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| The Knicks' Jeremy Lin is a trailblazing Asian pro athlete |
Traditionally, professional American sports have had a complicated relationship with race. Early pro leagues routinely excluded athletes of color, and many sports didn't sanction them until the mid-20th century. In fact, it took pioneers, such as Wilma Rudolph and Jackie Robinson, to eventually break down many barriers for non-white athletes. Today, the country's major sports leagues are much more integrated, yet certain sports—and certain attitudes—remain as roadblocks. For example, the recent success of the Knicks' Jeremy Lin highlighted both a breakthrough in racial representation and the deep divides of race in professional sports. As much as Lin was heralded for his success, he also faced a barrage of often racist criticism. How far have we come in our views about sports and race? Does there still exist the perception that some sports are primarily for whites? (Or that some sports that are primarily for non-whites?) And what of athletes of different races criticizing one other? For example, was Floyd Mayweather right when he said that "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise"?
Include at least two of the following in your discussion:
- "Quiz: White Men Can't Jump and Other Assumptions About Race and Sports" (UnderstandingRace.org)
- "Breaking Down ESPN’s Race and Sports Survey" (GoodMenProject)
- "Jeremy Lin and the Failure of Sports’ Racial Stereotypes" (ThinkProgress)
- "Blacks, Sports and Lingering Racial Stereotypes: A Q&A with Sports Sociologist Ben Carrington" (Shelf Life @ Texas)
Required:
Due: Mo 4.09
- MLA Style
- Must be exactly one page in length
- A Works Cited page
Due: Mo 4.09
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