The study cited below looks at the correlation between the
participation of African Americans in sports to their presence on Sports Illustrated covers over the
course of time between 1990 through 1999.
Lumpkin sought to prove the existence of a connection between the levels of participation of African Americans in different sports to the number of
cover appearances. The results reveal
that African American men were pictured on the cover more often for sports like
basketball, boxing, and track, than their Caucasian counterparts. These sports were also the ones with the
highest African American participation at the time. The study shows how higher participation
rates in sports increases the visibility and opportunity of African American
athletes. Unfortunately this is also a
reason that they have a harder time being recognized for their accomplishments within
sports that are dominated by other groups.
Being able to get more endorsements in certain sports, discourages
participation in others from increasing.
Lumpkin, A. (2007). A descriptive Analysis of Race/Ethnicity
and Sex of Individuals Appearing on the covers of Sports Illustrated in the
1990s. Physical Educator, 64(1).
29-37.
I assume that in this time period, there were no women of color on the SP cover?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that if these athletes and their communities were introduced to these other sports at a young age there would be more of a success rate. This relates to the post about new horizons for minorities in tennis because there is a point made about introducing tennis to minorities and their communities would produce a larger and more diverse talent pool. Maybe if the African American communities during the 1990s or prior were introduced to these other sports there would be more of a representation on the cover. Although these athletes are role models and influence younger athletes for their participation in a similar sport. These young athletes will aim to emulate their heroes.
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