Sports Media Racisim

Mass media contains intended messages to socialize society in a certain way. Sports is just another one of those areas where the media has a great impact on the publics’ perceptions. It does not necessarily mean that stereotypes in sports are valid or that people believe them, because they are not. However, the stereotypes remain and do not seem to be changing anytime soon. First, African Americans are the overwhelming majority in professional basketball and football. And surprisingly these are the only sports were people ask “What makes football or basketball players more inclined to get into fights?” Tt is not fair to only look at sports where African Americans are the majority, but it happens because most people think that black people dominate the most popular sports and thus think black people to be more violent. This is never asked in other sports, like baseball or hockey, where fights still occur in the sport, but the majority of players are not African American. Also, there are many more instances of violence from the rest of the United States that does not receive the attention that professional athletes do. This shows the media chooses the messages and stories they provide the public. Not surprisingly, it is the black athletes that are stereotyped in sports, not white athletes.

There are many possible reasons black people are stereotyped in this fashion. Firstly, because of the violence or contact in sports, it is bound to make the athlete more violent in real life, black or white. Yet, the percentage of athletes that commit violent acts in the public is nothing compared to the rest of the United States. Since athletes are role models, the public holds a higher standard from them. But that still does not excuse the stereotype that football and basketball players are more likely to get into fights or that black athletes are more likely to be violent. These are the most popular sports in the United States and media bias toward these sports is a fact. Ironically, the perceived arrest rate for the NBA and NFL is much lower than in comparison to what the media displays. In other words, violent acts or stories in the media are more likely to about black people over whites, even if white people commit more violent crimes. This goes for professional athletes too. The fact is the people who filter the media are mostly white and stereotypes come from the media, so it creates a bias. According to the book, as of the year 2000, 90 percent of the sports writers from newspapers are white. Thus, the stories writers present will most likely come form white people and in doing so they look at white people in a positive light, while black people in a negative light. Therefore, the media reinforces racial stereotyping because there is no equal representation in the media. For instance, more people remember violent stories where the perpetrator is black and the victim in white, such as when Latrell Spreewell attacked a white referee. Also, graduating rates do not help this perception of black people.

Only 14 percent of freshman athletes graduate in four years. However, the percentage is misleading. For football and basketball, players can leave for college before they graduate college. A lot of players will end up doing this because they need the money because they come from a poor background. Even so, people still discern them as people being dumb. In some cases this can be true, but it is not fair that black athletes do not have the same opportunities as white people. White people dominate mass media and whatever they deem necessary for the public to intake is not up to the control of the reader. The media is where people observe and learn stereotypes, and in this day and age, sports are all over the media, especially television. A sport might be majorly black, but the perceptions do not have to be positive. As stated earlier, football and basketball athletes are looked at as “violent” All in all, it is a shame that black athletes have to suffer the most from the media because they are shown in negative fashions more often then not.

Portrayal of Race in the Media

After discussing the influence of the media on shaping attitudes towards specific races, I have been noticing a lot of negative connotations and stereotypes being displayed. This afternoon I was watching Bring it On: In it to Win It, and it is a typical chick flick cheerleading movie. There is a competition between two squads, but the Shark squad caught my eye in particular. Each character on this squad represented a different stereotype. There is the blonde, ditzy white cheer captain, accompanied by a gay male cheerleader, a ghetto black friend, and a gothic Asian. Particularly the way Aeysha, the black cheerleader is portrayed caught my attention.

Aeysha is from a suburb in New York, however she acts as if she is from the “hood.” While training one day, her coach calls her out and goes, “Why do you talk like that?” Aeysha responds, “ This is how my people talk, so I talk this way.” That quote exemplifies how Aeysha feels as if she needs to fulfill the stereotypical ghetto black girl.

In lecture, we discussed how popular culture influences the way you see yourself, and how you look for validation. We also, explained how there are transcendent and non-transcendent symbols. A transcendent symbol is something you can see past and there are many different types including gender, class and race. A non-transcendent symbol is something you can’t get past including sexual body parts, income, and skin color. Aeysha sees “her people” and acts the way she thinks is socially acceptable. Meanwhile, she is just filling a socially constructed racial stereotype.

