Breaking 10 second barrier too difficult for Whites, Asians and East Africans

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The discussion centers on the racial dynamics in sprinting, particularly regarding the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. Most sprinters who have broken this barrier are of West African descent, with notable exceptions. The conversation explores whether biological factors or cultural influences contribute to this phenomenon. Colin Jackson suggests that athletic talent may stem more from biological inheritance than race. The ease of access to sprinting as a sport contrasts with swimming, which requires more resources and training, potentially limiting participation among certain demographics. Participants discuss the impact of cultural factors, such as hair care in swimming, and the historical context of sports participation among different races. There are debates about whether racial attributes influence athletic performance, with some arguing that physiological differences may play a role. The conversation also touches on broader societal implications, including the representation of minorities in various sports and the challenges they face in achieving recognition and success. Overall, the thread highlights the complexity of race, culture, and athleticism in competitive sports.
  • #31
I wish the OP had made clearer what the question was he wished to discuss. What is the point in his statement? Is it purely racist drivel? Is he trying to inquire if there is a genetic trait that allows muscles to function better in a sprint that might be more prevalent in western Africa than other continents? Is he suggesting it is the culture there that encourages training for these competitions? Is he suggesting it has to do with the climate and training under harsher conditions that make it easier to then run in a competition under a cooler climate or some other type of improved environment?

Tossing out a random factoid from Wikipedia with no comment from the OP himself leaves everyone else to assume what the topic might be. Is it so hard for people to write a question, or give us a statement of their reason for posting something when they put up some random quote for the OP so discussion has a focus? (Oh, geez, now I'm sounding like Cyrus! Cyrus, get out of my head! :bugeye:)
 
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  • #32
I read a book that the author, an old school Navy Seal, came back to document a recent class of Seals going through BUD/S training, class 228. There was a single (extraordinary) black man that made it through "Hell Week" and graduated in this class. He states that it is very uncommon for black men to successfully complete training. Out of 157 men of all races that enlisted in this class, 20 made graduation. He said that it is uncommon for black men to graduate because they tend to have more upper body mass and cannot swim as effectively. Navy Seal training requires excessive swimming in extreme conditions, of course. The book is, "The Warrior Elite", Dick Couch. Great read. There are general racial attributes that tend to favor particular physical activities. It's an unpolitically correct fact.

We're all human beings with general strengths and weakness that tend to follow our race and gender. To ingore it is racist/sexist, IMO.
So most black guys have intrinsic upper body mass? I see skinny black guys all the time, just as I see skinny white guys. Michael Phelps has a huge upper body. I wouldn't automatically take that opinion as a fact, much less call someone racist for disagreeing with it.

If you have less black people trying to become navy seals, you'll have less black people graduate.
I wish the OP had made clearer what the question was he wished to discuss. What is the point in his statement? Is it purely racist drivel? Is he trying to inquire if there is a genetic trait that allows muscles to function better in a sprint that might be more prevalent in western Africa than other continents? Is he suggesting it is the culture there that encourages training for these competitions? Is he suggesting it has to do with the climate and training under harsher conditions that make it easier to then run in a competition under a cooler climate or some other type of improved environment?
I think the easiest answer for why someone wins a race is looking at their skin color. It requires no research at all.
For me to look at Usain Bolt and see he's black, the simplest answer to "why is he so fast" is "because he's black".
Sure we could do some research and find out why certain nations win certain contests the most, but it's easiest to just go 100% by statistics.

It's makes as much since as me saying the best American president is a white male, since 99% of them have been white males. If you want to debate it, I can just show you a list of them and that's my entire argument.
 
  • #33
leroyjenkens said:
It's makes as much since as me saying the best American president is a white male, since 99% of them have been white males. If you want to debate it, I can just show you a list of them and that's my entire argument.

Actually, the results of black men running (as the Democrat or Republican nominee) for President is PERFECTION - 100% success.:rolleyes:
 
  • #34
leroyjenkens said:
So most black guys have intrinsic upper body mass? I see skinny black guys all the time, just as I see skinny white guys. Michael Phelps has a huge upper body. I wouldn't automatically take that opinion as a fact, much less call someone racist for disagreeing with it.

If you have less black people trying to become navy seals, you'll have less black people graduate.

