Looking into the history of basketball, one may observe that some of the biggest NBA stars happen to be African American. However, the best African-American players in the NBA serve as much more than basketball icons. They serve as a building block for a stereotype to be placed against all black people who step foot on a basketball court. African Americans on the court are expected to meet the standard for being a “black athlete.” The assumption that all blacks can play ball is based on professional African-American athletes and how they seem to dominate in the league.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Michael Jordan are a few of the best players in the game of basketball. I can remember as a child looking up to some of these stars, believing that this was what I was supposed to be doing in the future. A group of friends and I would often gather for basketball. While playing a quick game, we would shoot while simultaneously yelling out the last name of our favorite basketball player.
These iconic basketball stars serve as inspiration to younger African Americans, which is why there seem to be more African Americans dominating the game in the NBA than any other race. I know the power of the assumptions and stereotypes resulting from these stars. I often go to the gym during the course of a week and I’m rarely among the few left to get picked by a team for a game of five versus five. I feel as though I step onto the court and the opposing team often sends the double team to my side, assuming that I’m a good basketball player. When I get on the court, I am often expected to meet the stereotype to be seen as “a black basketball player,” but I don’t complain, because I can serve as a distraction, especially on days when I am not particularly doing well. When I’m hot on the court, one may feel like I’m only doing exactly what is projected by these black NBA stars and meeting the expectations of others, therefore feeding their pregame stereotypical assumptions that I was going to be one of the better athletes.
The real trouble is that these images of iconic African-American athletes and the resulting stereotypes create an unrealistic perception of other African Americans and, as a result, African-American children are vulnerable to being generalized and categorized. They grow up viewing their favorite basketball player as their role model and, later in life, feel as if they need a jump shot to be successful. If you ask an African-American teen what he wants to be when he grows up, you can bet he says something along the lines of sports.
This pressure on African Americans to enter sports rather than other fields is further encouraged by comments such as those highlighted by William Raspberry in his article “The Handicap of Definition,” wherein he mentions common stereotypical beliefs such as “speaking correct English is ‘white’ or that ‘hard study and hard work’ are ‘white.’” These comments can hinder an African American’s potential growth in areas besides basketball.
“Black people are the best basketball players” and “white men can’t jump” are some stereotypical statements that could affect other groups as well. These comments may cause internal conflicts, creating a boost or a decrease in confidence on the basketball court. These comments favor black players and speak toward their game tactics, allowing room to grow, but other races’ potential growth is limited. As a novice player, if you were told you can be the best while also seeing your ethnic group doing well in the sport and serving as icons, you might be turned on to that particular sport. However, if you grew up as a white boy hearing “white men can’t jump” and really not seeing your ethnic group dominate in the sport, you may be turned off from pursuing the sport and have lowered confidence when playing.
It’s important to be aware that iconic African-American athletes create a false generalization that black people are the better basketball athletes. Once we realize how these false generalizations can limit potential growth, we can attempt to stop making these generalizations and give individuals room to grow. We can put an end to these stereotypes by eliminating the generalizations and giving individuals from any group equal opportunities.