On top of Aeysha, feeling the pressure of being the only black girl on the squad. Each other character represents a different stereotype. Why must the captain of the cheerleading squad be a blonde, beautiful ditzy white girl? Or why must there always be a gay male. The media always displays different races, and sexual orientation in the way they “should be displayed.”

After watching the Sarah Silverman clip about chinks, and the various You Tube videos in lecture, I think that the media should stop portraying different races in the way they are constructed by society. I think there have been strides made from the past, but we still have a lot of progress to go. Even though Aeysha came from a wealthy family in New York, just because of her skin color she felt the need to act different from her true self. After the confrontation with her coach, Aeysha dropped the “black girl act” and became her true self, which was refreshing. Just because of her skin color, she felt forced to act in a different manor, but then realized it was stupid. Race is socially constructed, and still people feel the need to shape their beliefs around.

Last weekend, I went out to a club on a Saturday night. I was visiting a friend that I went to high school with and she took me to a place where her and her friends go to at least once a weekend. She explained to me that most of her friends go her weekly as well and that occasionally, the club will see a large population of the black community in Bloomington, Indiana attends as well. She then followed this statement with a precaution for me to be careful and make sure I stayed safe. At first, I did not question this statement, but after taking a large portion of this class, I probably should have. However, we got to the club later in the night only to find that my friends assertion was correct, and a majority of black men and women were there too. We were of course all okay with this, but it was interesting to see the division amongst the two "groups". It was very obvious that towards the front of the club was were the white people were all hanging out, with the exception of a few, and in the black was were most of the blacks were hanging out, again with the exception of a few. As the night continued, more and more of my friends, along with the other white teens that were there, began to dance in the back of the club. However there was still a divide between blacks and whites. They clearly were not socializing nor integrating on the dance floor. It was actually crazy to see this. It reminded be of being "separate but equal". Both blacks and whites were in the same establishment, however they remained completely separate from one another. Finally, after dancing for quite some time now, two courageous black men started dancing with me and another friend of mine. My friend started to laugh and slowly began to back away as I continued dancing. She then pulled me away and claimed that I did not know them and therefore should not be dancing with them. Of course, she was right, I did not know them, so I was completely unaware of their intentions, but did that mean that they were dangerous? I then started to notice as my friend began dancing with another kid, whom neither have us as met, yet none of my friends made any initiative to pull her away. Clearly, they deemed her to be safe because she was dancing with a white man.

It was then when I began to wonder, why the dichotomy? Why is an unknown white man seemingly innocent and an unknown black man seemingly dangerous? This assumption that blacks were inherently more dangerous in a time that we are suppose to be accepting racial boundaries was very saddening to me. I must admit however, I did not feel 100% safe dancing with the black man, which saddened me as well. I knew a friend would pull me away, and I could have guessed their reasoning behind it, because to be honest, I'm sure I would have done that for another friend. We are always taught to stay away from strangers, but not based on the color of their skin. It is clear that our society still has a long way until we become completely integrated and equal, but the more education and knowledge that is brought to the subject, the better. As more and more education is brought to the societal level, changes in the individual level can be seen as well, and hopefully for the better.

Interracial Marriage

Thanksgiving dinner can be extremely overwhelming, especially when you are in a room with 22 New York Jews. Thanksgiving 2008 was defiantly one to remember. My cousin Chloe who is 24 has had a very interesting history with boyfriends. The first boyfriend she brought to dinner was a white boy covered in tattoos from head to toe, the next was a Jewish boy who was in law school. When she walked into Thanksgiving dinner last year, this boyfriend was a jaw dropper. Chloe walks in with a 6 foot 2 black man.

First was the reaction of my grandparents. My grandparents were born in the 1920s and are extremely traditional. They want what’s best for their grandchildren but also have a skewed vision of what that is. They are strong believers in endogamy, which is marrying within your racial, ethnic or social class. My Aunts and Uncles had mixed feelings. My parents however were extremely accepting and proud of Chloe for being different. My cousins, ranging from ages 8-26 couldn’t comprehend it. My older cousins, who were married and one with a kid on the way were against it, while two of my male cousins thought it was really cool. Every family member had a different reaction because of the way they were raised and how they were taught to tolerate race. My parents taught my two younger brothers and I to be accepting and not to quick to judge.

