I've been watching with patriotic interest the Olympic track and field events. And I notice something about the results that is both remarkable and fascinating. Even so, this something is never commented on by NBC or any of the analysts.
Consider the sprints. The winners seem to be overwhelmingly of African, specifically West African, origin. The man and woman who blew away the field in the 100 meter dash were both from the tiny country of Jamaica
Now consider the long distance races. The winners once again are overwhelmingly black, this time from
These results are not a coincidence. They hold true of every Olympics in living memory. In the early 1990s Amby Burfoot, executive editor of Runner's World, published a lead article called "White Men Can't Run." Burfoot documented that blacks have not only dominated Olympic and world championship races for five decades, but also that black hegemony has increased over time. Along the same lines, the Sociology of Sport Journal reports that since the 1930s, "there has been no American white woman who was world class in the 100, 200 or 400 meter dashes. All the outstanding sprinters have been black."
Yet if black domination is a fact, the mysterious question is why. There are three possible explanations, two of which we need to take seriously. The first and most unlikely possibility is that there is widespread discrimination in favor of blacks in sports-not only in running but also in boxing, football, basketball, and so on. Let's call this the liberal explanation. It seems utterly obtuse, but we have to raise this argument because it uses precisely the logic of our civil rights laws.
Our civil rights laws presume that if groups are not equally represented in a given field (say university admissions or jobs or government contracts or sports teams) it follows that invidious discrimination can be inferred on the part of the over-represented groups, directed against the under-represented groups. In this case, of course, is it even reasonable to speculate that blacks are ahead because they are keeping everyone else down? Laugh out loud if you will, but you are laughing at the crazy logic that operates in civil rights jurisprudence in America today.
A second possibility is that there are cultural and motivational differences between groups. For instance, an NBC documentary preceding the 100 meter final noted that Jamaicans simply love to run and they start running competitively at a very young age. Perhaps West Africans simply have a cultural preference for short-distance sprints, and East Africans attach high social priorities to long-distance running. Using the same line of reasoning, sociologist Harry Edwards has suggested that black success in NBA basketball can be explained by the desire of poor African Americans to "jump, jump, jump out of the ghetto." Let's call this the cultural explanation.
The third possibility is that there are natural or genetic differences between the races that explain why one group is so heavily over-represented among both the contestants and the winners. Let's call this the Bell Curve explanation, after the controversial book published several years ago by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein. Admittedly Murray and Herrnstein were writing about IQ and intellectual performance, not sport. The role of biology in sport is candidly explored in Jon Entine's book Taboo, which I'm reading during the commercial breaks.
Setting aside political correctness, I'm trying to figure out which explanation is right. I don't think we need to be scared to discuss this topic. Before I offer my thoughts, I'd like to know what you think.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 13)
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Issac Asimov at 1:33AM on Aug 20th 2008
2. It's Genetics.
Botts at 1:45AM on Aug 20th 2008
3. Atheist and DNA discoverer, Dr. James Watson makes RACIST comments against blacks inspired by his belief in Darwinism.
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article3067222.ece
Come see how Darwinism inspired Racism
http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com/#Racist_atheists
Issac Asimov at 1:52AM on Aug 20th 2008
4. A young man wished to purchase a gift for his new sweetheart's birthday, and as they had not been dating very long, after careful consideration he decided a pair of gloves would strike the right note — romantic, but not too personal.
Accompanied by his sweetheart's younger sister, he bought a pair of white gloves; the younger sister purchased a pair of panties for herself.
During the wrapping, the clerk mixed up the items and the sister got the gloves and the sweetheart got the panties. Without checking the contents first, he sealed his package and mailed it to his sweetheart along with this note:
Darling,
I chose these because I noticed that you are not in the habit of wearing any when we go out in the evening. If it had not been for your sister, I would have chosen the long ones with buttons, but she wears short ones that are easy to remove. Woman donning gloves
These are a delicate shade, but the lady I bought them from showed me the pair she had been wearing for the past three weeks and they were hardly soiled. I had her try yours on for me and she looked really smart.
I wish I were there to put them on you for the first time, as no doubt other hands will come in contact with them before I have a chance to see you again.
When you take them off, remember to blow in them before putting them away as they will naturally be a little damp from wearing.
Just think how many times I will kiss them during the coming year. I hope you will wear them for me on Friday night.
All my Love,
Hollingsworth
P.S The latest style is to wear them folded down with a little fur showing.
Botts at 2:10AM on Aug 20th 2008
5.
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Dimwits for Christ at 2:24AM on Aug 20th 2008
6. It may be genetics, but these boys from the hood, don't fool around in their neighborhood sports. When they run, they run it with all they've got, it helps relieve tensions of living in poverty in a inner city. But, those tensions turn to motiviations ie: I can do it, I'm going to do it, Let me do it!
