Professional Sports Experiences as Contested Racial Terrain

Abstract

African-American athletes have been widely represented in the sporting world throughout the twenty-first century. Sport participation has been positive for the group and for American society as a whole by both aiding integration and providing opportunities, such as college scholarships, social mobility, etc. that may not have been available in other avenues. Comprising 78 % of the National Basketball Association and 67 % of the National Football League, African-Americans males' overrepresentation as professional athletes seems to illustrate opportunities for the group unfettered by any major barriers (Lapchick 2011 ). However, contemporary scholars have debated whether or not sports are actually a way out of less than desirable economic and social situations for African-American males. Although most Americans, and athletes themselves, think of professional sports in terms of the fame and fortune experienced by the most successful athletes, this article examines the experiences that is perhaps most common among professional athletes through the lens of contested racial terrain.