ipl-logo

African Americans In College Sports

1089 Words5 Pages

I wanted to first say that these are strictly my own opinions and I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback. First, there is a perception in sports that I heard numerous of times that African Americans do not make the best coaches. I would definitely argue that notion. I believe that African Americans in most cases do not receive the same treatment as any white coach in college and major sports. I do believe there needs to be a Rooney Rule, especially in collegiate sports. For instance, almost 88% of coaches in Division I college football are white, only 21% are African American in division I football. There must be equal representation especially when you contend that 58% of division I basketball players are African American, and almost …show more content…

pitcher and catcher in baseball and quarterback in football. The stereotype that all black players do not have the intelligence to read defensive schemes and formations is a reason why very few African Americans played the position in the NFL before Doug Williams with the Redskins, started the 1988 Super Bowl win over the Broncos. I know that relating race to intelligence is a very touch subject in our society. Yet, many people have related the rise and fall of past NFL African American quarterbacks such as Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell, Byron Leftwich, Josh Freeman, Tavaris Jackson, and Jason Campbell to the narrative that African American do not have the mental capacity to be successful at QB in the NFL. Yet, the last time I looked, the quarterback position is considered the most demanding position in all of sports. In NFL history, many African Americans have been phenomenal quarterbacks----Fritz Pollard, Joe Lillard, Joe Gilliam, Vince Evans, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and today’s stars such as Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Teddy Bridgewater, and Jameis Winston. There is no evidence that shows that African American players cannot be great quarterbacks and have the football intelligence to play the position. Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick all had marvelous scores on the NFL Wonderlic Test the years they were drafted. So, it should come to no surprise that African Americans can be exceptional quarterbacks in the NFL, and that they are knowledgeable enough to make great progressions in the pocket, understand opponent’s defensive schemes, and comprehension to learn sophisticated offensive playbooks present in the

Show More
Related

Analysis Of Great White Hope QB Awards: Tyrod Taylor

1261 Words | 6 Pages

This statement from Parillo clarifies that NFL owners had a emotional level of prejudice towards black quarterbacks. This point is important because the emotional level of the owners affects the longevity of a black quarterback in the

Read More

Jackie Robinson: When Football Was Ended By Kenny Washington

976 Words | 4 Pages

Way back then when football was first created it was mainly white men who played. It was after WWII when all of that had changed. The compromise of racial segregation was ended by Kenny Washington in the NFL, he was the inspiration for other black men to play football in the NFL, and Now the NFL is Mostly Black athletes who work hard and love to play the sport. WWII had just ended and people like Jackie Robinson were just coming home from the second great World War. The Jim Crow laws had just been implied for blacks.

Read More

Jackie Robinson In The Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell

1291 Words | 6 Pages

It is hard to believe at one point in time that African Americans were not allowed to participate in all the same activities as whites were. Something as simple as drinking out of a drinking fountain wasn’t quite as simple for someone of color and African Americans playing baseball, America’s sport, was not even thought of. Well, not until Jackie Robinson came along that is. Jackie Robinson was the first African-American successful in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. To do so, Robinson presented with a few of the characteristics that Malcolm Gladwell introduced us to in his book “Outliers.”

Read More

Andrew Rube Foster Biography

840 Words | 4 Pages

Over America’s history, baseball has become one of America’s favorite sports. During the development of the sport, only a few people were allowed to play. Since segregation was still occurring in the USA, only whites were allowed in the Major Leagues, where the best baseball players went to play on a team, in the beginning. Because of this, African Americans decided to build their own league known as the Negro National Leagues. People like Andrew “Rube” Foster, Leroy “Satchel” Paige, and James “Cool Papa”

Read More

The Rooney Rule: Underrepresentation Of Minority Groups In The NFL

1402 Words | 6 Pages

Some argue that the rule is not comprehensive enough and only requires teams to interview minority candidates without guaranteeing that they will be hired (Moore & Levitt, 2018). Critics also contend that the rule is often seen as a box-checking exercise by teams, and the lack of diversity among team owners also plays a significant role in perpetuating systemic racism in the league (Neuman, 2022). Also, according to the case, there is a possibility of teams not complying with the rule or conducting token interviews to fulfill the requirement without serious consideration of minority candidates. It is true that there is still a considerable underrepresentation of minorities in positions of leadership given the quantity of minority head coaches who have plateaued in recent years. For instance, Brian Flores claimed in a lawsuit that the NFL is run like a plantation because of the stark disparity between the racial composition of the league's players—nearly 60% of whom are black—and that of club owners, administration, and coaching positions (Neuman, 2022).

