Monday, October 14, 2024

The Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity in Athletics Over Public Welfare is a Lucrative Business

Raise crows and they will poke your eyes out - Ancient Proverb


The Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity in Athletics Over Public Welfare is a   Lucrative Business - Just ask Roger Godell.


The prevalence of African Americans in American professional sports such as basketball, football, and
track is self-evident.  And its not restricted to professional sports.  We see it in College, and we are seeing it in High School.



African-American youth more often play sports to chase college, pro dreams.  At the Aspen Institute’s 2019 Project Play Summit, former NBA and University of Michigan star Chris Webber implored parents of youth basketball players to focus less on future stardom – and more on human development – so their child enjoys a positive experience. Webber said youth coaches today often gain their status simply because they are associated with an emerging talent, not because they helped them grow as an athlete or person.









Corollary: Show me your teachers and I'll show you who you will become



The percentage of the players in the National Basketball AssociatIon (NBA) that were African American
in the 2017-2018 season was 73.9% (Lapchik, 2018). Additionally, the percentage of players that were African American in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2016-2017 season was 69.7% (Lapchik, 2018).










The percentage of African Americans at the Division I college level in basketball is 53% and 44.2% in football (Lapchik, 2017). 


Corollary: Show me your teachers and I'll show you who you will become






According to Sportico's  the number of scholarship and starting players yield percentages of black participation much higher than 45%. In fact, more than 70% of starters during the 2021 FBS Bowl Season were black, and in the past three recruiting classes, 84% of signees in the SEC were black. And as the Troy/CSRI study showed, the majority of those athletes were recruited by black coaches.




These statistics clearly show that African Americans represent the
majority of the players in these respective sports at a professional level, a subject that is often discussed and debated. Often times these discussions extend further as to why African Americans represent the majority of these leagues. There are two prominent theories as to why African Americans represent the majority of players in certain sports; one attributing it to their genetics and other attributing to
their environment. This paper is not about the  nurture versus nature polemic, but about the Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity Over Public Welfare.   Others have discussed the two prominent theories that offer explanations as why
African Americans constitute the majority in specific sports and have suggests that their athletic abilities and prevalence in certain sports is attributed to genetic differences, others attribute it to environmental factirs.



Why do you think the NFL promotes the so-called Black National Anthem? To keep African American players in the plantation - which represent over 70% of players in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2016-2017 season (Lapchik, 2018).



And guess what? the
Pareto Rule of College Sports says 99% of college players never make it to the professional league.

Wait, there's more: more than 70% of starters during the 2021 FBS Bowl Season were black, and in the past three recruiting classes, 84% of signees in the SEC were black. And as the Troy/CSRI study showed, the majority of those athletes were recruited by black coaches.

Get it?


https://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-inequity-of-pursuit-of-excellence.html






References
Allison, R., Davis, A., & Barranco, R. (2018). A comparison of hometown
socioeconomics and demographics for black and white elite football players in
the US. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 53(5), 615-629
Kerr, I. B. (2010). The myth of racial superiority in sports. The Hilltop Review 4(1)
Lapchik, R. E. (2018). College sport: racial & gender report card. TIDES: The Institute
for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2017). The 2017 racial and gender report card: Major League Baseball.
TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2018). The 2018 racial and gender report card: National Basketball
Association. TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2017). The 2017 racial and gender report card: National Football
League. TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Sheldon, J. P., Jayaratne, T. E., & Petty, E. M. (2007). White Americans’ genetic
explanations for a perceived race difference in athleticism: the relation to
prejudice toward and stereotyping of blacks. Athletic Insight: The Online Journal
of Sport Psychology 9(3), 31-54
United States Census Bureau. (2018) Income and poverty in the United States: 2017
U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration.
van Sterkenburg, J., & Knoppers, A. (2004). Dominant discourses about race/ethnicity
and gender in sport practice and performance. International Review for the
Sociology of Sport 39(3),


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