Debunking the “White Men Can’t Jump” Theory

Let’s say we are out on the basketball courts playing a quick game, would you rather go one on one against a white guy or a black guy? When it comes to basketball, white guys can shoot, but everyone knows they can’t jump…right?

 
In the latest installment of the AOL series ‘That’s Racist’, Mike Epps dives into the stereotype of white athletes and why people assume men or women of color are better at sports. Let’s start off with a little history lesson and venture way back when to the early days of the NBA. Those athletes were all white.

It wasn’t until the 1940’s when an Asian man by the name of Wataru Misaka joined the NBA as the first man of color. After that it wasn’t until the 1950’s until African Americans began joining the NBA. When the African American players began joining teams, they brought with them a new style of the game that was unfamiliar to the other players.

The white players tended to be more strategic and focused while the black players brought with them a new level of charisma that the NBA had never seen before. Even better, audiences responded with tremendous approval to the new style – so that is when NBA teams really started recruiting African Americans.

 
Flashforward back to today and 79% of all players in the NBA are black. But does that mean that the white guys on the team are less talented?

Try telling that to Larry Bird or Dirk Nowitzki. Me personally as a white male, my athleticism usually comes out when I’m dancing in a club – but there are many great athletes of all different races and backgrounds. We should stop focusing so much on their color and more on their amazing ability to play the game.