Racial Stereotypes in Basketball

On the day of the NBA All-Star Game, I am interested in racial stereotypes in basketball and the fading identity of the white American NBA player. In today’s game, there are 24 players that make up the rosters. Of those 24 players, just four are white (not including Blake Griffin who’s half white), and only one was born in America. 19 of the 24 players are black.

Is the All-Star Game roster representative of the entire league? Since the players selected to the game are regarded as the best players in the league, it does pretty accurately represent the most talented players.

Is it a coincidence that year after year, African American players outnumber whites on the All-Star roster? Studies have been done on the different styles of play between black and white players. Some argue that there is truth to the racial stereotypes prevalent in basketball for a variety of different reasons.

One argument that interests me is that differences in the average upbringing of whites and blacks are the cause of the trends. This is because of the basketball programs that are available in inner city areas vs. suburban areas.

In inner city areas where only a few basketball courts are readily available, playing time is competitive. The hold the court mentality promotes more one on one skills rather than team skills.

Suburban areas on the other hand present more team coached leagues and more expensive facilities, causing more white players to play a different style of basketball. Unfortunately for white basketball players, if this is the case, NBA success would be harder to come by as it is widely believed that one on one skills are most important at the NBA level.

Other theories, like this article, go into more depth and describe a decline in white American NBA players. While trends sometime seem apparent, I still believe that race has little to do with professional basketball success. In the end, unless you work hard, your race doesn’t.