After the whispering had come to a halt, we sat down for a very awkward and silent meal, until my Grandpa voiced his opinion. He asked the Billy, “Do you not feel uncomfortable being in a room with 22 other white people?” Does your family even accept Chloe?” I thought, this man was running out of my house and was never talking to Chloe again. But he answered very calmly and composed, “No I do not feel uncomfortable, you do not have to accept me right away, but the times are changing and I care a lot about Chloe and am very happy.” Everyone sat there astonished and ashamed of being so quick to judge. Chloe didn’t see him as a black man, she saw him as a man she loved.

Chloe and Billy did eventually break up, and there was no interracial marriage. As we learned in class, interracial marriages are becoming more popular in the United States. Family roles are changing, especially after the 2000 census where you can identify as more then one race. As I reflect on each of my family members reaction, it is a perfect example of how being raised influences your beliefs about the social constructs of race. In the reading from the textbook, Redrawing the Color Line/ Problems and Possibilities of Multiracial Families and Group making by McClain and DaCosta they discuss that starting in the 1990s multiracial families and identities are becoming more mainstreamed and accepted. In lecture, since day one we’ve learned that race isn’t a biological category but social and cultural construct. It’s unfair that people are still so quick to judge just on the basis of skin. Looking back through history, starting from the hypo-descent one-drop rule, too present day where you can identify as any race, the racial boundaries are shifting. However, after reflecting on that family dinner, its sad that just because Billy was black, it caused such tension and chaos at a dinner. Just because of his skin color, everyone was so quick to judge. What made the white boy in tattoos or the white boy in law school a better match for Chloe? The color of their skin?

Affirmative Action for the Poor

Affirmative action is a highly debated topic in the country and almost everyone has a strong opinion on it. I think when affirmative action was put in place it was the right thing to do but since it has been many years I think it needs to be reevaluated. After reading the excerpts from Kozol’s Savage Inequalities he makes it clear that money does buy education. I have always felt this way, and that is why I think affirmative action should not only be based on race but also on SES.

Although a huge percentage of the lower class is made up of minorities there are whites in this class as well and they are put at the same disadvantages by attending underfunded schools. Students who attended well-funded schools are given opportunities that students from the inner city could only dream about. Money unfortunately is linked to academic achievement, which gives an upper hand to the rich. They are able to provide their children with tutors, educational computer games, traveling and many other things that will give them an edge academically. This is especially true for college preparation.

I was fortunate enough to have tutors that helped me prepare for the SATs. I benefitted greatly from the months of tutoring I received before taking the test but it put a dent in my parents’ bank account. In Westchester tutors can range from $75 an hour to $200 an hour and many students have one tutor for math and one tutor for English. The SATs are weighted heavily when applying to college and when you don’t have the money to spend for tutors or even a prep class the student is at a lose.

The article that we read that discussed how the admissions process has changed was extremely interesting. The steps that were taken to keep people out of Harvard are now things that help more people get into college. However, many of the activities that students fill their applications with are not available to every student. For example it has become extremely popular to send your child to a developing country for a vacation or summer to do volunteer work to they can put it on their college application. These trips come with a price tag starting at $5,000. Even some of the more prestigious clubs at school require students to spend extra money. For example there are two well-known debate clubs at my high school, Model Congress and the Junior States of America (JSA) require members to go on trips that cost money. And most importantly underfunded schools don’t even offer extra curricular activities like this.

Colleges are always looking to see what type of challenging courses you are taking. Even if a student attends a school that offers Advance Placement classes they may not be able to afford the tests at the end. Each test costs $86, which can quickly add up when taking multiple AP classes. In my high school I know if you receive free lunch from the district you pay a reduced price but not every school district offers this. Each school has their own rules but my high school requires you to take the test at the end of the course which may make a student not take the class because they cant afford it therefore not expressing their academic ability to its fullest.

For all these reasons and more that I didn’t mention I think SES should be taken into consideration during the admissions process. Affirmative action was established because minorities were not put at the same starting line as whites. I feel this is true for comparing the poor and the rich. I don’t think that race should not be a factor at all I just don’t think it should be the only factor. If a student shows promise and illustrates that they have use every opportunity that they have been offered they should be given the chance to show their full potential at the university level.

