"Darwin's Athletes": Sports & Ethnicity

Sport definitely has a significant impact on African American culture. I find this to be true because African American athletes who play a sport at a young age have dreams of making it big. A lot of kids have these big aspirations of becoming an astronaut, a professional athlete, singer etc. I feel that it's more relevant in the African American community to have such big dreams because when we look at teams playing in the NBA or the NFL there are a lot more African Americans in on the court or field and that says something to the youth. African American children, teens and young adults see all the African Americans playing the game they love and aspire to be like them one day. Another reason why sport has such a big impact on the African American community and culture is because making it to the professional leagues is an outlet. For some young adults who are drafted into the league leave behind their lower income neighborhoods and that's huge for someone to come from very little and to have more than they'd ever dream of. That alone is inspiring.

The Hollywood portrayal of African American athletes is a lot more glamorized and can be misleading of what an athlete actually experiences to an extent. For instance, in The Blind Side, Michael Oher's life in the beginning is portrayed as rough and we get a glimpse of his neighborhood but as the story goes on you get this sense that since he joined the Touhy family and gets all these new things it's as if his roots are put in the shadows and since he gets all this new stuff opportunities, Michael's life is now normal. In Hoop Dreams we see the struggle. Arthur and William and their families are interviewed and we heard the stories and struggles they went through. The documentary gives an accurate portrayal of what these kids dreamt of and how they got where they got. The main different between the two films is one is trying to accurately give its audience a true reflective representation of the teens life whereas in the Blind Side, the film is much more subtle.

I don't feel like sport is damaging the Black American and preserving the myth of race because I think sport encourages the African American community specifically the youth to try hard and try to make it big even though their chances may be slim. Giving something for kids to work hard for is great and allows young athletes to set and strive for their goals. Professional African American athletes aspire young youth to become pros so I wouldn't say sport has a negative impact on the African American culture.


Picture: http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/blindside.php