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By Claire E Garcia (Pickens), Strayer Student

Summer 2014, SOC100

Part 4/4, Week 10

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Hypothesis

Athletics involves complex variables regarding crowd appeal, athleticism, game strategy, and

political power. Far beyond someone’s ability to perform athletically is their ability to connect

with the appropriate people to obtain the right opportunities to achieve particular levels of

success. Each sport has an individual socially accepted appearance. For example, the crowd

would not expect to see a small Asian person playing wide receiver for a professional football

team. Nor would they expect to see a 6’9” black athlete playing professional golf or tennis. The

hypothesis is that regardless of athletic skill, the world actively practices racism regarding

athletics. If a white male and a black male of equal size and athletic ability try out for the same

position on a basketball team, who is more likely to get the spot? Does the crowd prefer to

watch a black male perform? Has society been openly racist regarding athletic ability? Are

collegiate opportunities as appealing as they appear for black athletes? The hypothesis is that a

sport is an acceptable realm to continue the torment of racism. Not just tolerated in sports, it is

accepted, and often times celebrated.

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Over the last 70 years, the participation of black athletes in sports has increased

significantly. According to recent research, the increase in participation has not produced a

reduction in racism. Instead, racism has gone through a metamorphosis to become a new more

modern version. Institutionalized athletic racism creates issues with social mobility for

particularly black males post involvement with athletes. College graduation rates are a clear

marker of this new modern racism. The question remains whether the racial washout created by

profiling and “stacking” within athletics has long-term psychological consequences for the

individuals as well as the black culture. Further examination of the biases involved in the

selection of athletes for teams and sports management reveals evidence that racism in athletics is

alive and thriving. Athletics conclusively has the potential to provide abounding opportunity for

athletes of all colors, though the impact and experience for some races may not be producing a

positive result.

Social Concepts

The application of the social-conflict approach identifies athletics as an activity that

creates opportunity for the athletes to label themselves according to social standing. More

specifically the race-conflict approach accentuates the difference in opportunity based on racial

and/or ethnic categorization. The institutional prejudice and discrimination in athletics begins

effecting athletes of varied races from a young age. A term called “stacking” refers to the

placement of athletes in athletic positions according to race. According the Chronicle of Higher

Education (1/24/14, Vol. 60 Issue 19) “Only 50 percent of black male athletes graduate within six

years from colleges in the seven major NCAA Division I sports conferences, compared with 67

percent of athletes over all, 73 percent of undergraduates, and 56 percent of black undergraduate

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men.” Considering the typical college football team is nearly 65% or more black, this statistic

regarding graduation rates is concerning relative to the sociology consequences of “stacking”

teams by race without apparent concern for their long-term success. Often black male athletes

think of college athletics as a potential springboard into professional athletics. According to the

Chronical of Higher Education, “less than 2 percent of college athletes, regardless of race, are

drafted into the NFL or NBA.” This sociological issue causes intergenerational social mobility

concerns for minorities that believe dreams of success based up lottery-like chances of matching

athletic criteria for stardom.

Practical Implications

Black athletes have a lower graduation rate than their white counterparts. Though the graduation

gap is improving annually, the disparity is still concerning. As recently as 2001, studies found

that only 53 percent of black athletes were graduating from college compared to 68 percent of

white student-athletes. In part due to scholarships aimed at athletes that will generate revenue

for the school via ticket and merchandise sales. Often placing these gifted athletes into

undemanding classes in degree programs that do not offer adequate post-graduate career

opportunity. Within the field of sports management, the racial demographics are highly

unfavorable for minorities. Colleges are ignoring the long-term implications of perpetuating the

“dumb jock” stereotype for black male athletes by allowing admissions for athletes that are

subpar academically. Self-worth and poor goal setting ability after a failed collegiate athletic

experience driven by racial “stacking” is perpetuating a cultural issue. Future employability of a

graduate with the wrong degree, or a washed out non-graduate create society-wide social

mobility concerns. “Sport has played a major role in both maintaining and deconstructing the

American system of racial stratification,” Journal of African American Studies (Winter 2007).

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Evidence and Biases. “Stacking” is a concept that is familiar to athletics. This is the

theory that particular races are better suited for certain positions. Coaches believe that black

athletes lack the intelligence and/or strategic skill to execute certain positions. Coaches, and

professional organizations, are strategically placing black athletes into positions that rely on

strength, agility, and speed. The “Halo Effect,” a type of bias, is evident in this type of racial

profiling practice. Society, and coaches, have place a socially accepted image of the capabilities

and usefulness of the black male athlete. “Black athletes have historically been underrepresented

in key functionary or “skill” positions that are considered more critical in affecting the outcomes

of the games while white athletes have been overrepresented in the same positions,” Journal of

African American Studies (Winter 2007).

