PGA, Practice What You Preach
Posted: November 9, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: african, americans, baseball, basketball, football, golf, PGA, racism, sports, tiger woods williams Leave a comment »“Golf has no place for any form of racism.” Apparently when the PGA heads made this claim, they had no intentions of backing it up. The former caddy of golfer Tiger Woods, Steve Williams, directed a racial slur at Woods during a caddies party earlier this week. While this slur was made as an attempt at humor, it is nonetheless unacceptable, especially with the said policies I earlier stated right? Wrong. The PGA has made no actions or attempts to punish the caddy for his actions. While many members of the golf community have expressed their disgust with Williams actions, the governing body, the PGA, has done nothing. Golfer Fred Couples was quoted as saying that, if Williams had been his caddy, he would have been fired.
Golf, as most people are aware is a predominantly white game, very few non white golfers are present in the game today. If the PGA has any hopes to change this mostly white field, then this is something that they should have acted on. By letting this racist slur go, they are projecting the image that they dont really care, at least not enough to punish Williams. When people who are a part of the golf world are making these comments and projecting those images, it does not make the game seem like it is welcoming to all races. Nice going PGA, apparently racism does have a place in your game, or maybe you just dont care.
Yes we can?
Posted: November 9, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: football, funny, Peyton HIllis, white running back Leave a comment »
I stumbled across this picture while further researching the white running backs in the league. I thought this pretty much summed up how the public views white backs.
Victim Of Whiteness
Posted: November 3, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: victim whiteness white running back football NFL black racism sports Leave a comment »“He’ll be a great second-round pickup for somebody, but I guarantee you if he was the exact same guy – but he was black – he’d go in the first round for sure,” the scout said. “You could make a case that he’s a Steven Jackson-type – doesn’t have blazing speed but he’s strong and powerful and versatile.”
-NFL Scout on Toby Gerhart
I was doing a little sports news reading when an article came up about Toby Gerhart, the running back for the Minnesota Vikings. The article was regarding Toby’s evaluation by the NFL scouts and coaches, and how that related to his skin color. Because as NFL fans know, white people dont play running back, they aren’t fast enough and dont have that break away speed. Gerhart was asked by NFL teams what it mean to be a white running back, he was also asked if it made me feel entitled, or like he was sort of a white hope.
Why does that matter? Look at his stats from last season, turn on some tape and watch him carry the ball through the arms of multiple defenders. The tape and stats dont lie, the kid has skill. But he is doubted because of his skin color. Put the stereotypes aside and base your opinion of the player on the unbiased stats. This line of reasoning in professional sports clouds the judgments of front offices and managements every year when it comes to draft day.
Race and Positions in the NFL
Posted: November 1, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: black, football, NFL, race, racism, white Leave a comment »
Anyone who watches a few minutes of an NFL game on Sunday can give you a pretty accurate description of what color skin each position group primarily consists of. The Quarterback position is dominated by white faces, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the first names that come to mind. The QB is the man in charge of the team, a natural leader, hard working, and extremely smart. The skill positions (corner back, wide reciever, running back, and safety) are mainly African American athletes. My question is why, or how did this come to be?
1. Stereotypes. Every time of year when it comes around to draft day in the NFL, players are analyzed in every aspect of their life, to determine whether or not they can be a successful player in the league. White QB’s are hardly ever questioned in their decision making skills, or abilities to read a defense. On the other hand, black quarterbacks are analyzed through a more cynical light. Black QB’s are perceived as having shaky potential to succeed in the league because they may not be able to handle the sophisticated NFL offenses, and are often viewed as relying on their speed to get them out of trouble. Most people fail to realize that they way we look at athletes is directly related to racial stereotypes.
2. Lack of role models. Children who are aspiring athletes look to professional athletes for inspiration. As a kid I emulated many different athletes trying to make my play style and technique the same as theirs. When a child turns on their tv and watches the highlights of an NFL Sunday on Sportscenter their gonna see that almost every QB is white, and that becomes the norm. Most kids will go with the norm, and when they sign up to play football, the black kids will want to be like Adrian Peterson, and the white kids are gonna want to be like Peyton Manning.
3. Coaching Becoming a QB involves a lot of training, which costs alot of time and money. The majority of NFL QB’s received numerous hours of special one on one coaching with expensive Quarterback coaches. This is a major factor in how a athlete develops his skill set as a QB. A player who receives this extra coaching, at a cost, is much better off and has a huge advantadge over the kid who receives the normal coaching. Access to the best coaching is limited, and only those with the means can obtain that level of coaching.
However in more recent times we are beginning to see a slight breaking of this trend. Black QB’s are being used in different personal packages, and players like Josh Freeman, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell, and Vince Young are making big plays in the NFL this season. Now when I see a white safety making a big hit, I am a little bit less surprised then I would have 10 years ago.
Serena Williams, Victim of Stereotypes?
Posted: September 15, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: judgment, serena williams, sexism, sexism unfair judgment serena williams tennis sports racism, unfair Leave a comment »
With all of the recent hype regarding Serena Williams outburst of anger during the finals of the United States Open, I would like to examine the way her comments were received in the media, and how these comments might fueled by gender and racial stereotypes.
Coming off a pulmonary embolism that may have ended her life, Serena Williams was playing better then expected and primed for a US Open victory. However when things were not going her way in the final match, and had a disagreement with the Chair Umpire, she lost her temper. Her rant which did not include any swear words or violence has gotten a great amount of publicity, and has earned her some very harsh criticism. The words used to describe this outburst seemed to have racial undertones to them, words such as “menacing” and “threatening.” Throughout the entire dialogue between Serena and the head chair, there is no violent movements or motions made by Serena, in fact almost the entire dialogue takes place while Serena is in her chair.
So why would writers and the media convey this rant as a violent affair? Racial stereotypes about black women being outspoken, loud, aggressive, and intimidating have been around for a long time. Not to mention Serena Williams is a very strong and powerful women, in her personality and body type. Could this have something to do with the way that this outburst was perceived by the media?
Serena Williams is a professional athlete, and a great one at that. Her resume boasts 27 Grand Slam titles, 9th most of all time, the number one ranking in the world on 5 separate occasions as well as 2 Olympic gold medals. It is fair to say that she is one of the best female tennis players to ever live. Most professional athletes would be described as competitive, so when things are not going your way, they are most likely frustrated. The game of tennis has had a history of angry outbursts by its competitors. The emotional outbursts in tennis are frequent, as they are in every single professional sport. The NFL, NBA and MLB deal with fights, trash talking, and outbursts of rage on a weekly basis. Last week, Charles Woodson, a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, was fined 10,000 dollars for throwing a punch at another player. Serena Williams showed no intentions of violence, but was described as menacing. When a football player gets into a scuffle, and says a few choice words, his competitive spirit displays his courage, and willingness to stand up for his team. But when Serena Williams loses her cool, she is viewed as an immature child, who lost her cool and should be punished for her actions. Why do we hold male and female athletes to a different standard when it comes to sports? Why cant women athletes show their competitive spirit without being judged and called names? The answer is, gender roles and stereotypes play a big role in the professional sports world.
tuckermaggio
