Anthropological perspective - Term Paper Example

Cameron [Manager] 24 November Race and Sports Long has there been a debate over the of race and its impact on sports and athletic ability. Still to this day we see cases of “scientific racism” emerging from the attribution of athletic talent to differences of “race.” This taboo subject is still relevant, as it is often highlighted in popular media and social conversations. Not limited, to the U.S. we can see the impact globally as the subject touches upon nationalism and ethnological history.

Coincidentally, the histories of anthropology and the Olympic Games are intertwined as their formation began to be defined around the same time. It was a time when the lines between ‘entertainment’ and ‘education’ were not as clearly defined as they are now. It was a time when museums, zoos, circuses, and the Olympic Games were not institutionalized and culturally refined. It was the racial and national influences that defined these culture performances into what they are now known today.

Olympic Games attract much greater attention than fairs or zoos, and yet about a century ago the games were only considered a minor event. Olympic history brings light to the origins of modern social science. Both Anthropology and this contest of sports emerged from a mixture of theories influenced by cultural factors. Some of these factors included imperialism, colonization, industrialization, and capitalism. (Brownell 2) At a time of distinct segregation sports provided a space for intercultural mixing and contact. The St. Louis Olympic Games and the “Anthropology Days” are considered to be the first American example of this intercultural contact to be examined from a scientific perspective.

However, this topic was dramatically illuminated again in the 1940’s when Jackie Robinson walked onto the baseball field as the first African American to play in the modern major league. This monumental moment rings out, as one man was able to break a nation’s ‘color barrier’ through his athletic excellence in a simple game. At the end of his first season he was named “Rookie of The Year.” The color line in American baseball towards the end of World War II seemed as firm and unmovable as did the color line across the U.S. When Robinson was integrating baseball, the United States was also moving towards the civil rights era.

(Sands 139) Robinson’s efforts helped not only the game of baseball, but helped to integrate America along with the civil rights movement. We are now in a time where the world’s top two female tennis players are African-American sisters and the world’s greatest golfer is the son of a Thai mother and a black father. It may seem as though things have changed from the days of Jackie Robinson, and that this may not matter, but it does mean a lot to those who had been told they lacked the “qualities” to pursue these sports.

Even in the year the 21st century we see “scientific racism” when people label these sports as “white sports.” This racism extends to back to the days of “natives” vs. the “civilized” as American slavery and culture was shaped by assumptions of white supremacy. Many white Americans had perniciously attributed blacks with having ‘animalistic’ athletic ability. It is true that in track African runners do dominate, but according to Yale University geneticist Kenneth Kidd, this is because Africans have more genetic variation than any other population.

(Muwakkil 2). Stereotypes will continue to exist, but eventually they must die. As more cultures are introduced to various sports we will continue to see shifts in the racial paradigm. It will continue to be a taboo subject as long as there are social, cultural, and economic influences involved. We always question why there are so many athletes of color in sports, yet we never draw attention to the racial percentages of sports team owners. Anthropology and sports were defined together and will continue to intercede as we look at humanity and its involvement in the science of sports.

Hopefully one day we can stop looking at the stereotypes, and start appreciating the science and the art of sport as new athletes continue to break down barriers and achieve new heights. Reference: Brownell, Susan. The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games: Sport, Race, and American Imperialism. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2008. Print. Muwakkil, Salim. “Blacks, Sports and Lingering Racial Stereotypes”. Chicago Tribune. 17 June 2002. Sands, Robert. Anthropology, Sport, and Culture.

Westport, Connecticut, London: Bergin & Garvey, 1999. Online.