They run hard, they hit hard, they dunk hard, they play hard; taking not the least little thing for granted. It may be in the genes, but, by God, it's definitely in the environment and in their hearts!! They deserve to win! They earned it, day after day after day 'working it' and 'workin' it". White men can jump, etc. They just don't love it and want it and need it and eat/sleep/breathe it like their brother counterparts. Well, some do.
It's all good.
MI at 2:55AM on Aug 20th 2008
7. PreteristV,
I was wondering if we could contact and speak via email off of the blog. Of matters pertaining to our faith. Any possibilities? My husband and I would love to have some discussions with you.
We enjoy Dinesh's articles, however not interested too, too much in the postings.
Please think about it.
Either way, rest assured of my kindred spirit and a heart filled with thanks and admiration, and prayers for you and yours,
Totus Tuus,
Mary Irene and family
MI at 3:47AM on Aug 20th 2008
8.
Now that's blatant.
We have DD admitting that he wants to peruse all the arguments before taking a stance.
Precious.
Doofus at 3:14AM on Aug 20th 2008
9. As a life long athlete, I've always pondered this unfortunate dilemma for whitey. My personal opinion is that relative to Asian, Hispanic and Anglo cultures, africans were the last culture to implement the theory of settling and cultivating. While virtually every other culture insited on the
former premise, Africans still relied on hunting and gathering for survival. From a darwinian perspective, it makes sense that the fastest men would geneticly perpetuate their superior hunting capabilities. I think what we see today at the olympics is a lingering of those succesful genetic qualities. I know that sounds quite rascist but
that is the most reasonable conclusion i am able to draw with my limited insight.
As a veracious fellow i would like to have my story set straight. If anybody knows of a more plausible explanation please let me know. Vito.bagley@hotmail.com
Vito at 4:07AM on Aug 20th 2008
10. Great article Mr D'Souza. The same thought has struck me many times - there is an unspoken rule (a form of bounded rationality) for sports commentators that they cannot mention race. It becomes almost comic at times when they focus on a fairly recent construct (the nation state), when sometimes individuals have changed nationality within their lifetime in order to obtain a better start in life.
Given that modern science appears to be giving greater weight to nature over nurture (e.g. new brain science discoveries about gender differences in the brain being linked to the amount of testosterone we are exposed to in the womb) I would tend towards your third point. One of the reasons this third explanation is regarded as slightly taboo is perhaps the cultural link we have made between scholastic underperformance and sporting performance - with resultant sports scholarships etc. Perhaps at other periods of history (e.g. ancient greece, rome) there wasn't such cultural baggage.
We should celebrate Black African sporting ability, and not (of course) see it as limiting black achievement in all our fields of human endeavour.
Serendipity 1965 at 5:05AM on Aug 20th 2008
11. Blacks sink tho'. LOL
This is supposed to be a comedy piece right?
not-pboyfloyd at 5:36AM on Aug 20th 2008
12. Wouldn't a cultural predisposition to running eventually lead to a genetic predisposition to running. So both the second and third points are correct.
Either way, this is one of the poorest articles I think DD has written in a while, and that is saying something.
Catch the Olympic fever!!!
Ryan Anderson at 7:08AM on Aug 20th 2008
13. In running and in pro sports, it is ALL about performance...measurable performance. In many American workplaces, and government jobs it is all about who you like, who you get along with, who you want to work with...and that often is a person who is alot like you...the same color as you.
I see it every day. Once again, your arguments are either wholly disingenuous or your thinking quite shallow.
America's Most Gangsta at 7:58AM on Aug 20th 2008
14. I dont think its just genetics. There might be the possiblility that african descendants have the right bone structure and muscle mass to run. There may be genetic markers that would give them a better probability of success on the track. But thats only half the battle. The other half is mental, "Do you have the will to win".
I dont think that there is anything really important about trying to find out. Why do white people win the swimming events? Why are the chinese dominating the olympics in general? Why do the spanish seem to win at soccer?
Its just love of sport.
Cack in, Cack out at 8:12AM on Aug 20th 2008
15. DD's "liberal explanation".....that there is wide spread discrimination in favor of blacks is typical of his twisted interpretations. Perhaps they are not afforded the opportunities to excel at some of the more costly sports, therefore locked out of showing their awesome ability in those areas, and take advantage of those sports that are open to them.
Surely you see the abundance of whites in gymnastics, diving, swimming, equine events, skiing, ice skating.....all sports which usually only the most wealthy can pursue. Those facilities are NOT available to all. Sometimes it's not cost, but geography that has influence. Switzerland has awesome skiers....it's where the mountains are! (Which is why I always root for the Jamaican bob sled team, how DO they practice?) This is just one factor, of course. Genetics is an issue. Also, God is a fan, and he's for Team Africa. :-)
Jude at 7:44AM on Aug 20th 2008