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| It's that swimming part that dissuades Black people from Triathlons |
Intrigued by this, I decided to look up the statistics of those who compete in triathlons (a similar activity to the Warrior Dash) and found this demographic breakdown:
Race and EthnicityOne can only postulate that Black people are excited about participating in this type of activity, but that swimming part must be the deal breaker. Remember that any event, activity, movement, vocation, movie, television show, etc., that lacks Black participation is inherently discriminatory, racist and in dire need of a Black face to bring integration (an legitimacy) immediately.
88.2% are Caucasian/White
3.2% are Hispanic
2.1% are Asian
1.5% are Multi-racial
0.5% are African-American
1.1% are other
A Black presence at any event can quickly quiet an accusation of racism and triathlons are not immune from the negativity that always follows any activity that lacks Black people:
That's a question that Brian Shields can answer. Last year Brian and his friends Gershon Blyden and Steven Raymond completed the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in Miami, Fla.
All three friends are triathletes, and all three friends are African Americans. Next month they have new documentary coming out that chronicles their experience in the Floridian half Ironman race.
"I was amazed how few African Americans were in the sport, and I knew this was a great opportunity to take control of our health,” Gershon Blyden said.
The stats are pretty interesting. According to USA Triathlon African Americans comprised of only 0.5 percent of the triathlon community. You have to admit that's a pretty tiny percentage.
Brian recently sent us an email in which he wrote, "12 months ago, I and two other young black professionals decided to complete the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in Miami. We found the triathlon to be incredibly rewarding, as it has created lasting memories, experiences and life-lessons that truly transcend the sport itself.
My friends and I took on this challenge after learning a disturbing fact. Although the triathlon is the fastest growing sport in the world, African Americans comprised of only 0.5 percent of the triathlon community. Motivated to address this disparity we challenged ourselves and others to complete an Ironman event."
You can watch the trailer to their documentary entitled From Ordinary to Extraordinary below.
After watching the trailer we couldn't help but wonder why there were so few African Americans in the sport of triathlon so we asked Brian.
According to Brian, "Honestly, I think its 3 main reasons:
1) Expense. As you know, tris are incredibly cost prohibitive, and not everyone has access to a mentor that can explain to them how to back their way into a tri through rentals, etc.
2) The Swim. As a stereotype, African Americans don't do well with swimming, and part of that is because a lot of us just didn't get exposed to it growing up. A lot of inner city/urban home environments, poor facilities in neighborhoods, etc. contribute to that
3) Advocacy. In my opinion, there hasn't really been a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods figure to catalyze attention and really drive interest in the sport. I mean there are African Americans all over cycle sports and running, but there haven't been those guys that just make you want to do them all at once. No Julie Moss for AA's, per se.
It's unfortunate, but since the event we have individually signed up 3 or more people to race in endurance sports (running, tris, etc.), and we are just trying to make a dent in the fitness culture of African Americans."
Running, lifting weights, swimming, watching ones caloric intake, exercising and any physical activity requires dedication, determination, a strong will and above all else an attitude that no matter how difficult the day may have been, tomorrow offers another opportunity to get stronger and better.
It is these inner-battles that define who we are and ensure growth as individuals, both physically, mentally and yes, even spiritually. No one forces you to get up and go run at 5: 30 a.m., to throw up another set of 225 on the bench, go parallel on heavy squat day or put down that extra slice of pizza but you.
That Black people decide not to participate in triathlons is a decision on their part. Training for one requires an intestinal fortitude that apparently only a minority of Black people possess. I'll never forget reading in the book on Pat Tillman how he was one of the only NFL players (or professional athletes for that matter) to participate in a triathlon.
He did it for the hell of it; just to push himself.
Work, hard work is the hallmark of greatness. Nothing in life worth achieving comes easy or free and looking at that brochure of white people struggling to get through mud pits, rope courses and hurdling over fire, I realized that it is the rare Black individual who will participate in such an activity as a Warrior Dash or a triathlon (or for that matter, extreme sports).
So the answer to the question posed above is yes, Black people do compete in triathlons. But like that Black person who excels in academia by studying hard, those who train for triathlons are acting white.