I'm going to rescind my post. I just found a study that refutes it. I was looking for something last night but could not find any information. So I just took the word of the author. Apparently, he is wrong on this point. Consequently, I'm wrong. Check it out: http://www.cdnn.info/industry/i020819/i020819.html"

So, I'm going to conclude that blacks can swim just as well as whites but can run faster. :biggrin:
 
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  • #35
WhoWee said:
Actually, the results of black men running (as the Democrat or Republican nominee) for President is PERFECTION - 100% success.:rolleyes:

A few black men have ran for president, so it's not perfect. And there have been 42 other white men president winners, so they're 1-42. But you're missing the point.
I'm going to rescind my post. I just found a study that refutes it. I was looking for something last night but could not find any information. So I just took the word of the author. Apparently, he is wrong on this point. Consequently, I'm wrong. Check it out: http://www.cdnn.info/industry/i020819/i020819.html

So, I'm going to conclude that blacks can swim just as well as whites but can run faster.
That's interesting. I don't know why the amount of minorities in the Navy Seals matters, but anyway. I disagree with the blacks can run faster than whites comment. I can outrun several black people I know.
 
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  • #36
leroyjenkens said:
A few black men have ran for president, so it's not perfect. And there have been 42 other white men president winners, so they're 1-42. But you're missing the point.

That's interesting. I don't know why the amount of minorities in the Navy Seals matters, but anyway. I disagree with the blacks can run faster than whites comment. I can outrun several black people I know.

The Navy Seal program is hurting for graduates. They are actively trying to recruit minorities and get rid of the image as a white only outfit. Increasing their pool of candidates.

Statistically, it makes no difference what race you are. The percentage of whites that graduate is equal to minorities.

I can run extremely fast, especially when I'm being chased.
 
  • #37
leroyjenkens said:
That's interesting. I don't know why the amount of minorities in the Navy Seals matters, but anyway. I disagree with the blacks can run faster than whites comment. I can outrun several black people I know.
There are more whites than blacks in the US. Are there more white wide receivers in pro football than black ones? Not a scientific study, for sure.
 
  • #38
turbo-1 said:
There are more whites than blacks in the US. Are there more white wide receivers in pro football than black ones? Not a scientific study, for sure.

I have to agree here. Football used to be a white only sport. In order to break through the racism, you had to be better. Jerry Rice will always be one my all-time favorites.
 
  • #39
The Navy Seal program is hurting for graduates. They are actively trying to recruit minorities and get rid of the image as a white only outfit.
I didn't know it was until they said something.
There are more whites than blacks in the US. Are there more white wide receivers in pro football than black ones? Not a scientific study, for sure.
Does that mean that black people are better wide receivers?
Saying it's because they're black is just a cop out reason. It's not a reason. Not saying that's the reason you're giving, but I'm trying to get people to think about it.

There's more whites in the US than blacks, but more blacks in prison. Are they criminals because they're black? If you'd agree with that football analogy, you'd have to agree with the prison analogy.
 
  • #40
leroyjenkens said:
There's more whites in the US than blacks, but more blacks in prison. Are they criminals because they're black? If you'd agree with that football analogy, you'd have to agree with the prison analogy.
No, I don't have to agree with the analogy. When the owners of pro football teams are willing to pay $XM bucks to keep wide receivers, we should ask whether the preponderance of black players in that position is due to physiological differences. Larry Bird was a pretty hot basketball player in his day. Where is the white equivalent of Larry Bird today? The guys who can get up and down the court, get big air, and score are overwhelmingly black, these days. I don't think that it is racist to examine the skills of sports figures statistically.

BTW, I am white (well Native-American/French/Irish) but have dated black ladies in my youth, and my favorite nephew (Sailor of the Year more times than I can count) is married to a beautiful black lady, and they have a daughter who will probably work as a fashion model if her basketball career doesn't work out. Another disclaimer - I am a musician, and have spent much of my time performing with non-white artists. -That's something relatively new to Maine and the Maritimes.
 
  • #41
No, I don't have to agree with the analogy.
You would if your only reasoning is based on the prevalence of black wide receivers, which is what you said.
Most wide receivers are black, so black people are inherently better at that position.
Most criminals are black, so black people are inherently law breakers.

Obviously you're not so quick to use that same reasoning in my analogy.
we should ask whether the preponderance of black players in that position is due to physiological differences.
Yes, we should. That's what I'm getting at. "Because they're black" isn't good enough for me. If there's physiological reasons behind it, that's a good reason.
Larry Bird was a pretty hot basketball player in his day. Where is the white equivalent of Larry Bird today? The guys who can get up and down the court, get big air, and score are overwhelmingly black, these days. I don't think that it is racist to examine the skills of sports figures statistically.
Well if you want to get into statistics, what about IQ? Statistically you can find out who's smarter too, but I bet you'll shy away from that.

How many white people are really even interested in playing basketball these days? I think blacks can be just as good as whites at hockey, but they just don't play it.
 
