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Lecture Notes

Notions of race and ideologies of racism have a long history. According to Giulianotti, there are several precursors to the myth that black are better athletes including the inverted relationship between "physique and intelligence" (63). Whites were fit to rule, Anglo-Saxons argued, because they were more intelligent, even if they were less physically advanced. Blacks were fit to serve because they were less intelligent and had more robust physiques. According to this logic, the black athlete is a brute, capable of physical feats, but unable to lead a team or make intelligent decisions. This leaves leadership roles, such as coaches and quarterbacks open to whites. This logic is all ideologically driven; it is not based on fact. Other myths include the Middle Passage Myth: that "slavery enhanced black physicality" (63) and the myths you see on this slide. I have listed the major assumption and in parentheses a sense of the arguments that dispute these myths.