51 comments:
People who are East African or of East African descent would do very well in Triathlons. People of West African descent who are more built for speed and power over a short distance wouldnt. Whites are the goldilocks position between the two.
Also those types of races plus adventure racing, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, orienteering, skiing are all quite aspirational and middle class sports.
You would also need access to the wilderness, as Blacks live in urban areas you are going to see them participate in sports that can be played in the inner cities.
Maybe triathlons are growing so fast in popularity because there are so few Africans involved. The events are reprieves from blackness.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate. I think that one of the reasons that triathlons are gaining in popularity is the low number of blacks that participate.
It might not be an overt,or even conscious reason for selecting a leisure activity,but I'd bet serious money that if blacks started to show up at triathlons in large numbers as participants (or even spectators),within a couple of years at the most,white folk would abandon the sport for other pursuits.
And this hypothetical abandonment would doubtless be met with a bunch of articles and interviews about how whites "just can't compete" and "aren't athletic enough to do triathlons" when the real reason would be far more simple.
We're there to relax,and enjoy ourselves. Which is something that can not be done if blacks are present in any significant quantity.
Fortunately,I think triathlons are safe-at least for the time being.
Ex Gladio Libertas
I would be afraid to swim in the same water as blacks because of all the disease they spread and all that nasty grease they put in their 'hair'.
all that nasty grease they put in their 'hair'.
Well, that's enlightened (not). Here's a black hair lesson for you: the only blacks who put grease in their hair are little kids, and I doubt there would be little kids at these events. Black men's hair is cut short, meaning no 'grease'. If hair is kept natural for black women, I'm pretty sure coconut and avocado oils are harmless to you. If hair is permed or weaved, you won't have to worry about a thing; yes, they won't be near any water...
It may not be the same thing but my (black) aunt ran a marathon before and she said that all of her toenails came off. I have also heard that if you don't wear the right underclothes you'll get one hell of a bloody nipple chafe!
I have also heard that these things are very, very addictive, which would be my downfall, as every hobby turns into a crack addiction.
I'd like to do this one day.
PS. I'm black. And I can swim, and I like to swim.
"People who are East African or of East African descent would do very well in Triathlons"
Right. Because East Africans are known for being such great swimmers.
So Mr. Shields' primary motive for entering the triathlon wasn't in fact for the health benefits and camaraderie, etc. but in order to "address this disparity" of few blacks who participate. Seems like the "racial holy war" has lapped Mr. Shields and co. and caught back up. He seems to actually buy into his "battle against the evil white man" in regard to any perceived "disparity". So what's next to battle the evil white mans hateful exclusiveness in events? Maybe he could try to hang with the "Polar Bear" club. Not a sport, per se, but I believe they're mostly white, and you still get to play in the water, just a tad colder. Keep up these Quixotic quests and people may accuse him of being a brown spray-painted DWL.
"Blacks live in urban areas you are going to see them participate in sports that can be played in the inner cities."
Tennis can be played in inner cities, yet black participation is minimal.
"Also those types of races plus adventure racing, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, orienteering, skiing are all quite aspirational and middle class sports."
http://www.blackskiclubs.com/black-ski-summit/
For one thing, it is an INDIVIDUAL sport. Blacks, as a general rule, go in for "gang" activities, where another "has their back" if you will.
The idea of doing something simply to push yourself to a new PB, as opposed to doing it for the payoff "notice me!!" end zone dance, is not appealing to them. They are forever about the strut, and little more.
Anon above is also spot on. Whites are easily the equal of blacks athletically/competitively speaking. But years of blackening the sports of football and basketball, have made said sports less appealing to whites. You play football? Better be prepared to "black it up". You know, skip around coming off the field, posture and gesticulate like a self absorbed fool, etc. Whites with any self respect won't do that, and simply walk away. Who wants to spend any more time than necessary with blacks? Not many.
@ Ex Gladio Libertas
Great observation.
SBPDL,
I have a suggestion for a post. I attended undegrad at The Florida State University. Within the same vicinity of FSU, there is a diploma mill HBCU:
FAMU.
Every year FAMU celebrates its homecoming, the white majority student population flee the Tallahassee area, unapologetically - it's no secret, the FSU student newspaper reported on it every year I was there.
