RACE IN SPORTRACE IN SPORT

Social Stacking Theory-

Centrality in Sport

Who is the better athlete?

• White

• Black

Hmmmmm?!

• Top geneticist Steve Jones blurs the issue by saying that the idea that black people are good at sport is meaningless - "I've never seen a pygmy win anything and they're black, too..." - in an effort to dismiss the concept of racial purity.

• Meanwhile, "race scientist" Jean-Phillipe Rushton posits a view which caused riots on his Canadian campus. He says that black people have a narrow pelvis which helps them run fast but that the downside means they are born with smaller heads and, therefore, smaller brains.

Sport Centrality• The closer you get to the

central/thinking/leading positions in sport, the whiter the athletes get.

Stacking Theory

• Certain positions in sport, and sports themselves, are dominated by athletes of a particular race.

DefinitionsDefinitions• Race: Categories of people (genetically transmitted

traits) ... concept of mutual exclusivity (you're either one or the other - can't be both).

• Ethnicity: Cultural heritage, not based on genetics.• Ethnic group: Group of people who share a common

cultural background and are therefore socially distinct.• Bigotry: A set of attitudes and beliefs which defines a

group of people as being different, and inferior to oneself.

Implications of the Concept of Race

Contrasting explanations of success:– White success - character, dedication, work

ethic, intelligence, etc.– Black success - natural physical ability

Traditional cultural definitions:• All-white = white• "not" all-white = black• Rule of "hypo-descent"

– If someone had even "one drop of black blood" they were considered black

Con’td

• Legacy of this rule carries over to today:– e.g. Tiger Woods: Thai, Chinese,

African American, Native American, white European

– Yet he is classified as black

Race Logic in Euro-American History

• Social Darwinism belief that white people are favored by evolution, and deserved to be in power (race logic)

• Eventually led to institutionalized set of beliefs about relationship between skin color and IQ, character and physical characteristics

• Underlying belief did not change• Joe Louis example (depiction as an animal in

published news stories)

Racial Stacking in Sport

• “Players from a certain racial or ethnic group being either over- or under-represented at certain positions in team sports”

Stacking Patterns in Sports

• Can you think of any examples?

Stacking Patterns in Team Sports

• Allocation to playing position is strongly related to the perception of the abilities of the athlete:

• “thinking positions" have gone to white players• MLB: black players concentrated in outfield

positions, white players on all infield positions except first base

• Football: black players: safety, cornerback, end; white players: quarterback, guard, middle linebacker

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5lIDq6MwQQ&feature=related

• BB: black players - forward; white players - guard and center

• Women's VB: black players - spiker; white players - setter and bumber

• Hockey: French Canadians - goalie, English Canadians - defense

• British Soccer: black West Indians/Africans - forward positions; withes - goalie and midfielder

• Swiss skiers are very successful, but are not successful because of biology– Skiing learned early– Skiing valued in Swiss culture

• Other examples:– Weight-lifting success of Bulgarian men– Cross-country skiing success of

Skandanavians– Hockey success of Canadians

• Western racial ideology: explanation of non-white sport success in terms of racial differences

Why does racial stacking exist?

• Intelligence, leadership and decision-making - white strengths

• Running and jumping - black strengthsSelf-stacking: belief that opportunities exist only

in certain positions - self-fulfilling prophecyRiders:• Sports change, and so does stacking• Complex causal chains: history, ethnic

backgrounds of coaches, change in positional responsibilities, etc.

But…

• Why is NBA and NFL predominently dominated by ‘blacks’

• Why is NHL and skiing dominated by ‘whites’

• Genetics or Environment?

• Is racism blatantly evident in North American sports? Ex?

Racism in Sport

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5lIDq6MwQQ&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-iRLmaZf4A&feature=related

• http://youtu.be/dM5oXtWogyI

Have you ever witnessed racism in sport?