The ongoing debate relating to the African American fixation on sport has long since brought many scientists, sports commentators and social historians to heated and conflicting resolutions. John Hoberman, a professor and author of Darwin’s Athletes (1996), believes himself to be quite capable of commenting on the considerably taboo topic. Darwin’s Athletes is controversial and provocative, undermining the ability of African Americans, athletes, or intellectuals (Haine, 1999). According to Kenneth Shropshire and Earl Smith (1998), Hoberman displays African American athletes as intellectually incapable, “groveling sub humans” lusting for only sport glory, and harsh supporters of capital punishment. Additionally, Hoberman maintains that “sport …show more content…
Shropshire (1998) inputs it is an attack on the African Americans—a race so diverse with different intelligent and athletic capabilities that one simply cannot compartmentalize. Apparently, athletes have committed fatal mistakes and are then “duped” by the “smarter” people, the intelligentsia, as Shropshire’s (1998) interpretation on the chapter relays. The common misconception known to all that blacks as a race are genetically more adapted for sport than any other race, particularly Whites is displayed in the third section (Haine, 1999). There is no solid evidence stating Africans have more advanced genetic capabilities than everyone else, but Hoberman chooses to ignore that fact and state a one dimensional, accusatory argument, while only perceiving the negative dimensions (Sammons, 1997). As any other ground-breaking novel, many questions are left unanswered and many ideas are just ‘thrown about’ on how sport stabilizes white racism and domination without any major explanation (Haine, 1999). However, Haine (1999) feels that Hoberman has done extensive research on this topic from different resources and subjects—a stark contrast to how Sammons and Shropshire