Publication Date

Spring 4-26-2018

Document Type

Capstone project: USD users only

Degree Name

MA Leadership Studies

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

“I know that the American system is very sensitive to statements of Black and White. But you cannot just say that day is night and night is day. These are facts. And I think it’s to the advantage of the Black athletes to be proud that God was on their side.” (Entine, 2000)

Gideon Ariel,

Biochemist, former Israeli Olympic Athlete

“What really is being said in a kind of underhanded way is that Blacks are closer to beasts and animals in terms of their genetic and physical anatomical makeup than they are to the rest of humanity. And that’s where the dignity come in.” (Entine, 2000)

Harry Edwards,

Professor of Sociology, University of California at Berkely

Since as early as the 19th Century, the stereotyping of Blacks and Whites in Sports has been depicted as Blacks being athletically superior than Whites, and Whites having an intellectual advantage over Blacks. The media has ostracized this phenomenon to the point where both Blacks and Whites have perpetuated this taboo into their own communities, and although the single-minded pursuit of athletic success by Black athletes is counterproductive (Simiyu, 2012), they fall victim to the overrepresentation of Blacks in Sports and feel it is there best shot at success. This paper will shed light on how the media (particularly White media), portray Blacks in Sports and bombard us with the idea that we have a better chance at being successful in sports more than other professional careers. Through this research it is my hopes to start a dialogue to change the cultural mindset that we have regarding Blacks and Whites in Sports.

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