There are many stereotypes about African-American Athletes. Growing up most little kids dreams are to be a professional athlete. I wonder why this is the case. In chapeter 21 in the handbook it says "The natural athlete myth suggests that african americans possess innate physiological advantages while conversely lacking the necessary skills and intelligence to succeed in other occupational areas" this is what is portrayed and comprehended by african american youth so why not want to become a professional athlete as players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson have paved the way and proved this to be wrong as they succeeded on and off the court.
In chapter 21 in the handbook it also talks about how "the possibility of a professional sports career for African Americans (and African-American male youth in particular), as an escape from poverty and a means to circumvent the racial discrimination in many other occupations" african american athletes have overcome a lot from being discriminated against because of there skin color. African American Athletes use their talent as a tool to get an education and open up doors of opportunities they might not have had if it was not for playing some type of sport.
It says in the handbook "the deviance of African-American athletes is often linked to stereotypes of single-parent famililes, welfare dependency, drugs, and crime" this is why african-american athlets work so hard to succeed so that if there family is in this situation, they can some day be able to provide and put them in a much better situation.
Will the stereotypes of the African American Athletes ever end? It has gotten better from where it was about 50 years ago but still has room for improvement. African Americans should not have to succeed in a sport to get treated equally in life. What do you think that status of the african-american athlete will be in 20 years. Do you think these stereotypes will still exist?
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The stereotype of black athletes possessing physiological advantages still exists today. On numerous occasions people will say black people are more athletic and better dancers, but rarely will you hear someone say a black person is “smarter” than a white person. There is this stereotype that the only way for a black person to succeed is to either play a sport or make it in the music business. It is used in the media that black people are naturally talented, “black excellence on the sports field was interpreted as a function of genetically endowed skills”(453).
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this blog in that African Americans should not have to succeed in a sport to get the same respect as a white person. There are plenty of black doctors, lawyers, and professors that are very intelligent but rarely are represented in the media. According to the Handbook, “In contrast to Black athletes, who are frequently framed in terms of their physicality, White athletes are most often depicted as relying on intellectual means to achieve their sporting success”(453). I think our society shapes African Americans to be athletes. The handbook also discusses that black people are more likely to get coverage for their natural abilities while white sports players are considered smart players with good instincts and possess leadership qualities. There is more pressure for a black person to succeed in a sport than a white person. There is this notion in America that black people have this special advantage and if they don’t use it they won’t succeed in life based on their intelligence. Black people have come a long way in the past 50 years from these stereotypes and racism. I think there is improvement everyday on the way black athletes are perceived such as LeBron James and Tiger Woods, and I hope that someday athletes will no longer be at a disadvantage because of their color of their skin as well as their gender.
There are many definitions of an African American. It depends on the person who answers the question about African Americans. There are many words associated with the race. For example, poverty, crime, and athletic are some words that may come to a person’s mind. Over the years African Americans have been very successful in sports. African Americans are taking over some sports like basketball and boxing. There are also bringing in a lot of money due to their abilities on the court or field. In today’s society people are looking past their skin color and taking about what they do best. This was not the case many years ago.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 27 in the handbook Grainger, Newman, and Andrews state, “However, while the race of African- American athletes may have been traditionally downplayed as a means of gaining popular appeal, several authors have argued that more recently there has been a commodification of Blackness, and the Black athletic body in particular, within even mainstream media marketing.” (459) This shows the growth of the African American athletes in the media and being used as main attractions. I believe in the next 20 years the image of African American athletes is only going to become better. More athletes would be used in the media. They will have more opportunities to showcase their abilities through the media. I think the serotype would chance to a positive image. Society will still have their image of African Americans, but there will be defiantly more positive images.
Some may say black athletes are complemented for possessing superior physical qualities. But when it comes to intelligence of black athletes, the common stereotypical thing to think is they are not as smart as other athletes. Statistics however show that there are particularly low college graduation rates of star male athletes… especially black athletes.
ReplyDeleteSomeone who does not fit this racial stereotype is Tiger Woods. Although he was an economics major in college, he claims to have received racist mail. Among the probably billions of fan mail he receives, he occasionally comes across letters saying that “niggers don’t belong in golf.” In my opinion, this is jealousy. Woods is arguably the best golfer in history and has proved himself to be not only an amazing golfer, but intelligent, and charismatic.
American society has this particular stereotype fixated in their mind… black players are gifted athletes. Unfortunately in sports, race is a defining characteristic. I feel that the professional black athlete is glorified by society believing they are faster, stronger, and bigger. Is that really a reason to be racist? I don’t think so at all. Professional sports require the best of the best to play and show their talent to the world. Michael Jordan will go down in history for his amazing athleticism and talent on the basketball court.