That weekend, cops are deployed in droves and strategically placed throughout the city, with the largest concentration of law enforcement protecting Tennessee avenue because most of the clubs and bars located there.
In this one weekend, all manner of hell and debauchery break loose - a literal orgy of crime ensues that creates an abnormal spike in violent crime and arrests. The crime statistics are available from the TPD(Tallahassee Police Department).
I suppose this plight can be found wherever an HBCU is located when homecoming rolls around.
FSU's homecoming is the exact opposite, as anyone would suspect.
If it weren't for FAMU, Tallahassee would be the quintessential Whitopia.
Desiree,
Where do you live that black men have short hair? Most of the ones I see have massive dreadlocks so foul-smelling you that they render large rooms uninhabitable*, or gnarly braids (WTH are these? Dookie braids?) or massive afros--the kind that are so big, they actually invade others' personal space in stadium-seating auditoriums, much like the southern girl church-of-God hairstyle (the bigger the hair, the closer to God). I almost never see a black man whose hair is not fully repulsive. At least, with black women, their weird hair is more interesting and funny than outright repulsive.
http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13706798
And the stench of coconut oil and/or cocoa butter and/or WTH else it is, mixed with that gamey foul African odor, especially when more than one or two Africans are together...actually makes me gag. I've had to get my food boxed to, when this odor emanated from a group 10-15 feet away from me in an otherwise very pleasant restaurant. And if you've never been in a public swimming pool infested with Africans, you don't know the meaning of "pungent stench." OMFG. Can you imagine the stench of a pack of Africans after a triathlon? God help us all.
*(Dreads: I know that lots of white hippies do this too, and it's equally repulsive. One of my college hippie friends actually cried because after she worked and worked to dread her hair, when it was dreaded, she couldn't take the stench and basically had to shave her head and start all over. She was a weird hippie variant--very, very meticulous about her hygiene, so it was kind of shocking that she would undertake something as inherently filthy as dreading her hair in the first place.)
Tennis is too restrained and civilized for black people. They can't beez keepin' it realz wit' duh tennis 'fishuls an' sheeit. Tennis beez all rayciss an' sheeit.
So Mr. Shields' primary motive for entering the triathlon wasn't in fact for the health benefits and camaraderie, etc. but in order to "address this disparity" of few blacks who participate.
-----
There is almost nothing a black won't do, if he knows he can irritate YT. blacks delight in causing pain and anguish--and are not only naturally skilled, they devote most of their energies toward these goals.
"Advocacy. In my opinion, there hasn't really been a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods figure to catalyze attention and really drive interest in the sport."
Black people can't admire white athletes.
THASS RAYCISS!!!!
That warrior dash looks like so much fun! Wherever there is a lack of black people, consider me there!
"Tennis can be played in inner cities, yet black participation is minimal."
True, in my inner city neighborhood, the Arthur Ashe tennis program is full of white kids who have to write an essay about racism and the black struggle. Funny.
"hasn't really been a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods figure to catalyze attention and really drive interest in the sport."
In spite of predictions that Tiger Woods would usher in a wave of black golfers, it hasn't happened.
Blacks have no interest in golf.
Hmmm, I've always wondered if there might be some genetic component about blacks having an inborn fear of the water.
In my senior year in high school I worked as a life gaurd at our local community public pool..Even then (& that was before I "could see") was aware of major behaivioral differences. The blacks ALWAYS stayed in the shallow end of the pool where they could stand up.. The white kids where always diving off the edge/diving boards at the deep end of the pool...Hmmm?!.
It would be interesting to do some official behaivioral study on this?!...I mean stereotypes do exist for a reason!!.
Don,
Only one person has inquired (and they said it was esoteric) but the cover of SBPDL: Year One plays on your theory of water.
When I lived in Germany I used to sometimes fly to Holland to compete in the Nijmegen run. I rarely saw any blacks. I think they tend to excel at sprints and dashes, but the distance events give them fits.
Regarding black hair, when I attended an inner city high-school for a time, the afro was back in vogue (black hair tastes are fairly lambent; one week it's cornrows, the next it's something else). All of the black boys had 'fros so high that they were asked to sit in the back of the class, because the students behind them couldn't see the chalkboard. They then complained that they were getting the Rosa Parks treatment.
