Darwins Athletes

Jackie Robinson, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Lisa Leslie, and Tiger Woods...

What do these people have in common?

Not only are they all African American athletes but they are also the ones who provide the foundation for defining the significance of sport in today's African American culture.  These athletes play the roles of idols and examples of success for African American people.  Sports are seen as a "ticket" out of the projects and inner-cities.

Hollywood portrayals of African American athletes are accurate with the personalities and the settings but fail to recognize that the majority of African American athletes do not have a "Cinderella" story.  For example, comparing the Hollywood movie "The Blind Side" to the documentary titled "Hoop Dreams".  The Blind Side much like other sports movies with African American athletes begins with a disadvantaged beginning and an eventual and glorious success.  I myself love these kinds of movies but documentaries such as "Hoop Dreams" portray the actual truth.  Most African American athletes don't make it past the high school and college level.  (Prof. Withycombe, ETHN 3104, Lecture)

I do believe that sport damages Black Americans and preserves the myth of race.  The stereotypes that are generated through sports entices Black Americans to define themselves through only their abilities in athletics.  Value is placed higher on being an athlete rather than becoming a doctor or a mathematician.  "Race is used to justify social inequalities as natural" (Prof. Withycombe, ETHN 3104, Ethnicity PPT).  Sports in African American culture currently plays a role in hindering a non racial point of view.

References:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Blind_side_poster.jpg (Image)

Professor Jenny Withycombe Lectures and Power Point Presentations.

"Gender in Sports Commercials"

For this week's blog I chose to examine a "Just Do It" commercial by Nike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPkyPdubqDs

The commercial portrayed typical gender stereotypes by showing females doing sports such as Tennis and Running while the males were shown doing sports such as Boxing, Soccer, and Basketball.  The athletes involved in the commercials were adhering to dominant gender roles and identities.  This may be due to the fact that the "sports world" is created to be what Coakley defines as...

"1.  Male dominated so that the characteristics of men are used as standards for judging qualifications.

 2. Male identified so that the orientations and actions of men are used as standards for defining what is right and normal

 3.  Male centered so that men and men's lives are the expected focus of attention in sport programs, stories, legends, and media coverage." (Coakley, 249-250)"

I found it interesting that the message at the end of the commercial was that the pinnacle of basketball skill was a "dunk contest" (Skill stereotype).

The consequences that these commercials create is an effect on all of the young children.  The young people learn from media what it means to be a "successful" athlete.  The young people are subliminally taught to enforce gender roles and identities through these advertisements.  Once the commercials stop enforcing gendered identities than it will be easier to eliminate the problem of gender bias in sports.