SP#13: Sport and Ethnicity

In our society sport has become an important part of African American culture. For those who are more talented in a sport like basketball or football but are living in inner cities with limited opportunities, sport can become a way to get out. Through sport kids are given chances to go to better schools or play for teams they may not have had the opportunity to experience otherwise. Like Arthur's mom says in "Hoop Dreams", there isn't a lot of productive things in these neighborhoods for kids to do so many turn to sports or gang activity. In Hollywood sport films they depict redemption stories and stories where the kid gets out of a bad life and makes it in sport. In the movie the blind side, Michael is taken out of a poverty stricken area and taken in by a good family. He then plays ball and ends up getting drafted by the NFL. While this is a great story and it is a story many like watching, it is not the everyday story of what actually happens to African American athletes. In Hoop Dreams they show the possible future these two athletes could have but also shows the reality of the poverty their family is still struggling with and the struggles with school, injuries, and daily life. This documentary shows the pressure that these athletes deal with and how just because it would make a good story doesn't mean it'll have a positive and happy outcome. I don't feel that sport is damaging and preserving the myth of race because in our society there is still inequalities and if sport is a way that can help. Although it does focus slightly around race, it is the unfortunate truth that it might be some of the only way for these kids to have a better life, and therefore should be seen as a positive thing instead of a racial issue.