Incidentally the black kid with the highest, bushiest afro had the last name of Whitehead. Oh, the irony!
@SBPDL, fasinatic subject here!.
In the 5 months I worked there (Spring/Summer '79) I never once say a black on the diving board or in the deep end of the pool...I jokingly said that to one of our female guards (I had a major crush on her!) & she said that "blacks are afraid of the water"..That was the first time I'd heard about that stereotype!.
Oops, meant to say "I never once SAW a black on the diving board"!..D'aoh!.
I regularly run 5Ks in my area (which is about 20% black). There is always zero black participants. On the other hand, they comprise 100% of the midnight basketball participants.
FWIW, P.Diddy completed the NYC marathon a couple of years ago.
When I was a kid, we used to joke that blacks had an extra bone in their legs that made them a little faster, but also made them sink.
Sounds scientific to me now.
Don corrected 'say' to 'saw' but he failed to correct 'fasinatic' to 'fantastic'.
And 'D'aoh' should be 'D'oh'!
LOL, Don! You've got a great eye! ;-)
It would be interesting to do some official behaivioral study on this?!...I mean stereotypes do exist for a reason!!.
LOL, Don!
Yes, stereotypes do exist for a reason, including that one that white guys hate...
It's pretty funny that you are probably the type that would want to end tax-funded welfare for our impoverished lot yet you'd be willing for the government to spend money on the study of a ridiculous stereotype.
Yes, Don, you are the new class clown.
And it's 'behavioral', not 'behaivioral'. You forgot that one, too, in your comment addendum.
:-}
"Yes, stereotypes do exist for a reason, including that one that white guys hate..."
White guys don't "hate" the "penis size" stereotype. Some deny it, most don't give a shit.
Of course, you're not white, so you're ill-equipped to represent what white guys think.
"you'd be willing for the government to spend money on the study of a ridiculous stereotype."
There was no mention of "government".
Funny that blacks instinctively assume funding comes from the government.
Yesterday somebody posted the following comment about blacks:
"They also find scan for typos and hurl meaningless insults. More examples of the black thinking style."
Perfect.
When I was in high school we used to compete in a cross country meet held at Custer Battlefield in Montana. It was pretty amusing because the indian schools would enter as well. The indian style of long distance running is to run flat out until they get tired and then walk a bit-rinse, repeat. It was funny watching a bunch of indians chasing white kids around the Little Bighorn, let me tell you.
As far as blacks go, despite their athletic prowess they don't seem to compete where it counts: getting away from the law. As a coworker once told me,"You can't outrun the radio."
From: Anon: 5:15 pm."Yes, stereotypes do exist for a reason, including that one that white guys hate...
It's pretty funny that you are probably the type that would want to end tax-funded welfare for our impoverished lot yet you'd be willing for the government to spend money on the study of a ridiculous stereotype."
Ummm. WHERE did I EVER suggest using taxpayer funds to research black fear of the water?!..Hmmm?!!
Yes stereotypes exist for a reason. Blacks destroy everything they touch (that is a FACT!, not a stereotype!). Every black nation, every black city!!...
Oh & I'm not worried one iota about that stereotype that "white guys hate". I've been married to the love of my life for 27 years whom I adore. How many "bruthas" can state that?!!. If "da bruthas" had such "prowess" in the bedroom, how come they can't keep their women?. How come their out of wedlock birthrate is 72%. How come the most recent surveys have found that white women are the LEAST likely of all groups to stray outside of their racial group?? (No, only in YOUR mind are white women chasing you!..My wife thinks of your kind as repulsive!).
You anonymous coward. Your kind destroys EVEYTHING you touch & yet you just can't help but to fall back on that old stereotype about your so called endowments!..Well I guess you would have to brag about that because your kind has so few redeeming qualities!!...Pitiful really!.
My race is a race of explorers & inventors. Artists & craftsmen. Thinkers & doers & creators. We ARE civilisation. You are but usurpers!. We will go to the stars..Your kind will NEVER amount to anything!.