On the other hand black athletes can be seen as demolishing the racial stereotypes in this country. With more black athletes in professional sports, America can come closer to equality and squashing segregation that still is apparent in our society. It is honestly great to see that all different races and ethnic backgrounds are seen as sports idols today. “…contemporary dominance of certain sports by African Americans, and the Black men in particular, could be used to ‘reinforce an argument that the US is an open society and that blacks are improving their economic and social positions’” (Wonsek, 1992, p.457) as quoted on page 450 of the Handbook.
-Katie Devlin
Although the stereotypes of African Americans has improved over the last century, I think it can still come a long way especially when it comes to discussing their role in athletics. What it comes down to is that the color of your skin and the amount of success you achieve should not go together; rather it shouldn’t matter what race you are. African Americans succeed in all fields just as whites, (President Obama), but I think we need to put it out there as a society that you don’t have to succeed at just sports in order to be considered a success or gain respect.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 21 of the handbook it was said about African American (adults and youth) that, “"the possibility of a professional sports career for African Americans (and African-American male youth in particular), as an escape from poverty and a means to circumvent the racial discrimination in many other occupations". Why aren’t there any other outlets for African American children to use an escape from poverty? Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, there are many races that suffer from poverty in our country. And yet African Americans are told to turn to athletics instead of the books to be successful; the media rarely tells us of the other talents they might possess.
I think African Americans have come such a long way in society; their path to fame has been long and I think there are improvements being made every day to ensure that equality is reached across the board. I do hope though that it is instilled in the youth of our society that the color of your skin has no effect on the amount of success you can achieve in anything.
Before I touch upon this issue I want to remind everyone that sport, as a whole aided the inclusion of minorities into our society. It was the arrogance and incompetence by previous generations that led to racial ideologies which are present in many societies today. As technological advancements allowed societies to disperse around the globe, culture clashes ensued soon after. Those groups who are able to establish and maintain power tend not to loosen their grips unless forced to. Think of
ReplyDeleteHitler and the Nazi’s or the Gentlemen’s Agreement in 19th Century baseball. Selfishness has created this controversy and when people around the world learn to live in harmony maybe, just maybe race will no longer be an issue and neither will religion. Both terms were created by man to manipulate the thoughts of masses.
Given time our society will help lead the way toward racial equality and stereotypes can hopefully drown out soon after that. Let’s not forget that white, Hispanic and Asian athletes are all stereotyped as well. The readings this week seemed to focus mainly on the African American athlete. “Another media stereotype paints African-American athletes as self-centered, selfish and arrogant, while depicting European-American athletes as team players,” (Wenner, pg 159). We have to remember that the media thrives off of controversy and at the end of the day all that matters is how many viewers tuned in or read the article. The more attention that is focused on that medium, the more money advertisers will pay for space. Even if it is small town paper that publishes a story about race and sports their reasoning is most likely that it will cause a discussion. Minorities have been treated unfairly in the past but now more than ever do we as a society and a global community have the chance to embrace one another and realize that our time is short and we might as well settle our differences and live peacefully amongst each other. As MLK Jr. once said “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I hope that day is soon because I live my life that way and when stereotypes are based off generalizations instead of personal encounters than how is that an accurate assessment.
I think that stereotypes will always exist to some degree with minority athletes, at least within this century. I think it will continue to improve, but it will continue so at a slow pace. More of the problem exists within society in general than just within sports. And as of currently, while there are many successful black athletes, there is still discrimination within sports. I think it will take getting over racism as a society as a whole, before we can really get rid of the minority athlete stereotypes and issues. In Chapter 10 Wenner discuss the appeal of stereotypes to the european american audience, which is one of the reasons why stereotyping continues. “Much here relies on stereotypes of african american athletes as hip and cool” (162). Even though this seems somewhat positive, it is a stereotype and puts athletes in different categories based on race, and overall it can have a negative effect by differentiating races. A stereotype, whether good or bad, is still a stereotype and will continue to effect society and sports.
ReplyDeleteI agree that African-Americans definitely do not have to be good at a sport to succeed in life. I think in the past year alone our country has seen that African Americans can succeed in any profession and even become president. I think this is definitely huge progress. It shows that blacks don’t have to become athletes to become hugely successful. I think we as society are starting to turn away from the stereotype that the only way blacks can become wealthy is if they become a “basketball player or a rapper.”
ReplyDeleteHowever, another stereotype is still very prevalent in culture today. The text states, “Arguably, the media’s portrayal of sport as one of only a limited range of opportunities for social and economic mobility for African-American working class youth also serves to reinforce the myth of natural Black athleticism”(452). The text makes an interesting point of saying that the media portrays themselves as not racist just because they always note on how athletic African-Americans are. While this itself is a stereotype . Although we have come far in some areas in other we are the same.