African American Male Athletes Research Articles

The Portrayal Of Jesse Owens’ Character As The Representation Of Male African-American Athlete In Stephen Hopkins’ Race (2016): New Historicism

In the 1930s, African-American male athletes faced segregation and discrimination due to their skin color. Modern biographical films now offer a more accurate representation of their struggles and achievements. This research examines how the movie “Race” (2016) portrays Jesse Owens, a male African-American athlete from the 1930s, and its implications for present-day US race relations. Through qualitative analysis using Narrative and Non-Narrative methods, we apply Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicism to explore the movie's depiction of Owens. By comparing the film to historical records, we find that "Race" neglects to show Owens’ dedication to sports, education, work, and the significant influence of his Irish first coach. These omissions are connected to the continued exclusion of African-Americans in contemporary American society. This study reaffirms the persistence of white supremacy beliefs and stereotypes surrounding African-American athletes, portraying them as solely focused on sports. The portrayal of Jesse Owens in the movie mirrors the current experiences of African-American male athletes, who still grapple with stereotypes and racial discrimination, even in the aftermath of President Obama’s tenure.

COMPARISON OF THE ‘SEATTLE’ AND ‘INTERNATIONAL’ CRITERIA ELECTROCARDIOGRAM INTERPRETATION IN DIVISION II AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGE ATHLETES

PURPOSE: A 12-lead exercise stress test is a screening tool used to detect abnormalities that may predispose collegiate athletes to sudden cardiac death. Experts in the field have developed new standardized criteria to better interpret electrocardiogram (ECG) in athletes. Recent research suggests that African American athletes are more prone to cardiac abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Seattle Criteria to the most recently created International Criteria in regard to ECG abnormalities in Division II African-American collegiate athletes. METHODS: Forty four African American male athletes (football, basketball, soccer) (age 22.2 + 1.4 yrs; height 1.82 + 0.1 m; weight 88.8 + 14.9 kg) completed cardiovascular screening with a resting 12-lead ECG analysis which was read and interpreted, according to each criterion, by an expert in the field of exercise science. ECGs were classified as ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ according to the parameters of each criterion, and any abnormal condition was noted. The sensitivity and specificity of both criteria were computed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the sensitivity between both criteria (98.1%-100%). The International Criteria was more specific than the Seattle Criteria (91.2-94.1% vs. 87.4-88.2%). Applying the International Criteria when evaluating African American college athletes resulted in a significant decrease in abnormal ECGs and improvement of the positive predictive value of an abnormal ECG. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that following the International Criteria for ECG interpretation significantly reduced the total abnormal and false-positive ECG rates in African American collegiate athletes compared to the Seattle Criteria without compromising sensitivity. It is important to continue to conduct ECG research on athletes of different ethnicities and races in order to further define valid and reliable criteria for this underrepresented population.

Artifacts and the Academic Motivation of African American Male Athletes

This study sought to examine to examine the academic motivations of African American male college athletes at a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Self-determination theory (SDT) was incorporated as the theoretical framework. Data were collected via artifacts from seven African American male college athletes at a HBCU in the mid-southern region of the United States. Explanation of the artifacts by the participants revealed that they were motivated by their family, their faith, and their resiliency. Findings, and their implications for research and practice, are discussed and presented.

Race in the Present Day: NBA Employees Sound Off on Race and Racism

Resulting from the 2008 election (and 2012 re-election) of the first African-American President of the USA and the overrepresentation of African-American male athletes in American football and basketball today, it is possible that many Americans buy into the notion of a postracial society. Utilizing critical race theory as a lens, we interviewed five employees of an NBA franchise to better understand their perspectives on the topic of race and racism in American sport and society as a whole and, more specifically, how it has impacted African-American male professional athletes. This was a departure from the majority of the literature on this topic, which tends to focus on African-American male athletes in college sport. Our analysis of the data revealed three major themes: (1) the theme race matters, illustrated how race and racism persist in the NBA and broader society; (2) the theme moving forward concerned the participants’ thoughts on how to go about dealing with race and racism in the future; and (3) the theme, LeBron James, was in reference to the backlash LeBron James received after deciding to play for the Miami Heat. Implications for future research are discussed.

Political activism, racial identity and the commercial endorsement of athletes

With a focus on African American male athletes as product endorsers, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of activism type and level of racial identity on perceptions of trustworthiness and athlete-product fit. Participants ( N = 73 White undergraduate students) participated in a 2 (activism type: anti-obesity, anti-war) × 2 (level of racial identity: low, high) experimental study. Results indicate that perceptions of trustworthiness were highest when the athlete was engaged in non-controversial activism and had a strong racial identity. These perceptions were significantly associated with endorser-product (i.e. New Balance shoes) fit, even beyond the effects of activism type, level of racial identity, and athlete attractiveness. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.