  • #42
drankin said:
I think the biggest racial disparity would be in swimming. And hockey if that counts.

Jarome Iginla is one of the best RW ever to play hockey in the NHL.
 
  • #43
leroyjenkens said:
A few black men have ran for president, so it's not perfect. And there have been 42 other white men president winners, so they're 1-42. But you're missing the point.

I specified running as the Democratic or Republican nominee - meaning not including anyone in the run-up to the conventions.
 
  • #44
Some jerk always says asinine things like "Well white people are better at X" and then someone will run up, screaming racism, and proclaim that "black people are not only better at X, they can also Y, and Z!" and then someone else joins in and around and around we go.

Who cares? Are you going to tell every runner that's not black to stop practicing and striving to be number one just because there may be a tendency for Africans to excel in that particular area? I'm not a long-distance runner by design: I have short legs, am short, and come from a non-athletic family. I'm certainly not a long-limbed, incredibly athletic Kenyan but that didn't stop me from completing my first marathon. And not a pitiful 'look how she's trying, isn't it just precious?' completion either, I got a pretty damn good time.

People constantly confuse secondary factors with determining factors. Example? People who eat more vegetables run faster. Does this mean the vegetables caused them to run faster? Or perhaps could it mean that people who cared about their health (by eating a healthy diet that includes more vegetables) are more likely to run for sport and exercise, thus running faster than Joe Schmoe who hasn't ran since high school? Does that mean that if a couch potato beefs up on the greens, he'll turn into a marathon runner?
 
  • #45
I specified running as the Democratic or Republican nominee - meaning not including anyone in the run-up to the conventions.
That's narrowing it down pretty far.
Failing at becoming a nominee is already a failure. That's like a football team never going to the playoffs and then when they finally do, they win the superbowl. They may have a perfect record in the superbowl, but that's not saying much considering their past. So just stating their perfect record in the superbowl is misleading.
 
  • #46
leroyjenkens said:
That's narrowing it down pretty far.
Failing at becoming a nominee is already a failure. That's like a football team never going to the playoffs and then when they finally do, they win the superbowl. They may have a perfect record in the superbowl, but that's not saying much considering their past. So just stating their perfect record in the superbowl is misleading.

Every major track meet has qualifying rounds leading up to the final race. I don't see a difference. In political races, every citizen (of specified legal age and except felons) may enter. Track is also age-restrictive (school competition), but open to everyone.

The people in the final event are the ones qualified to compete - not the millions of eligible participants.

Barack Obama is the only black person to ever compete in the final event as the chosen candidate of either the Democratic or Republican parties. On that basis, qualified black Presidential candidates are a PERFECT 100%.
 
  • #47
Nearly all the sprinters who have beaten the 10-second barrier are of West African descent (with the exceptions of Australian runner Patrick Johnson and Namibian Frankie Fredericks).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Woronin

Subject is loaded. Even if there are real differences between races, they are politically incorrect. Same can be said about differences between sexes. Trick is, most people hear "different", but they understand "better and worse".

To keep it PF - which field is better - electric, or gravitational?
 
  • #48
MissSilvy said:
Some jerk always says asinine things like "Well white people are better at X" and then someone will run up, screaming racism, and proclaim that "black people are not only better at X, they can also Y, and Z!" and then someone else joins in and around and around we go.

Who cares? Are you going to tell every runner that's not black to stop practicing and striving to be number one just because there may be a tendency for Africans to excel in that particular area? I'm not a long-distance runner by design: I have short legs, am short, and come from a non-athletic family. I'm certainly not a long-limbed, incredibly athletic Kenyan but that didn't stop me from completing my first marathon. And not a pitiful 'look how she's trying, isn't it just precious?' completion either, I got a pretty damn good time.

People constantly confuse secondary factors with determining factors. Example? People who eat more vegetables run faster. Does this mean the vegetables caused them to run faster? Or perhaps could it mean that people who cared about their health (by eating a healthy diet that includes more vegetables) are more likely to run for sport and exercise, thus running faster than Joe Schmoe who hasn't ran since high school? Does that mean that if a couch potato beefs up on the greens, he'll turn into a marathon runner?

Not too many years ago, I remember hearing how no black man would ever achieve much in the world of golf. :rolleyes:
 
  • #49
WhoWee said:
Barack Obama is the only black person to ever compete in the final event as the chosen candidate of either the Democratic or Republican parties. On that basis, qualified black Presidential candidates are a PERFECT 100%.

Oh please do get over it. I have no idea what you're trying to do other than a thinly-veiled attempt to twist statistics to prove a non-existent point.
 
  • #50
I'm locking this pending moderation.