Athletes Deal With Racial Stereotypes in Sports

Growing up, sophomore human development major  Kristina Cordova quickly took grasp of the game of softball. She used her talents to eventually land a scholarship to play the sport of her passion at Howard University.

She was the lone star on her path here.

“This is the first time that I have played with black players,” Cordova said. “I have always played on all-white teams.”

Sports such as softball have brought an intriguing dilemma to many urban, black communities. Only sports such as basketball, football and track and field have consistently garnered success and participation from blacks.

Today, these sports are considered by many  as being “black” sports while other team sports such as field hockey, lacrosse and volleyball have been considered “white” sports.

Doris Corbett, Ph.D., a professor and sports sociologist in the department of health, human performance and leisure studies at Howard, has done numerous research projects on the subject and said there are several answers to why blacks participate in certain sports and not others. 

“A complete explanation would include sociological factors, such as geography, access to individual coaching, the costs associated with participation, socialization opportunities, the availability of role models and the potential financial rewards in specific sports,” Corbett said.

Corbett pointed out that in the past, many psychologists said that blacks had a different physical make-up which attracted them to sports such as basketball and football.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Al Campanis once said that blacks were poor swimmers because they lacked buoyancy. 

Corbett also mentioned that, “other studies reported that blacks have a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which convey power, and a low percentage of low-twitch muscle fibers, which convey endurance.”

What seems to be the more reasonable explanation is the type of opportunities afforded to black athletes. 

“Other scholars suggest that African Americans have excelled in sports in which coaching, facilities and competition is provided in the public school system,” Corbett said.  “Blacks are less visible in sporting activities confined to private clubs.”

Sophomore administration of justice major Sondra Jones, Cordova’s teammate on the Howard softball team, had a very similar experience playing softball in her hometown of Atlanta.

“I have always played with all-white teams,” Jones said. “Black girls were always more interested in basketball in my area anyway. If there were all-black teams, they would get killed by the all-white softball teams.”

The Howard University softball team has made an effort to increase awareness and participation among girls in urban, black communities. 

“We have helped Kelly Miller Middle School in D.C. start their softball team,” Jones said. “We went to their school and showed them there are other girls that look like them playing softball.”

The success of black athletes in traditionally “white” sports, such as Tiger Woods in golf and Jarome Iginla in hockey, have brought hope for black athletes in those fields. It appears much has to change across the American landscape before African Americans fully integrate into these sports.