Black People Run the Fastest

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Racial Generalization

The ten championships of 100m athletics have usually been black with several exceptions, such as Matic Osovnikar of Slovenia, which finished on the seventh position in 2007. Since 1983, the winner of the competition in the Olympics has always been black.

David Rudisha, Gold Medal Awardee in 800m title, from Kenya[1].

Therefore, there is a conclusion that black people are more superior in athletics due to their genes instead of environment. However, the conclusion is flawed, as research showed. Since 1968, Kenya has won 21 gold medals in 800m or above, with a total of 63 medals at the Olympics. Yet, most people do not wonder why Kenya could win so many medals in athletics. The research showed that Kenya could bring so many medals due to athletes that come from Nandi, a small area in the Rift Valley. Apparently, the ones who win the most medals were Nandi's home. Another case is a sprint, where most winners were either Jamaicans or African-Americans.

As most winners tend to be black, it is assumed that blacks, including Africans, are better in athletics. However, this is not true as very few athletes representing African countries won the competition. West Africa who is consisted of Ghana, Senegal, Congo, Angola, Gabon, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Niger, Benin, Mali, the Gambia, and Equatorial Guinea, has not won any sprinting competition in the Olympics. The data has shown that the West African countries have not won any competition in sprinting, although winners of the competition are the descendants of West Africans. The research has shown that black people are not more superior to whites. The data showed a different result where the genetic variation within racial groups takes account around 85% compared to the genetic variation between racial groups, which only takes 15%. Instead of the black people, it is the Nandis who is more superior[2]. The tendency to generalize people are ingrained within our minds particularly, racial generalization.

Black Advancement in Sport

Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports And Why We're Afraid To Talk About It by Jon Entine[3]

We see that black athletes are considered as one of the best athletes in many sports, including sprinting, running track, basketball, American football, baseball, and football. To be more specific, the African origins win most of the running track competition. In the Premiership in Europe, black football players represent 20 percent of the total football players. Then, we could see each sport's legends, especially in America, such as Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Johnson.

The sociology professor and founder of the Black Power demonstration at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Harry Edwards, affirms that the black advancement in sport is possible as white people believed that the physical tasks in the fields are supposed to be done by the black slaves[4]. Jon Entine, who is the writer of Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About It, pointed a result where best sprinters usually tend to be the descendants of West Africans while the greatest endurance runners tend to be the descendants of East Africans. The result is supported by Claude Bouchard's findings, an exercise physiologist, that implied West Africans possess twice larger fast-twitch fibers than French-Canadians, which help West Africans be more endurable[5].

Other scholars researched other parameters, including the lower body-fat percentage, the greater body density, and plasma testosterone levels. Although the results show African descents were relatively higher, the data did not show an impressive outcome that can impact the sport achievement[6].

Linfold Christie, the only Briton who ran less than 10 seconds, believes that muscle, physical advantages, and extensive training do not guarantee the best performance. It was the passion to be the best that takes black athletes to be the best athletes. It was possible as many black people face poverty and are determined to succeed in sport as it provides a way out of poverty for many blacks[7].

Genetic Notion of Population

The Maasai People[8]

The actual issue with the "Black People Run the Fastest" stereotype is due to factually incorrect, not because of politically incorrect. There is a significant difference between racial and population differences. Noticeably, most of the Maasai of Kenya have taller and longer limbed, or the Inuit of Arctics have shorter limbed as they were all shaped to be suitable with their living situation[9].

However, any race's physical body should not be generalized as human groups within race have different characteristics. Other methods can be applied in dividing human groups, such as according to genetic traits instead of skin color or physical body. The division could lead to broader ranges of human groups, yet; the genetic characteristics are rooted more deeply than the physical attributes.

As science has provided a method to look and research thoroughly, many ways are available to analyze how genetic or metabolic characteristics affect someone's capabilities. For example, dietary intake, metabolic structures, and musculature growth of football players can be analyzed and evaluated how they affect football player's skills. Thus, we as lovers of sport can enjoy sport's beauty compared to their racial background, while these top players' skills should be evaluated from other parameters.

References

  1. Khalid Al Mouahidi.Rio: Kenyan Runner Defends his Title, Wins Second Gold Medal. August 16, 2016. medafricatimes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  2. BBC.Is it wrong to note 100m winners are always black?. August 27, 2011. bbc.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  3. Amazon.Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports And Why We're Afraid To Talk About It by Jon Entine Book Cover. amazon.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  4. Young, Bob.Born better?. April 12, 2000. fig.cox.miami.edu. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  5. Anthony, Andrew.White men can't run. June 04, 2000. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  6. Kerr, Ian B.The Myth of Racial Superiority in Sports. April 2010. Western Michigan University. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  7. Anthony, Andrew.White men can't run. June 04, 2000. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  8. Maasai Mara Holiday. Olympics. April 2020. masaimaraafrica.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  9. Malik, Kenan. Why black will beat white at the Olympics. September 18, 2000. newstatseman.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.