Post athletic involvement statistics for minorities are not favorable. Suggesting athletics

may be a detriment to long-term career success for black males. Applying “confirmation bias” to

this sociological issue reveals that coaches, parents, educators, and business professionals are

perpetuating this silent racism via a strong bias that athletics are a black males golden ticket to

success. The decision to place young black males into athletics appears to be regardless of

statistics that do not support that being an efficacious route for long-term success in career.

There is a “need for responsible sports media representation of race and ethnicity, and to give

voice to what is considered ‘socially structured silence’ which otherwise maintains a status quo

of racial and ethnic inequality and injustice,” Journal of Sports Management (March 2011).

Conclusion. Drawn to attach all their hopes and dreams to their athletic ability, minority

athlete success post athletic involvement dwindles due to a lack of attention to other life skills.

There are social inequalities present that are only a temporary benefit to minority athletes. The

kaleidoscope of color celebrated in other professions by way of racial reform (mandatory equal

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opportunity in large corporations) is not evident on the field or in the offices of the world of

athletics. The short and long-term implication on culture and society of continued racial

profiling or “stacking,” are slowing the world’s progress in the area of racial equality. Some say

that the reasoning and logic demonstrated inside athletics in our modern society is a new and

more damaging version of racism. “Modern racism remains veiled behind the rhetoric of color-

blindness, individualism, and merit; it is largely covert or hidden and therefore difficult to

identify. Moreover, this new racism is based upon avoidance rather that direct confrontation,”

Journal of African American Studies (Winter 2007).

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References

Reece, Robert. 2012. http://www.furiousandbrave.com/2012/10/brawn-over-brains-racial-

stacking-and.html (3 tables)

Primm, Eric. DuBois, Summer. Regoli, Robert. (2007) An Exercise in Subtleties and

the Transmission of Racism; An Analysis of Sports Illustrated Covers. Journal of African

American Studies. Winter2007, Vol. 11 Issue 3 and 4, p239-250.

Armstrong, Ketra L. (2011) Lifting the Veils and Illuminating the Shadows’: Futhering

the Explorations of Race and Ethnicity in Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management.

Mar2011, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p95-106.

Harper, Shaun R. (2014) Black Men as College Athletes: The Real Win-Loss Record.

Chronicle of Higher Education. 1/24/2014, Vol. 60 Issue 19, pA60-A60.

Foster, Forrest. (2009) When Eligibility is Over. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

5/28/2009. Vol. 26 Issue 8, p23-23.

Macionis, J. J. (2010). SOC100: Sociology: 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Person Custom Publishing.

“The Halo Effect; Why “Angels” and “Devils” Walk the Earth”. 4/01/2013. Being

Human. http://www.beinghuman.org/article/halo-effect

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Tables/Figures

Racial Stacking by Position (on field and in sports management) for football

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Testimonials

All participants (members of my household) were presented with some questions and asked to

provide their most authentic answer. The questions were:

1) Does this information make you mad? (referring to college stats and racial “stacking”)

2) Do you think this could happen/is happening to you?

3) Will this happen to your kids?

Jayssa (16 year old black female, cheerleader, high achiever academically, junior in high school)

“I think if someone gets a free pass into college (sports, money, whatever reason) and the don’t

take advantage of the opportunity that’s their own fault. Not the sports program. It’s all about

self discipline.” “Growing up, my education has always come before sports. I plan to get that

standard for my kids. Sports is a great way to get into college but one injury can take that away.

Your intellect and GPA is a better plan that relying on sports. I’d like to think this won’t happen

to my kids but when college comes they’re going to have to rely on self-discipline.”

Chris (15 year old black male, football/basketball – gifted athlete, moderate academically)

“I’m pretty disappointed that most football teams are mostly black and knowing that only 56% of

African Americans graduate is hard to believe. I thought there would be more. This paper has

helped me realize that I have to work harder at what I am doing.”

Jalen (18 year old black male, football/basketball, moderate academically)

“I think the reason why most black athletes don’t graduate is because they don’t think of the life

after sports. They don’t think about graduation the first three years of college ‘til it’s too late for

them to pull their grades up. It looks like African Americans had the bachelorette degree

programs. That program didn’t help black male Americans on their graduation percentage as it

went down 3% from 2001 to 2013. Florida State has 69% of the football team being black, but

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it’s bad that only 24 of 65 players graduate.” “As a player this really hit as a disappointment but

also motivation. To see that coaches, universities, only want you for your skill set shows how

much in the recruiting there is just words being sold that you want to hear. Very sad how the

African American athletes don’t care for THEIR own education past sports. Making me want to

work that much hard to prove everyone wrong.”