Positional Segregation In Sports

781 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about racism in sports

Positional Segregation Kahn (1991) stated that blacks were not put into positions that involved leadership and critical thinking. In the 1980s they were not pitchers, catchers, and infielders in baseball, or quarterbacks, linebackers, and kickers in football in the 1960s and 1970s, or guards in basketball in the 1980s. Many whites refused to take orders from the black players. Another reason for positional segregation was the discrimination in training opportunities. In the transition from college to pro, many black players went from central positions to non-central positions as described by Madison and Landers (Kahn, 1991). Positional segregation also occurred in hockey with the French-Canadians at defense in the 1970s and 1980s (Kahn, 1991). …show more content…

In research found by Kahn (1991) revealed Jones and Walsh’s reasoning for stating, that French-Canadians had a salary gap as soon as they played for someone outside of Quebec. Many French-Canadians at the time didn’t have many fans to boost sales. In the NFL whites received a 4% greater salary than those of blacks (Kern, 2000, pg. 124-125). The sport that saw the most salary discrimination was basketball during the 1980s and 1990s (Kern, 2000, pg. 122-123). As Kahn (1991) states, “in a survey of the literature, found that the wage gap in basketball is between 11% and 25% against black players.” “The NBA...Earning” (1999) explains, “A white player of comparable ability to a black player receives an income in excess of the black income by an amount equal to the effect that their race has on the attendance decisions of fans.” Blacks were paid between $13,000-$16,000 less than those of whites (Kern, 2000, pg.121-125). At the end of a black player's career they will earn $329,000 less than those of white basketball players (“The NBA...Earning”, 1999). Over the years baseball and football haven’t seen much salary discrimination (Kahn, 1991; Kern, 2000, pg. 122). In basketball Hamilton; Bodvarsson and Brastow, have seen salary discrimination decreasing significantly (Price 2010). As of recent years blacks are the highest-paid athletes in the U.S. (Kahn, 1991, pg.395).

Show More
Related

  • A Persuasive Essay On The Lack Of Diversity In Sports

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Therefore, it is very difficult to get a job coaching a team. It is even more difficult to be awarded a sports administration position, such as an athletic director when you are African American. Over the years, the percentage of black coaches has slowly risen. That being said, black coaches are seen more in sports such as men’s and women’s basketball and track and field, baseball, and football. There are few to none black coaches in sports like men’s and women’s lacrosse and field and ice hockey. The biggest growth for black coaches over time is seen in women’s basketball. When it comes down to it, there are more assistant coaches than there are head coaches. Many ask, why is this so? How is this fair? Through research it was found, that “In 1996 African Americans were 7.5 percent of all athletic directors. A decade later in 2006 this increased to only 7.9 percent”(Snail-like 41). There are very few African American collegiate athletic directors and there is not much growth in diversity with those

    Read More

  • Discuss the argument that the current pre-dominance of black athletes

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dramatically different percentages of blacks and whites engaged in various sports are not random events. It appears that blacks concentrate on sports in which future economic incentives exist, and in which exclusive training facilities, equipment, and personalized coaching is not necessary during the developmental years. On the other hand, whites tend to gravitate toward individual sports in which developmental expenses are relatively high; they tend to engage in team sports in which future employment as professionals is minimal.

    Read More

  • Black Athletes in Society

    2265 Words  | 5 Pages

    This article proposes the idea of what would happen if Black people really embraced the sports world and made that their priority instead of education, “He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males,”. Dr. Robinson brings up the sta…..

    Read More

  • The Historiography of Race and Discrimination in Baseball and Sports

    3242 Words  | 7 Pages

    Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...

    Read More

  • Should Student-Athletes Be Paid?

    1960 Words  | 4 Pages

    Woods, Al. “College Athletes Should Be Paid.” Sports and Athletes: An Anthology. Ed. Christine Watkins. Greenhaven Press, 2009. 87-94. Print.