Oh & about my typo's..Who the frak cares?!!..I had my legs propped up & a burrito in my other hand! & I didn't scan my comments..Whoopty-freakin-doo?!!.
"Yes, stereotypes do exist for a reason, including that one that white guys hate..."
Oh great. So I guess you're on board with the stereotype about blacks having a lower IQ, then?
I'll give you blacks the penis stereotype (after all, getting the "muh dick" up is what most of you live for) so long as our intellectual differences are acknowledged. What? What?
Don is absolutely correct. Negros fear water (In any form) .. Water .. Snow .. Ice ... Especially *hot* water and a bar of soap. (Let's not even get into shampoo) Negro Kryptonite. Hell they won't hardly wash their clothes, water is so poisonous.
Those KFC stains are good for at least a week, before they get too stanky.
@ Hirsch:
When I lived in Germany I used to sometimes fly to Holland to compete in the Nijmegen run. I rarely saw any blacks.
There aren't any blacks in Holland. Do you think, Hirschie, that this could be the reason you didn't see any???
Just a guess...
Incidentally the black kid with the highest, bushiest afro had the last name of Whitehead. Oh, the irony!
Not exactly irony. Irony would be if his last name was Goldilocks.
I'll give you blacks the penis stereotype (after all, getting the "muh dick" up is what most of you live for) so long as our intellectual differences are acknowledged. What? What?
You don't know anything about being facetious, do you?
Our intellectual differences should be acknowledged now, don't you think? What? What?
;-}
Oh & about my typo's..Who the frak cares?!!..I had my legs propped up & a burrito in my other hand! & I didn't scan my comments..Whoopty-freakin-doo?!!.
Well, maybe you should care, Don. Put down the burrito and un-prop those legs; circulation to the head is better that way.
You cared enough to return to fix something terribly miniscule but forgot to fix 'fasinatic'. That was pretty glaring. A 'say' vs. 'saw' typo, given the context of your comment, was nothing. We all knew what you meant.
But I read over 'fasinatic' a couple of times and a great belly laugh ensued at the hilarity of it. I only mentioned it because you returned to correct the previous insignificant gaffe; why not include the others? I still cannot believe you missed that one. The glucose in that burrito is brain food; it should have helped, Donny ol' boy.
You also have some pretty freakish punctuation marks, too. Before you go and claim the achievements of a bunch of historical figures, you should work on the little things that make you come off as a double-digit IQer. Not to mention resorting to outright rage at a friendly correction, complete with placating emoticons!
I think you do care, Don. A lot. I do not care what your wife thinks, though. I don't need a white woman; I don't need a black woman, either, let alone any woman. Why should I care what they think?
Yes, 'we' will go to the stars, but you and I will not. Don't forget that. We are all but individuals. Neil Degrasse Tyson does not make me a physicist just as much as Pythagorus does not make you a great mathematician.
Let's all stop stealing accomplishments, shall we?
<|;-]
there hasn't really been a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods figure to catalyze attention and really drive interest in the sport.
Why is such a thing necessary? A white guy who said his heroes must be white would be loudly excoriated for being racist.
I mean there are African Americans all over running
No, there are blacks all over sprinting. Where are the black milers? 5k? Marathon? They're the same place the black Triathlon competitors are: nowhere. We used to have a top black 800m guy (Johnny Gray), but he's been retired for more than a decade. American blacks basically don't bother competing above 400m.
Other commenters might point out Bernard Lagat as a possible role model, who is indeed a world-class 1500/5k guy, but he's Kenyan by birth and looks nothing like an American black.
Cullen Jones is the only top black US swimmer I can think of, and he of course is a sprinter.
"You cared enough to return to fix something terribly miniscule but forgot to fix 'fasinatic'. That was pretty glaring."
It's only glaring to nitpicky assholes...like you.
Otherwise, no one gives a shit.
"Our intellectual differences should be acknowledged now, don't you think?"
The IQ research community has acknowledged our intellectual differences for decades. Blacks have consistently been at the bottom of the scale.
"The IQ research community has acknowledged our intellectual differences for decades. Blacks have consistently been at the bottom of the scale."
Great observation, however, I must make a minor, almost insignificant, correction:
Blacks are one notch above the bottom of nature's IQ distribution. The Australian Aborigines boast an average IQ of 65 ... African blacks boast an average of 70, American blacks boast an average of 75.
