Why Are All Running Backs Black? by Larry Meeks on Creators.com

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Why Are All Running Backs Black?

Dear Larry: I have a question that I have asked many people and never can seem to get a satisfactory answer. Maybe you can help me. Why are all the running backs in professional football black?

I have been told blacks dominate the running back positions because they have better speed, athleticism and agility than any other race. I do not necessarily believe this. I think it has something to do with genetics and selective breeding during the time of slavery.

Larry, do you know of any definitive answers to this question? — Mark

Dear Mark: I am sorry to say I do not have a definitive answer. However, I have heard many opinions. Some seem plausible and others unbelievable, but none of them is based upon any scientific research I am aware of.

Some people have suggested blacks came from superior stock because only the very best/strongest were able to survive the rigors of crossing the Atlantic on slave ships.

Along that same line of thinking is what you suggested. Blacks endured hundreds of years of slavery and selective breeding. Thus, only the very best were able to achieve adulthood and pass on their genes to the next generation.

A more modern way of thinking suggests blacks naturally gravitate to the sport, and a higher percentage of them compete, much like the case with basketball. Some sports, such as hockey, are not popular sports in the black community and therefore have low representations of African-Americans in the professional ranks.

Another thought is football requires not only athletic ability but also a certain size.

One's genetic code determines height and weight, and blacks coincide with the sport's requirements. To bolster this position, people state that this is why not many Asians or Hispanics are in football. They are genetically small compared with whites and blacks.

It is my belief that blacks excel in this sport/position because they are blessed with the right size and strength, plus they are willing to focus the necessary energy for excellence.

Dear Larry: I have read that a man named Toby Gerhart is being considered for running back in the National Football League but is being given a hard time because he happens to be white. The media have stated that his ability is impressive but that his race is being taken into consideration.

Larry, it is hard for me to believe that during this age, people are still color-conscious, especially in football. If ever there were a place where a person is selected based solely upon ability, it should be sports.

If this story is true and Toby Gerhart is being stereotyped because of his color, I am through with football. — An Ex-Fan

Dear A.E.F.: All races are guilty of stereotyping and discrimination. If you adjust your life based upon the behavior of a few, you will live a very unsettled life. Do not give up enjoying the game.

I encourage you to speak out against wrong, but know how to appreciate life even when society has not reached perfection.

To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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The "modern" way of thinking that blacks naturally gravitate to the sport makes lots of sense. Anything to do with running. Man (as are animals) were created to fit into their environment. Africa is desert and bush. Man had to rely on walking/running a lot for simple sustenance - water, a scarce commodity. Often several miles to carry back a bucket on their heads. Rivers are not in abundance, ergo no canoes/boats for locomotion. That is also the reason that black people in great numbers cannot float - they were not meant in their native environment to swim, considering the wild creatures in the big streams that there were/are. So their skeletal structure is different especially in the hips, where the most action for running comes from. They are narrower built than the white people. And to this day still have that certain gait that identifies them.
And running was necessary because of the distances they had to cover also to hunt for food. Even today in many parts young people living in typical African communes and tribes do much running.
So when they came into the white communities they were excellent on those sports that require running, basketball, football, soccer, and running. And they are definitely superior and natural to those sports.

Comment: #1
Posted by: Renate Dahlin
Thu May 6, 2010 8:22 PM

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One could ask a similar question about why there are so few blacks in competitive swimming. The research on this that I have seen suggests it's a combination of factors that have little to do with genetics or ability. In the case of swimming, a person generally only becomes good at swimming if one has the opportunity to swim. If there are no public pools in your community and/or you can't afford to join a club with a pool, you're not likely to become a great swimmer, and the socio-economic theory, then, is that blacks have less access to pools and therefore you don't see a lot of black swimmers (they exist, of course, just not a lot of them). The other factor is that most people get interested in activities where they see people like themselves excelling -- so the lack of black role models in swimming makes it less likely that a lot of blacks will get into swimming. On top of that, with a few rare exceptions, you just don't see a lot of people making a lot of money out of being a great swimmer. Yes, there's Michael Phelps, but can you name 10 other people who are making that kind of money off of swimming? Good luck. But I'll bet you could easily name 10 football stars who are making that kind of money off of football. If you come from a poor family and are looking for a way out of poverty, are you going to choose football or swimming? And by the way, that last one applies to ALL races, not just blacks.

Comment: #2
Posted by: Lisa
Fri May 14, 2010 11:25 AM

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Why Are All Running Backs Black?

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