    Read More

  • We Should Pay College Athletes

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    6) Clark, Liz. “Athletes Say They Deserve to Be Paid.” Charlotte Observer. (Charlotte, N.C.). April 3, 1994: pg. 4G. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 4. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1994. Art. 65.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Paying College Athletes

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    Until just recently according to an article in the Harvard Journal, “in the past twelve years, the amount of money generated by [football and basketball] has increased nearly 300%, such that they now fund almost all other sports programs” (Meshefejian). This points out that if student athletes were given a salary, the only athletes that would receive it are those in basketball and football. The less popular sports athletes would either switch to these two sports, or continue playing the sport they love while their colleagues thrive in the sport they love while getting an

    Read More

  • Analysis Of College Athletes Be Paid

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people can easily picture this scene in their minds: the roaring crowds, the smell of easy- to-eat foods, and the thousands of people all dressed in the same colors. That’s a description of game day at a major college. College sports bring in a lot of money, yet their players don’t receive any money. Many people view this as something that needs to be changed while others believe that only professionals should be compensated. In the essays “Let Stars Get Paid” and “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid”, both authors give their opinions on whether or not college athletes should be paid. College athletes should not be paid because they already receive many benefits from being athletes.

    Read More

  • Class Differences And Inequalities In Sport

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Differences and inequalities in relation to sport can be based on several elements such as race, gender, class, or disability. We will explain how different sort of evidences from DD102 support the claim made by Kath Woodward that 'Sport reflects and creates differences and inequalities' (Woodward, 2014, p. 73). This essay will look at how the Oscar Pistorius example demonstrates how rules are created in sport. The evidence will highlight differences between disable and body-able. Following that, we will consider barriers that prevent some social groups from participating in sport, namely people with disability and women. Then we will explore number based evidences supporting the claim that sport reflects and creates class differences and inequalities

    Read More

  • Race Relations In Sports

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sports have served as a platform on which the subject of race has been highlighted. Sports have unfailingly been considered the microcosm of society. This is because the playing fields have revealed the dominant culture’s attitudes and beliefs that people held about race relations throughout history in the United States. Many racial barriers were broken in the world of sports long before they were crossed in the realm of mainstream society as a whole. From Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball during the year of 1947 to Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists clad in black gloves during the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, sports have started conversations about race in the United States that have undeniably changed the course of race relations in the United States.

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination In Sport

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gender discrimination is prominent in every industry, but it is as though the sport industry is one of the worst. Women in the work force currently receive only 80 cents to every man’s dollar (Holmes, 2016). However, female athletes both in America and internationally receive a far lesser compensation for their attributes. The only difference of the sports being played is who plays them. There should be no reason why a male athlete receives better pay simply because he had a 50% chance of being born a man. At birth, no one controls the gender, but as they grow and mature, they control their personality and development. Payment should be on personal skills and not gender. As a female STHM student focusing on sport management and a former athlete,

    Read More

  • Gender Pay Gap for Women Athletes

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    Traditionally men have dominated the world of sports however in recent year’s women’s sports have become popular and with their new found popularity, women’s sports have evolved into marketable leagues of their own. Although women’s sports took a huge leap forward, women players still don’t receive the same financial compensation for playing the same sports in the same arenas as their male counterparts. In Purse Snatching by Donna Lopiano, she points out sexism may have a huge effect on this financial discrepancy between women and men athletes. Analyzing sports economics may point to a different reason why women are receiving such a compensation disparity.

    Read More

  • Gender Equality In Sports

    329 Words  | 1 Pages

    Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.

    Read More

  • Are Professional Athletes Overpaid?

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    The controversy of athletes being overpaid dates back to 1922, when well-known baseball player George “Babe” Ruth received $50,000 within the first year of his career. Ruth’s extensive wealth was bolstered by dozens of endorsements (Saperecom). As it is shown in figure 1, in the Fortunate 50 Tiger Woods takes the number one spot for highest paid athlete. Tiger’s salary for 2011 is $2,294,116 and like Babe Ruth, his endorsements exceed his salary earning $60,000,000 making his total $62,294,116 (Freedman). It’s crazy to think that 89 years ago professional athletes scarcely made more than the average person today. This is of course not counting the inflation that has occurred since the years which Babe Ruth played baseball.

    Read More

  • What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated?

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Recently I was driving and happened to catch a radio discussion concerning education and it’s impact on success. The host of the show brings up the topic of athletes and their large pay scale. The host fel...

    Read More

More about Positional Segregation In Sports

Open Document