Lapchick, Richard E. (1996). Sport in Society: Equal Opportunity or Business as Usual?

Abstract

Lapchick, Richard E. (1996). Sport in Society: Equal Opportunity or Business as Usual? Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 0-8039-7281-4. 332 pp., paper bound, $25.00. Behold sport. Pure and noble. It remains one of the last bastions of accomplishment based solely on determination and ability; where the only limits are the individual's dreams. In sport young African-American males can raise themselves from the depth of poverty to the height of success, and sisters have the same chance to excel and contribute to society as do their brothers. The sports media displays only what is true and good about sport because that is the entirety of sport.... or ... Behold sport. Grotesque and despicable. It is nothing more and nothing less than a crystallization of the ills and evils of society. In sport black kids from the inner city have as much chance of achieving the dream as they have of getting a solid education. Brothers play and sisters watch. And the media construct the lies and perpetuate the myths that maintain exploitation of the down trodden. Sport in Society: Equal Opportunity or Business as Usual? edited by Richard E. Lapchick attacks the dilemma of sport head-on. The authors of the 42 articles contained in the book argue that sport is more than simply a reflection of society. Indeed, sport can and should be an active force in reforming society. In making his case, Lapchick employs quantitative and qualitative research to examine the relationship of sport to race, gender, class, and the media. Sport in Society consists of seven sections each of which begins with a brief introduction of the topic covered therein. The first section (Race in Sports) contains eight articles with half addressing race in college sports and the other half dealing with race in professional and international sports arenas. This longest section in the book sets the stage for the remainder of the book. Although most of the articles deal with African-American athletes at the college level, some space is devoted to professional sports and the sensitive issue of the use of Native American names and mascots for college and professional sports teams. The second section addresses the relationship between gender and sport. Donna Lopiano's article on growing up with gender discrimination in sports is particularly worthwhile. Not only does she provide the reader with examples from her own experience and insightful perspective from suffering gender discrimination, but she offers several challenges to bring about genuine equality for females in the years to follow. Athletic Uses and Abuses opens with a piece by Stanton Wheeler that gives the reader a background for the NCAA rules for student athletes and proposes issues that require further study. After several all too brief case studies of abuse and use of sport, the section concludes with the Knight Foundation Commission's report on intercollegiate athletics. Recommendations are made to college and university presidents to rectify the abuses of the past. Stereotypes, Myths, and Realities about Athletes, the fourth section, ranges far and wide. Although several of the articles shed some light on the problems of stereotyping athletes, Gary Sailes' Investigation of Campus Stereotypes is the best in this section. In particular, he provides quantitative support for existence of the myth of African-American superiority in sport and that college athletes possess less intelligence than their non-athletic counterparts. In a logical progression, Lapchick includes a section on media and sport. Ron Thomas opens the section by documenting the paucity of AfricanAmericans in the sports media. The small number of African-Americans is especially problematic in light of the large percentage of African-American athletes at the college and professional level. Sandy Pawde refreshingly departs from racial and gender issues and addresses pertinent ethical questions confronting sports journalists. …