Race and Gender

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xx February 2007

Race and Sports

Derek Jennings ' article , entitled What Place Does Race Have in Sports raises many issues relating to racism and its effect and interaction with other issues in life and society

First , Jennings took notice that the Super Bowl is about to experience a phenomenal event in its history : the face-off between two black coaches in the championship (Jennings

The fact alone that Jennings took note of this seemingly insignificant event points to several underlying issues . One such issue is minority which

centers on the fact that no African American has ever reached the NFL championship until this year . Such fact shows that participation or entry of African Americans in the league in particular , or in the world of sports in general , may have been prevented for one reason or another This fact is also the reason why Jennings found the event of two African American coaches in the championship an important milestone in sports history . Jennings ' hesitation as to the relevance of this issue as a of discussion is a sign that the minority of African Americans in the league is indeed a worth pursuing . The long history of the sport without the participation of a certain group of people is intriguing , and it makes one wonder in amazement at the sight of the beginning of such limited participation

Another issue raised by minority is the opinion or belief that sports is a sphere where there is a clear junction among the races . According to Jennings , it brings him great joy when the reality of sport belies the myth of the meritocracy that most Americans , in their naivety , cling to so strongly (Jennings . For him , sports represents the truth , and such truth betrays people 's prejudices

Perhaps it is the spontaneity of sports that makes it privy to the truth . Sports lives on the intensity of every shining or embarrassing moment , every single one of which is recorded and commented on by onlookers and professional analysts . It is such observation or analysis that Jennings noted to unabashedly display different opinions of people based on their race . Sometimes commentators make the mistake of exposing their opinions , including possible racial prejudices , and letting them be clearly sent out to everyone listening to him and watching the game Thus , one commentator could give different reviews on similar actions the difference being based on the actor , as illustrated by Jennings example of the heady basketball guard and the one who was instinctive There is just something anomalous in the way two similar actions can be differently described , unless a clear basis for such difference is shown

Jennings ' observation is relevant to a broader issue on racism , which is stereotyping . Stereotyping consists in the establishment or recognition of certain images or connotations to a particular type of person or set of persons . Perhaps unwittingly , the commentators who are guilty of ascribing different s to similar actions are already attaching some attributes to different persons based...