Sport As A Racial Equalizer Essay

Sport as a racial equalizer

The ideology that African Americans are superior in athletics further promotes the idea of white intellectual superiority. Some will argue that sports put race on an equal playing field, however racial inequalities and injustices are reinforced here. When people in a study were asked to describe an individual's athletic ability based on their looks, an overwhelming response characterized the black person as a superior athlete, yet the white male was described as having a greater intellectual or strategical ability (Harrison, 2002). Africans hold an extensive percent of the population of NBA and NFL players with the percent of African americans being 75% and 69% respectively in 2015 according to Richard Lapchick. Although the African American population makes up the

There is an accepted belief that due to biological factors the white male just can be as good as the black male is specific sports, however there is no conclusive biological evidence which indicates race determines our abilities of athletic performance. There is no valid reason for the black male to be considered a scapegoat as there is no physical barrier hindering the white man's ability to be just as “good” as the black male .

Upward Mobility

People who are prejudiced against often turn to professional sports as most other avenues for upward mobility are blocked (Brym). Sport is seen by many in low socioeconomic standing that sport is the way out of the ghetto, as becoming a professional athlete increases one's social and economic standing. Advancement through sport causes and individual to change their role in society, from a feared African American thug, to an admired wealthy athlete. Although sport can provide a means of effective upward mobility other means should not be neglected based merely upon one's race.

Socialization of African Americans by