Racialicious hits it out of the park again with an article on black men and sports as a way of coping with their pain:
Why is it that so many young black men still search for safety, solace, and a sense of control in the sporting realm, whether in the ring, on the court, or on the field? The execution of Troy Davis in Georgia despite questionable evidence against him and the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman just for looking “suspicious” both shine a harsh spotlight on the continued precariousness of black life in the twenty-first century. A cursory look at recent movies from Streetballers (2009) to The Blind Side (2009) shows that society actively encourages young black men to escape their troubles and drown their sorrows in sports. And yet, that same society often castigates black youth for becoming “sports obsessed.”
Where else but in the sporting arena can young black men benefit from their reputation for being “dangerous”? Where else are they glorified for that “hard chip of ice” that many store in their fighting hearts? Where else can they have a good chance of receiving adulation and respect? And, where else is the violence they face at least controlled by rules and referees?
Black men, in American culture, are highly associated with sports. Many of the “positive” stereotypes (in quotes, because no stereotype is truly positive) of black men revolve around their supposed increased athleticism, particularly in basketball, football, and dance. If they’re stereotyped as hyperviolent, criminal, and stupid, at least they’re also stereotyped as, unlike white men, being capable of jumping.
I think a lot of the idea that black men are good at sports comes straight out of the stereotyping of black men as animalistic and hyper-masculine. Animals are capable of astonishing physical feats; in a racist culture, black men (who are of course one step above animals) are similarly capable. And just like black men are stereotyped as having large penises and being anti-intellectual, very sexual, and violent– all traits associated with masculinity– so black men are stereotyped as being good at sports, another masculine trait.
Nevertheless, I think it’s also important to talk about black men’s relationship with sports not just as an outgrowth of racism but also as a source of solace and hope within a racist society. As Racialicious says, sports is an arena in which black men are valued for the stereotypes that, in the outside world, so hurt them. Where in the outside world the idea that black men are violent will lead people to shoot you for wearing a hoodie and having Skittles, on the court it merely makes you a more intimidating player.
The prison-industrial complex, shitty inner-city schools that fail at education, few jobs available that will give them not just enough money to support themselves but also basic human self-respect, poor social services… the world that all too many black men face is a dim one. Sports can provide an escape. Something fun, something you can win at, a place to escape from the ever-decreasing opportunities of inner-city life.
And, hell, sports can offer hope, a way out. A ticket to college or even to professional sports teams. Even among those who are not good enough to reap those benefits, it’s a blessing simply to dream. I think a lot of people underestimate how vitally important it is to have hope that one day things will get better. And for far too many black men, particularly ones who grew up poor, the only hope they have that things will get better is through being a rapper or a sports star.
@dancingbojangles
There’s an entire movement among the professional & unattached contingent of African-American women (referred to as Black Women Empowerment) that focuses on interracial dating/marriage.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Ozy’s Law and how it tends to apply for any group of stereotype – not just gender. Race is a good example of this, I think. Black people are often portrayed as more animalistic than whites, but also as sources of “magical negro” folk-wisdom that white people have lost access to by “overcivilising” themselves. We have a similar phenomenon with Maori and Pasifika people here in NZ. There’s also a split here in terms of which sports people play (I don’t know if this is as obvious in the states – do black… Read more »
@dancinbojangles: “I’ve never heard of “black women coming to get our white men” and am mad curious! Care to give some examples?” Mellody Hobson, and her husband Geoge Lucas. Naomi Campbell and her boyfriend Vladimir Doronin. Angela Gisela Brown and her husband Prince Maximillian Tara Wilson and Chris Noth “Also, thanks for the link, but I meant more in the modern public consciousness.” Oh, you mean more like Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, Terrence Howard and so on? “Obviously society’s opinion of black people was different back when they were likely rare and exotic travelers, rather… Read more »
@daelyte: I’ve never heard of “black women coming to get our white men” and am mad curious! Care to give some examples? Also, thanks for the link, but I meant more in the modern public consciousness. Obviously society’s opinion of black people was different back when they were likely rare and exotic travelers, rather than slaves stolen for the express purpose of being inferior.
@dancinbojangles:
“Even with regards to sexuality, there’s that trope of “black men coming to get our pure innocent white women” in addition to the big penis thing.”
That trend may be reversing. There’s some signs that black women are coming to get our pure innocent white men, in addition to the blue eyes thing. (people! white men do not all have blue eyes!)
“Good luck finding a black knight though!”
http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/2009/03/black-knights-in-europe/
@The_L: That’s right, I forgot about Stefan! It’s been more than a decade since I watched that show, though I used to like it quite a bit. Ah the innocence of youth…
“Stefan Urquelle”‘s first appearance was in the show’s fifth season, in an episode inspired by the film “The Nutty Professor.” Stefan was suave and charming, but also arrogant and narcissistic, and Laura eventually decides that she prefers Steve. In the fifth season finale, Steve manages to come up with an improved version of the transformation potion, resulting in a version of “Stefan” that wasn’t evil. In the seventh season finale, Urkel creates a duplicating machine and ends up accidentally making a duplicate of himself, which, at Laura’s suggestion, is turned into Stefan permanently. (Thank you, Wikipedia.) So it’s very much… Read more »
@dancinbojangles: Ever watch Family Matters, though? Urkel has a smooth-talking, hypersexual alter ego, Stefan. I’d do Stefan in a heartbeat. 😛
I agree with a lot of the points in the article. The ones I feel bad for are the ones in the inner city who spent ALL their time on the park courts or fields, tried so hard to succeed this way, but failing to realize that they had to go to school so they could get into college to play to eventually get drafted. They lacked that aspect, and I’ve heard that there are more 20 somethings sitting on front stoops smoking weed and shooting that could beat any of the professionals currently playing in the pros. The only… Read more »
Hm, some interesting points. Now that I think of it, the cultural perception of black men really does seem to be that they embody all the negative aspects of maleness, without any of the positives. Even with regards to sexuality, there’s that trope of “black men coming to get our pure innocent white women” in addition to the big penis thing. Sort of an extension of the knight/beast thing. Good luck finding a black knight though! Even the term makes it seem impossible! To get off-topic a little: That’s one of the reasons I so loved Lenny Kravitz in The… Read more »
Ozy, where were you when I was trying to explain this around superbowl time. I just could not get my point across. Everyone was all “yeah, but it’s a good thing, they get money and fame, they want to play in the NFL”. Just taking NFL as an example, I’m sure all those men want to be there and have worked hard to be there, I’m not diminishing that. But it still always struck me that the ‘star’ of most teams is a white guy.
“Many of the “positive” stereotypes (in quotes, because no stereotype is truly positive) of black men revolve around their supposed increased athleticism, particularly in basketball, football, and dance.” No doubt, any black man who fails at the above is made to feel like a worthless loser, rather than being encouraged to look for his strengths in other fields, such as engineering. http://bit.ly/h0sBm “And for far too many black men, particularly ones who grew up poor, the only hope they have that things will get better is through being a rapper or a sports star.” Or a soldier. African-americans are over-represented… Read more »