Hey all,
I am doing an argumentative paper in my English 102 class on why black people have an edge over everyone else in sports. It is easy to find evidence for this, but in my paper, I have to site sources who are against this “theory” as well. Does anyone know any good books, online journals, or websites that are against this sort of thinking??
It’s not steroids!
again i say…IV drip.
Yeh well they’re shit at swimming! Anyone remember Eric the Eel?
One can make arguments using slavery as an example, where selective breading was done to bread bigger stronger slaves. which now explains why most of the big tall strong, mobile players in the NFL and NBA are black, and just happen to origionate from the south.
You can also base your arguments for blacks being generally quicker than whites on climate - the warm weather that they evolved in being more suitable for faster-twitch muscle than the cold. And finally you can do skeletal comparisons - the typical average black man has thick bones, and stronger muscles but a slightly lower I.Q. You want sources? well thats your job to find them, I’m just offering ideas.
No I would not say that steroids is not the main reason why there are alot of black athletes. The reason there are more black athletes is due to the fact that they come from lower income families who dont have the money to fund for college. Therefore they have to excel in sports on the hopes that they will get a scholarship. The views that I have expressed are not to be taken as racial, but rather just ones view of this topic.
Note: This topic has been moved from the Steroids section.
Have you read this yet?
there was a very good article in sports illistrated on this topic in the spring of 1998 or 1999, I dont remember the month either. If you can get your hands on this article I think it will have everything you need. (Its the cover story if that helps any)
Not a good idea to write a paper on this at school.
Why is it not a good idea?
SSJUNKIE: I beg to differ. Lower income or not, will has it’s limits: genetics.
I can will hair all I want, money or not, if I come from a family-tree of 8-balls and chromedomes, will won’t help.
Same thing for sports. Will can help to express genetic gifts, but you have to have it in the genes to start.
Just my 2 cents.
Does anyone think that aggressiveness could contribute to the success of blacks in sports? I do not necessarily think that blacks are genetically superior, nor do I think that they are less intelligent. I do think that they have been sold this idea that if they want to make it, they have to achieve at sports or entertaining. Try to think of a black role model that is not in the entertainment industry or a sports figure. I know there are some, but not many. To take it deeper, I think it also relates to what you view as successful, and for men, what a real man is.
Relax it is only my opinion.
Me Solomon Grundy
revrened al sharpton!
by the way solomon are you at all related to “sal undy?”
There are more blacks that are successful in sports because there are more blacks.
No?
Hmm. The slavery thing is lame because some of the best distance runners all come from a single area in Kenya, direct from Africa, no boat, no breeding. Not all American blacks are decendants of slaves BTW. The ones that are owe more to the fortitude of their ancestors for surviving the trip by slave ship than any attempts “massa” might have made to breed them.
We ain’t all built the same either. There are some genetic variations that make some of us taller, faster, or more muscular. Some of those things seem to appear more in blacks.
Regarding the genetic issue there is a book with quite a few chapters on the subject. It is called “the dispossessed majority” and talks about how white people in colder climates have a thicker torso, a higher fat percentage and shorter limbs. It was theorised that it had to do purely with survival. You keep warmer when you are fatter with shorter limbs.
On the other hand blacks have less bodyfat, longer limbs and thinner torsos. Blacks also have a significantly longer calcaneus and can supposedly jump higher and run faster as a result.
Anyways, just try to find the book.
Hmm. The slavery thing is lame because some of the best distance runners all come from a single area in Kenya, direct from Africa, no boat, no breeding
That argument is lame, slaves were not bred to have the build of a runner. They put the big ones together! Put together a couple generations of big white people and you’re going to have some big people! If there is free-will involved you won’t get through many generations before some dude is going to fall for a short scrawny chick who has a pretty face and screw up the genetics. I’m sure there are other factors involved, but I believe this accounts for a significant number of the big guys out there, I’m not saying significant is or is not the majority, just significant.
Some of your guys views are really backwards and racist. You are in need of a reality check and maybe you should spend some time with someone for the black culture.
Some of your guys views are really backwards and racist. You are in need of a reality check and maybe you should spend some time with someone for the black culture.
Some good points. I expected to hear from some people who think it is purely social.
It funny that you said it wasnt a good paper to write about in school. My English teacher wants us to find a controversial topic and do an argumentative paper on it, with both sides of the argument cited in the paper.
T-nation has made the best short article that I have researched on the internet in their article “Speed Demons.” Currently, I am reading a book called Taboo: Why black athletes dominate sports and why we are afraid to talk about it.
Through my research I have concluded from scientific journals a few main things that have been proven. That is: black people on average produce more testosterone, have a higher bone density, more white twitch muscle fibers, and generally a longer and skinnier calf muscle that “bunches” up at the top (which gives them more stored energy). Most people who have read about this already know those facts. The more in depth stuff that comes from Taboo is stats on all the track records of the world. I forget the exact amount but the top say 40 fastest times in the sprints are held by people from West African decent. We all know that Kenyans are probably the best marathoners known to man. Most of the best marathoners in the world today come from a small section in Kenya that representes a menial percentage of the world population.
I think that all this information is really interesting. Do I think that white people should just stop competing because there is no chance of beating a black man. Hell no! Sports has a lot more to do with skill and practice as well. It just seems that black people on average get a better jump start in the speed/jumping department from their genes.
One thing that I have been thinking is that if this idea starts floating around for a while longer, people may start really pushing genetically engineering babies, to make super babies that are “naturally” great athletes.
Any more input would be awesome.