Air Force coach - "Afro American kids can run very, very well"

Wasn't there a book out recently that talked about how certain body types are inclined to succeed at different sports? Like why Kenyans win the marathons etc?

 

I can't say I'm really that upset about this. I mean, the guy's 67 and isn't as sensitive to today's PC conventions. Look, the truth is, there are a LOT more black running backs than white ones in the NCAA today. Does that mean that blacks as a group may be more likely to have athleticism or speed? Possibly. However, I think the problem is that when he says that they explicitly says that they need to recruit blacks in order to get speed it starts to make race sound like a self-fulfilling prophecy. In my opinion, having general impressions of a race's tendencies is an unavoidable and acceptable human behavior. However, the problem is making sure that those group impressions are not transferred onto individuals, which is very tough to do. So, overall, I think the comments are not that serious, but should probably be denounced for the overall message they convey.

 

Rome was all over this during his show today, pointing out how dangerous and innacurate it is to make a generalization for an entire ethnic group.

 

Yeah, I was really impressed with his take. I think that it was a pretty good prescription for how society at large has to approach race at the moment. Maybe some day we can look at racial difference without fear of discrimination coming from them, but for now it's not feasible.

 

When my school gets a commitment at DB, RB, WR and he's white, I'm a bit skeptical.

 

thats very puzzling, it's acceptable to say white men can't jump but yet you can't say black men run well? One is a compliment, and the other is a diss. The guy didn't say "they run very well, and thats the only thing they are good at". He merely said what we all know, there is like 1 white RB, and CB in the NFL and neither of them are starting. Why would this be a problem? It's just a compliment on their physical abilities. Someone go ahead and make a stereotype crack about how all Asians are good at math, and I'll say why thank you.

 

Tell that guy thanks for the compliment Hope this doesn't get blown out of proportion...

 

rome really likes to go out on a limb...

 

Exactly, white man can't jump was a title of a movie only because it was acceptable to say that without any reprecussions. BTW, a few years ago, plenty of people were getting on ND's case for having such tough academic requirements because it limited the number of minority (black) students they could recruit, and thus led to all those losing seasons (until recently). What the coach said isn't anything new that hasn't been said by both whites and non-whites.

Would you rather have your coach come up with some spiel about how the team needs to work together, and have heart, and give 110%? Or do you prefer him to tell the truth?

sidenote: Plenty of other coaches might feel the same way, but perhaps they shouldn't say this non-PC stuff anymore. I think from now on the phrase to use when b****ing about the lack of "afro-americans" on your team is "we're athletically challenged", and say it with a wink so the reporter will be kind of uncomfortable since he knows what you're talking about, but can't really convey it in his article

 

The man is insensitive but let's face it speed kills on the football field, and MOST of the speed positions are filled by African Americans. Why because, because of stereo types?, no because of athleticism.

 

but can you say that black american athletes are not faster than white american athletes?

 

didn't a white guy win the 400 m or something?

 

Yup, and his Baylor teammate won the silver while they were both still in college.

I think that the reason people get more up in arms about black stereotypes than white stereotypes is that black stereotypes are tied to a legacy of cultural and economic discrimination. It's the same reason blacks are more offended by n---er than whites are by cracker (note which one I didn't type out). Whites haven't been subject to the same hardships as a class as blacks, asians, hispanics, and other 'minorities' have. When we say "white men can't jump" it's not that big of a deal because it only reinforces the notion that whites are the rich businessman that use their brains. When we say "Afro Americans have more speed" it's problematic because it is a reificaiton of the idea that blacks are beasts of burden who have been bred to be workhorses rather than intellectuals (see Jimmy the Greek's comments). That's why people get more worked up over black stereotypes and quite frankly, I don't blame them.

 

yeah i remember that. i guess i just meant for the most part black guys i play with are faster than white guys. i'm not saying that there are no fast white guys (see eric crouch) but as a whole black guys are quicker. maybe its just me but i don't see anything wrong with generalizing like that. its like saying that as a whole japanese guys are shorter than american guys. or like saying indians from the mountains of south america are better built to sustain themselves in the thin air than someone like me.

and i do think black americans are probably more evolved physically due to the horror of slavery. obviously i can't back that up with science but wouldn't it kind of make sense? the africans were breed for size and strength and only the strongest survived on the slave ships.

 

Very good answer. I hope this doesnt get blown out of proportion though. I dont think any brotha's are complaining about the comment. I think its the media who put it out there trying to stir something. I mean being realistic. When I play ball and and a white guy lines up in front of me, the first thing that comes to my mind is LUNCH!!! It took a white dude that was kinda hickish for me to realize not to judge a book by its cover. I mean the little dude absolutely cut out on me. I was playing catch up at the snap of the ball. Its no big deal. Its a game, its all fun. It was probably a slow news day...

 

You know, that's a pretty good post. While I still don't see the hangup over things like what the coach said, I definetely can see and respect the points that you made.