Read More

Summary Of College Basketball On Tv By Pamela Wonsek

655 Words | 3 Pages

Hunter College author, Pamela Wonsek in her journal, “College basketball on television: a study of racism in the media”, believes that the media plays a role in racial stereotypes and maintaining the dominance of white culture. She supports her claim first by explaining the stereotypes the white culture have made about African American, then she says, ‘since the entire coaching staff for men’s basketball is traditionally male, the paradigmatic choices are black or white… the overall image is white” (Wonsek 453). Displaying that even if the team was majority consisted of African Americans, but during a sport game most the people are whites, and finally African American are overrepresented in sports advertisements. Wonsek’s purpose is to reveal to audience the media portray young African American as an athlete only. She adopts an objective tone to show the intended audience on how African American’s are being portrayed by the media.

Read More

How Did Jackie Robinson Influence Today

460 Words | 2 Pages

Ever since he was little he was involved in many sports but his favorite one was baseball. “I have memories. I remember standing alone at first base-the only black man on the field. I had to fight hard against my loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistake I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there.” (Robison 287).

Read More

Jackie Robinson Impact On Society

1149 Words | 5 Pages

However, the NAACP can use the integration of sports as a step stool into working integration all throughout everyday life. Robinson’s impact not only spread across the diamond and world of baseball, but all over the entire nation together as a

Read More

Research Paper On Hank Aaron

719 Words | 3 Pages

While it was hard being a black man with white teammates who hated him, he felt at home (Academy of Achievement, 2013). A famous quote Hank Aaron once said was, “On the field, blacks have been able to be supergiants. But, once our playing days are over, this is the end of it and we go back to the back of the bus again. ”(Academy of Achievement,

Read More

Impact Of Jackie Robinson On African Americans

930 Words | 4 Pages

According to DiversityInc, they concluded that “More than three-quarters of NBA players, 70 percent of WNBA players and 65 percent of NFL players are Black. Major League Baseball is the only other sport close to that measure of diversity: 60 percent of MLB players are white. (The study did not look at the National Hockey League, which is almost entirely white.)” This piece of data really show what African Americans can do and what they were getting hold on from participating. The most loved sport in America is Football and white people are being forced to root for their team with a bunch of African

Read More

Bill Russell's Impact On African American Sports

1540 Words | 7 Pages

A few decades ago, African-Americans weren’t able to participate college basketball due to racial tensions amongst blacks and whites and to Jim Crow Laws. Many programs at the collegiate level blocked this from happening on multiple occasions until in 1949, when they lifted the ban and allowed integration. By lifting the ban, this allowed inclusion that ushered in whites to compete against blacks. However, some schools still refused to compete because they were hesitant and continued to stereotype. Over time, integration was evident but it didn’t take place in major programs and blue blood schools, such as Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas until the 70s.

Read More

Transracial Ideal Analysis

1610 Words | 7 Pages

I believe that the “transracial ideal” is not attainable because athletes of different race are continually scrutinized even after achieving great accolades as shown by athletes in the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. As of 2015, the NFL consists of more than two thirds of African American and almost 90 percent of penalties were received by players of color. The league continually make racist comments towards certain athletes of different race. When looking at the case between Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Quarterback Michael Vick, we see how racism is portrayed through these two powerhouse Quarterbacks.

Read More

Essay On Racism In Sports

1011 Words | 5 Pages

The white supremacy that flooded America in the 19th and early 20th century is no longer seen in the sporting world. This paper looked at sports through the lens of an individual athlete named Muhammad Ali (who definitively changed history for African-American people in the United States), as well as looked at sports as a whole throughout history. Through statistics and reports, proof has demonstrated that the sporting world has developed to give more of an opportunity for African-American athletes to compete than ever before. Athletics creates a platform that gives athletes an opportunity to be more than just an athlete. An opportunity to stand up for what they believe in and bring attention to some of the problems of the world.

Read More

Gender Inequality In Sports

1069 Words | 5 Pages

If society stops to understand the struggles these women have been facing for decades will have a clearer picture of what steps to take in order to make a change in the sports industry. Men need to put their masculinity aside and advocate giving women a voice. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues women in the sport world have faced through history, wage gaps, current issues today, and to discuss findings and recommendations for future research. Title IX is a law that came into effect in 1972, this comprehensive federal law prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Inequality Today

1207 Words | 5 Pages

Therefore, despite many efforts for and progress regarding equality in contemporary America, inequality still cuts across bringing with it issues of wage inequality and continued racial inequality. Inequality in the workplace particularly in wages is still largely prominent today in contemporary America. Minorities such as women and African Americans face this issue head-on every day they step into the office or receive a paycheck for way less money despite factors such as equal work. This inequality is very prominent in the battle of equal pay for equal play with athletes. In an article entitled “Equal Pay for Equal Play?” it states, “Yet if the four women had pooled the $75,000 they each received from the U.S. Soccer Federation for winning, it still wouldn’t equal the

Read More

More about African Americans In College Sports

Related Topics

Open Document