Nature, that bitch, is SOOOOO inegalitarian.
Negroes fear water, because they know water *primarily* as a weapon. How many times have you heard of blacks killing or injuring each other with boiling water? Theys always seems to has a giant pot of boilin' water on the stove at 3am when theys needs it ta throws on they boo, or to make a quick ghetto lobsta.
Desiree
"There aren't any blacks in Holland"...
"Among the few fairly prominent black figures in Dutch history who at least briefly caught the public eye, the earliest was the former slave Jacobus Capitein, so named because a Dutch captain brought him to Leiden, where he was put into school, mastered several European languages, and eventually became a predicant after completing theological training at the University of Leiden in 1742. He became famous as author of a treatise that defended slavery as an avenue to redemption for Africans. His portrait, usually accompanied by didactic poetry, circulated widely, advertising that blacks could be transformed by Christianity and Western civilization. Prior to going off to what was to prove a disastrous mission in his homeland on the Gold Coast, he preached a number of times in Holland to audiences who flocked to see this novelty."
My guess is that the novelty wasn't his skin color.
Desiree said...
There aren't any blacks in Holland. Do you think, Hirschie, that this could be the reason you didn't see any???
------
Naturally I don't know what that poster saw or didn't see but there are black people in Holland. You probably don't watch much Dutch soccer or track and field, which is understandable. I give you by way of example Ruud Gullit, popular Dutch soccer player - http://tinyurl.com/65fkypc
What the hell is wrong with you people. This ignorant bull shit shows the intelligence of the far superior white people....give me a break! And please God don't let folks know I'm white as these people are an embarrassment to my race!!
WOW! I never knew white people spent so much time and brainpower pondering black people. I can assure you that the reverse is not the case. It's borderline obsessive.
This is one of the saddest comments sections I have ever read. What is wrong with white people? It's disgusting.
This has to be the most racist comments section I've ever read. I KNEW racism and ignorance still existed but not in mass discussions. I guess people get brave behind their computers! My husband is black and is a damn awesome triathlete but not due to his ethnicity but because he works hard at it and enjoys it! We try to be great parents and role models for our kids! They can do anything they want if they work hard at it and are free to do so without prejudice...and even if it does exist...keep working hard to prove ignorant people wrong! You people who wrote those racist comments. Should be ashamed...oh wait a minute you are...that's why you're listed as Anonymous!!
What a bunch of ignorant, uneducated, & cowardly racists. Just like your low life ancestors rode around hidden behind white sheets you hide behind laptops, pc's, & smartphones because you're nothing but cowards.
It's sad, the more things change the more they stay the same. instead of judging people for WHO they are and the content of their character, some people are still willfully being BIGOTS. I don't give a flipflam and a whodo about what Americans (white, black or other) write in their one sided news papers or show on their color coded news reports, this is proof RACISM is alive in the USA. I will not spend time proving myself to those who THINK they know me or my capabilities because of the color of my skin. People like that already have their minds made up.A man convinced against his will is a man who remains unconvinced.Black, white or whatever you can't love or appreciate another nationality until you love and appreciate the contributions of your own. Educate
I am a black british man, I must say you American s have a way to go when it comes to understanding people. Even more so black people. you r lack of knowledge about what our race has contributed to society as a whole is astonishing. regardless of that your ignorance around black people and sports is even more shocking. Its quite evident that many of you have never travelled and seen this vast world we live in. The myth black people are frighten of water or cant swim is ridculous. I was cheallenged by some of my caucasian colleauges to take part in a Triathlon. I have been doing it for a year now and am regularly in the top 10. I compete fro a club and will hopefully make the national squad for my age group soon. I read alot of blogs from aMerica, and I must say the way you guys rant an go on about race is so exhausting and time consuming. If you all (Incuding balck) used the same amount of effort to get to know each other you would have a far better balance country. I am proud of my black culture and dont care if I am the minority in the sport, I am their to compete and beat whoever is in front of me black, white or blue. I train hard daily, and think alot more of you should judt focus on other things rather than spending time making riduculous statements and hurling insults at each other.
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