Multiracialism

Throughout history, there have always been controversies over the color of a person’s skin. Someone else’s race always makes a difference even if huge corporations say it has no effect on getting a job. However, race does matter. At the same time, race has been changing ever since the first European settlers came to America. Social order used to be based on wealth, especially transformative assets, so African Americans had a disadvantage from the start. Nowadays the United States is moving toward equality and the idea of a multiracial community has come to form socially and culturally.

Ever since foreigners have come to America they have been subjugated to prejudice people and discrimination. It is because this that interracial marriage is looked at as taboo. It is not so much about two different marriages; it is how America reacts toward them. But in my opinion, multiracialism is the only method to reach racial equality and get rid of a division. When it gets to the point that no one really knows what race they are, then people cannot suppress other people because of race. When it gets down to it, people just focus on the skin color of a person and not at what is important. I know from a real life experience. I am a Mexican American, but I do not look prototypical Mexican. I have white skin and whenever I tell someone that I am, they are instantly dumbfounded. That is not the reaction I should receive, but its what I get just for the fact that I am Mexican. Hopefully, people can stop caring about someone’s skin color and there will be no more conflict between different races.

According to the course book, South Africa endorses apartheid, which is a state-sanctioned and legally enforced policy of racial segregation. In my opinion, this law would regress multiracial politics and hinder the country’s development. At first, the thought of multiracial was stigmatized and limped into a response to social and cultural pressures. Now, times have changed and more and more people are willing to go find someone who they truly love as opposed to endogamy. By definition, endogamy is the custom of marrying only with one’s racial, ethnic, or social group. I am not trying to state that endogamy is a bad thing, but if marrying outside of one’s race changes peoples perceptions about other races, then so be it. People do not need to live in a society where they are intimidated to have relations with people outside their race. As time has gone on, there have been more marriages between races and not as much of a stigma. Today, people hear about the “multiracial community” everyday, whether it is in the popular press, academic literature, marketplace, and the creation of multiple multiracial organizations.

The way it looks, it seems that history is repeating itself. Americans first went after Blacks and Indians, next they discriminated against Asians and Mexicans, and finally Americans are going after the multiracial community. So according to history, multiracialism should soon be on its way to equality. All in all, I believe multiracialism is a great thing and might be the only way to ever solve racial equality.

After talking about interracial marriages in lecture the other day, the idea of this remained very prevalent on my mind. My family is Jewish, and throughout each generation, it has been apparent that every family mine marries into, is Jewish as well. It has always been a family "tradition" almost of mine to marry within the Jewish community, raise your children to be Jewish and then have them continue the cycle by marrying another Jew. Ever since I was younger, I can vividly remember my grandma reminding me on countless occasions to marry a "nice Jewish boy". She explains how there are enough problems within a marriage, religion does not have to be one of them.

This past summer, my cousin Matt married his wife Vicki. Vicki's family is Cuban and follows in strict Catholic practices. The first time I walked into her house, I was amazed with the amount of decorative crosses I saw placed throughout the house, as well as other decorative pieces that reflected her culture. I think what amazed me more however, was the long and viscous talk almost every member of my family gave to my cousin Matt after meeting her, about making sure this was the right decision for him. Looking back, it also amazes me the amount to which I agreed with the rest of my family, in that this interracial marriage would end up being a catastrophe.

I think what this experience taught me, is that people do in fact believe there are inherent differences across cultures. Why should a different religion amount to an unhappy marriage?

Some arguments my family gave my cousin was the question of how they will raise their children. Will their son have a bris? A christening? Differences in traditions brought upon anger, when they could have been a time to celebrate and appreciate the differences in both of their cultures. Interracial marriage remains a topic that is very much on the individual level and I think other bystanders should learn to appreciate the decisions people make at an individual level instead of making them a societal issue.

At my cousins wedding, the ceremony incorporated traditions of both a Jewish and Catholic wedding, that in fact made the ceremony extremely special and unique. Differences regarding the way in which they will bring up their children, my cousin claims they will "cross that bridge when they get to it", but do intend to be able to incorporate both cultures and traditions. Each individual issue remains to be exactly that, an individual issue. So what makes one couple happy may be different from the next, but does not make them the wrong or bad choice. Of course it is also hard for people, like my grandma, to throw away ideals that have been instilled in them throughout their life time, but I think once people begin to have acceptance and appreciation of peoples individuals decisions, it will extend to acceptance at a societal level as well.