African Americans in Sports

Research Focus

Research on African American athletes generally focuses on negative stereotypes of physical prowess, and socially controversial themes. Most studies investigate racism, prejudice, discrimination, and exploitation experienced by African American athletes. Many studies contrast African American and white athletes on a number of variables that support prevailing elitist stereotypes and denigrate African American athletes. But few studies investigate the diverse and complex cultural dichotomies within the infrastructure of sport in the African American community.

Importance of Cultural Approach

Gary Sailes maintains that it is crucial to develop a more eclectic and immersed cultural approach when investigating African American involvement in competitive sports. The contributors to African Americans in Sports show that there are also intrinsic cultural paradigms that are evident, presenting an informative and interesting narrative regarding African American athletes.

About the Volume

The chapters that make up this volume were written by noted scholars who were selected based on their expertise in their specific academic areas. They write about different components of the experience of African American male athletes. Chapters and contributors include: "Race and Athletic Performance: A Physiological Review" by David W. Hunter; "The Athletic Dominance of African Americans--Is There a Genetic Basis?" by Vinay Harpalani; "African American Player Codes on Celebration, Taunting, and Sportsmanlike Conduct" by Vernon L. Andrews; and "Stacking in Major League Baseball" by Earl Smith and C. Keith Harrison.

Many chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of African American Men. This volume should be read by all those involved in athletics, as well as by sports sociologists and African American studies scholars.