Superiority just Black or White?

In the past couple of decades the analysis of black and white athletes in competitive sports has flourished.  Several theories from “Great Speed But Little Stamina:” The Historical Debate Over Black Athletic Superiority” mention that black athletes’ dominance in sprinting events is due to “longer heel bone or stronger achilles tendon.”  Another hypothesis states that black athletes have more primitive DNA than white athletes which makes them superior in particular sports.  A further speculation is that black athletes are better at certain sports because they have grown up with fewer opportunities to excel in other sports that require additional financial support.  Another assumption is that the black race went through a genetic selection during the slavery movement, where only the fittest survived. Yet, another hypothesis states that black athletes work harder than their white counterpart and that is why they thrive at certain sports.  All of these theories are very hard to prove due to scientific restriction and immeasurable factors like which athlete is the hardest worker.  I do not comprehend why we as a society have to define and separate different races.  We are always assuming that if someone wins it is because he or she has an advantage therefore the fingers are now pointed towards race.  The flaw that I see in these theories is that there has been a lot of research to see the superiority in black athletes but not very many theories for white athletes.  If black athletes have anatomical and physiological traits that provide them with an advantage then there should be more research on what white athletes have that black athletes do not have.  I find it interesting that when there is an argument about race it usually just involves the black and white race, not any others.  I understand that there has to be a dividing line for scientific and sociological purposes, but I think it further segregates white and black societal views.  We have critics questioning why and how an athlete has an advantage that it rarely occurs to us that athletes may be better at certain sports because they worked harder than their counterparts to get there. 

Society and Football

In the Offensive Play article by Malcolm Gladwell, scientists have discovered evidence that the constant head on collisions in football may have a correlation with future dementia.  The ethical issue we as a society have to face is whether or not football should still be allowed as a sport.  The research presents that head on collision increased the amount of Tau within an athlete’s brain.  Tau is a substance is also commonly found within individuals with Alzheimer and other mental diseases.  This could possibly mean that athletes have an increased chance of having dementia after playing football.  We were asked in discussion whether or not we would allow our children to partake in a sport that would affect them for the rest of their lives. I feel like I would not deny my child participation in the sport but I would not encourage it by any means.  If my child insisted to want to play I would make sure he/she understood the consequences and the future harm it could cause him or her.  There is a possibility that the research is not correlated, since scientist still have a lot more research to do before they can come to a final conclusion.  I personally believe that even with the amount of research we have now, the situation is serious enough for us to think twice about sending professional athletes to play.  My concern is if society will consider letting go of football for the safety of its players.  Maybe we could come up with different rules to make athletes safer but people have argued if that it would no longer be considered football.  This is a very sensitive topic because football is everything to Americans.  However, social norms have changed before and it would not be impossible for it to change again.  Athletes are going to have to decide whether or not to believe the scientific data and gamble with possible mental dysfunction; while we as a society have to decide which is more important, the game or the safety of our athletes.   

The Connection between Athletes and Industries

During 1980’s Michael Jordan became one of the biggest hit sensations in the history of sports.  He was renowned for his infamous athleticism all over the world.  It was also during this era that the media flourished and with it, advertisement opportunities for companies wanting to sell their products.  Michael was the target for most of these industries because he was thought to be an individual with high morals and a role model for society.  Michael became the new sensation and according to The Sports Spectacle, Michael Jordan, and Nike: Unholy Alliance? that is even where the legendary logo “Just do it” came from.  Soon, both became associated and representative of each other, and if one went array so did the other one.  Nike was exploited for giving extremely low wages to factory workers, which ended up reflecting on Michael.  Michael was questioned several times on what he thought about the situation remarked that he could not control what Nike did or did not do.  Have industries and athletes been regarded as one entity or are they, as Michael believed, separate? Today, sports teams are drenched with advertisements from within the athlete’s gear to the score boards. Industries depend on athletes to endorse their products, and athletes depend on industries for an income.  The two are obviously connected but to what degree is the question.  Would athletes today cut their ties with an industry like Nike for the wages of factory workers? I have a feeling that most would not.  This aspect of sport has spiraled into a huge money making business, and since we are humans we want the most we can possibly get.  Athletes and industries need to recognize who they are signing with so that they will not create a negative image on each other.  One way to possibly fix this issue is to place restrictions on one another, which something very hard to control. Once an affiliation is formed there is nothing either party can do, they have taken a chance and live with the consequences. 

The Price of Being Different

In the The New Yorker article of Either/Or, Caster Semenya participates in one of the most controversial ethical issue that sport has faced.  Semenya is a young woman that grew up in South Africa and has been competing in the 800 meter. This is a very normal scenario other than the fact that Semenya does not fit the physical or biological norm of a female athlete.  Semenya has a genetic disorder where she does not have all of the female reproductive organs but has triple the amount of testosterone.  Semenya was raised as a woman and considers herself a woman but whether or not she can compete as a woman is a different story.  She has been questioned throughout her athletic career and was used to having to “prove her femininity” to several judges.   In the world championship at Berlin she was once again confronted with the question of whether or not she was a woman, but this time she was forced to take a genetic test where her results confirmed a genetic disorder.  Unfortunately her results were leaked and Semenya’s participation in the competition became questioned.  Having tripled the amount of testosterone than any average women competitors was seen as an advantage.  She was ridiculed for her looks, toned figure, and deep voice.  She was told by complete strangers that she was a man, even though she was socially raised as a woman.  Semenya was only 18 at the time.  I cannot begin to imagine the situation this young women went through to cope with this tragedy.  The pressure of being called a cheater and not understanding how or why things came to be must have had devastating effects.  However, Semenya has proven to be very mature and has handled this situation to the best of her abilities.  She has not competed since the incident and hope that the situation will calm down before she decides whether or not to continue with her athletic career.  I think that this young woman should compete with other women in sports.  Every athlete has a different body type and different testosterone levels.  Semenya may have more muscles but she has worked hard for them just like any other athlete.  The choice, however, is up to society.