Race in Sports

Erin Goldberg, Post 16

So I know we've talked about this as a class before, but as I was watching the Sabres game I was struck with a thought. I read somewhere earlier this year that in the NHL there are only 20 African American players (Mike Grier from the Buffalo Sabres being one of them). Along with this, hockey has gotten a reputation for being a primarily "white sport." That's not to say that only white people can play it or that only white people are good at it, but that only white people seem to be drawn towards this particular sport. On the flip side of this, the NBA has more African American players than white, Hispanic, or Asian. And I'd say that the NFL seems to be split down the middle in terms of racial diversity, with an equal amount of most races being present. So I guess my questions are 1) Are certain racial groups more drawn to certain sports (whether it is because of interest or their opportunity to participate) and 2) Is this why certain stereotypes develop (i.e. white guys can't be professional running backs, black guys can't play hockey, ect.)?