Race is a term used to differentiate one population of humans from another on the basis of natural biology. Racial categories are usually based on visible traits such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture. Ethnicity is a social identity used to categorize a group of people and is based on a shared cultural, historical, or religious background.
An ethnic group is a human population whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common ancestry. Ethnic groups can also be united through common cultural, behavioral, linguistic, or religious practices. An ethnic group can be seen as a cultural community.
A minority group is usually a non-dominant, smaller sized group of a larger population. These groups possess ethnic, religious, or linguistic characteristics that distinguish them from the rest of the population. Minorities are a self-conscious group with a strong sense of unity. They are usually born into a minority group and seemingly have various disadvantages at the hand of another group.
People have always been categorized based on physical appearance and cultural background. Recently, the idea of distinct races has been created. It started with the Europeans in the 17th century and used the term “race” to refer to religion, language, ethnicity, historical background, national origin, and social status. The term race has evolved to define a population that is different from another based on naturally biologic characteristics.
Racial ideology is a group of beliefs and ideas that are attached to describe particular physical traits such as skin color. This ideology also defines people and how they are grouped into different races. The first race classification standards were created in 17th century Europe and were modeled on the physical traits and behaviors of white Europeans. Any differentiation from the white European model was considered not normal and immoral. “Whiteness became the standard in which the appearance and actions of others were measured and evaluated” (Coakley, 284).
Racial ideology in the United States began during the pro slavery colony area, which justified slavery of the Africans. This led to the ideology that Africans were “socially, intellectually, and immorally inferior to white skinned Europeans” (Coakley, 284). This ideology became accepted because it justified US expansion towards the west and the killing of innocent Native Americans that it involved. This ideology also justified the multitude of new laws that supported racial segregation and limited freedom of blacks. Lastly, this ideology led to the publishing of printed material that suggested the superiority of whites over blacks.
Race and racial ideology is an important and significant factor in sports, especially in the United States. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, the perception of blacks was that they had a higher pain threshold than whites, which allowed them to do amazing physical acts and receive more physical punishment. Blacks were also seen as having an animalistic drive that led to their success in sports.
Although racist names are not as unashamedly used as back then, there still exist, some of the traditional ideology of race in sports. Looking into history provides a seeming sense of cultural destiny that is biologically based and can apply to a whole population. For example, many African American males are expected to grow up playing sports, most namely basketball and football. They learn at an early age to take sports seriously and as a potential way of making a future living.
The “Jumping Genes” article explains the possibility of blacks having genes specific to the ability of jumping. This theory also hypothesizes that certain races or ethnic groups are better than others due to genealogy. There is currently research being done on this subject and confirmation of this theory would be groundbreaking news.
Throughout history many names, logos, and mascots of American sports teams have used Native American names. The Blackhawks, Chiefs, Indians, and Redskins are all names of professional sports teams that use “Indians” for their nicknames, logos and mascots. Many high school and college teams also use similar nicknames. There are many people who feel the use of such logos or mascots is insensitive at best or racist at worst. There are others who feel that these logos and mascots honor Native Americans and are a valued tradition to the teams involved.