believe that this will ever change. If it does, it will not be until there are multiple players who continue to defy the stereotypes given to them.
ReplyDeleteCasey Daulbaugh