Farewell to Sport: The Decline of the African American Athlete during the Age of the Collegiate Arms Race and Globalization

Perhaps no one is better positioned than Professor Edwards to provide a critical assessment of the interconnection among sport, race and American culture. The man who organized the proposed boycott of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and has served for years as the conscience for an institution that has not always lived up to its professed ideals of fair play and equality, Professor Edwards has provided important insights into the racial realities of American sport through his many presentations, interviews, public pronouncements, articles, and such books as Black Students (1970), The Revolt of the Black Athlete (1969), The Struggle that Must Be: An Autobiography (1980), and Sociology of Sport (1973). In this plenary address Edwards furnishes an assessment of the status of African American athletes during the new age of globalization and current economic instability inflicting intercollegiate sport. Careful to put the topic in its proper historical context, Professor Edwards makes clear that the reintegration of sport in post-World War II America was motivated more by business and politics than brotherhood and that the selective one-way nature of the process has led to a plantation system in which whites control sport while African Americans are relegated to the less powerful position of athlete. The selective and one-way rather than two-way and structural process of reintegration successfully put an end to all black sports institutions while at once funneling a disproportionate number of African American male athletes into basketball and football and their female counterparts into basketball and track and field. Coinciding with the development of a plantation system in sport has been the outmigration of the more affluent members of the African American community that has led to the deepening material deterioration and resultant desperation and hopelessness of that community. No one has been more affected by this deterioration than young African American males who have increasingly been mired in poverty, limited in their access to a quality education, overrepresented in the criminal justice system, and with little hope of career success beyond that of dreaming of becoming a rap artist or professional athlete. Unfortunately, the chances of becoming an athlete at the highest level is severely limited and becoming increasingly so, especially now with more potentially great

A Dream Deferred

As an institution, sport holds an integral position as a component of our culture that is connected to the economy, educational institutions, and many other spheres of social life in America. Much of the research in this area implies that although participation in collegiate athletics is often considered a golden opportunity for African-Americans, there is actually compelling evidence to the contrary. In fact, serious involvement in athletics has been associated with the hindrance of other areas of development amongst African- Americans, including educational and occupational achievement. This study examines the post-collegiate experiences of African-American male athletes, emphasizing the societal processes and pressures affecting the transition out of the role of athlete and into the occupational sector. Twenty in-depth ethnographic interviews with former collegiate athletes who are African-American yielded several interesting findings. The athletes were not prepared for a career while in college and suffered accordingly as they attempted to transition into post athletic careers. Additionally most of the respondents suffered from depressive symptoms as they made this transition.

Benefits and Detriments of African American Male Athletes' Participation in a Big-Time College Football Program

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the nature and status of four African American male athletes' educational experiences as participants in a big-time college football program at a predominantly white institution of higher education (PWIHE) in the United States of America. A focus group and individual interviews revealed that although these African American males felt that they derived certain tangible and intangible benefits from being participants in this football program, the term `student-athlete' was an inaccurate description of who they are, especially given the expectations and tremendous time demands their participation in football related activities placed on them. These general findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research in college sport.

Hey stud: Race, sex, and sports

This article is an examination of how the intersection of sport and race plays out in the sexualization of the sporting role of African American male athletes. Further, the article is an examination of the multiple roles the media, sport, and race play as these impact the public persona of African American male athletes in high-profile sports. The article concludes with a number of recommendations for ending the negative images of African American male athletes.

Relationship of race to sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to determine the impact of race on identification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). BackgroundSudden death in young competitive athletes is due to a variety of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and, most commonly, HCM. These catastrophes have become an important issue for African Americans, although HCM has been previously regarded as rare in this segment of the U.S. population. MethodsWe studied the relationship of race to the prevalence of CVDs causing sudden death in our national athlete registry, and compared these findings with a representative multicenter hospital-based cohort of patients with HCM. ResultsOf 584 athlete deaths, 286 were documented to be due to CVD at ages 17 ± 3 years; 156 (55%) were white, and 120 (42%) were African American. Most were male (90%), and 67% participated in basketball and football. Among the 286 cardiovascular deaths, most were due to HCM (n = 102; 36%) or anomalous coronary artery of wrong sinus origin (n = 37; 13%). Of the athletes who died of HCM, 42 (41%) were white, but 56 (55%) were African American. In contrast, of 1,986 clinically identified HCM patients, only 158 (8%) were African American (p < 0.001). ConclusionsIn this autopsy series, HCM represented a common cause of sudden death in young and previously undiagnosed African American male athletes, in sharp contrast with the infrequent clinical identification of HCM in a hospital-based population (i.e., by seven-fold). This discrepancy suggests that many HCM cases go unrecognized in the African American community, underscoring the need for enhanced clinical recognition of HCM to create the opportunity for preventive measures to be employed in high-risk patients with this complex disease.

Retention Issues and Models for African American Male Athletes

AbstractAs an attempt to present some issues of retention that may affect African American men in general, this chapter examines the special circumstances of African American male college athletes. Several models for serving black male athletes are presented with an emphasis on interventions affecting their retention.