Un « sport noir » ?

Basketball is today dominated by African-American players and is consequently considered as a black sport. Throughout the 20th century, vast numbers of African Americans became involved in this sport, to such an extent that African Americans have come to represent the great majority of NBA players....

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Main Author: Nicolas Martin-Breteau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association Française d'Etudes Américaines 2012-06-01
Series:Transatlantica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5469
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author Nicolas Martin-Breteau
author_facet Nicolas Martin-Breteau
author_sort Nicolas Martin-Breteau
collection DOAJ
description Basketball is today dominated by African-American players and is consequently considered as a black sport. Throughout the 20th century, vast numbers of African Americans became involved in this sport, to such an extent that African Americans have come to represent the great majority of NBA players. For more than a century, this athletic domination has given rise to heated controversies: most of the time it was explained using genetics (Blacks are athletically superior) or environmental theories (the poverty of urban Blacks leads them toward sports). However, one can see in this domination a political will to fight for equality, dignity, and recognition. Thus, whether it is celebrated by African Americans as a chance for racial uplift or criticized as a dangerous illusion, sport and basketball have been a central aspect of their political struggles.
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spelling doaj.art-b650154e27a04c079e2d40cb80817ea02023-12-06T15:50:08ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662012-06-01210.4000/transatlantica.5469Un « sport noir » ?Nicolas Martin-BreteauBasketball is today dominated by African-American players and is consequently considered as a black sport. Throughout the 20th century, vast numbers of African Americans became involved in this sport, to such an extent that African Americans have come to represent the great majority of NBA players. For more than a century, this athletic domination has given rise to heated controversies: most of the time it was explained using genetics (Blacks are athletically superior) or environmental theories (the poverty of urban Blacks leads them toward sports). However, one can see in this domination a political will to fight for equality, dignity, and recognition. Thus, whether it is celebrated by African Americans as a chance for racial uplift or criticized as a dangerous illusion, sport and basketball have been a central aspect of their political struggles.http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5469SportAfrican AmericansraceCivil Rights movement
spellingShingle Nicolas Martin-Breteau
Un « sport noir » ?
Transatlantica
Sport
African Americans
race
Civil Rights movement
title Un « sport noir » ?
title_full Un « sport noir » ?
title_fullStr Un « sport noir » ?
title_full_unstemmed Un « sport noir » ?
title_short Un « sport noir » ?
title_sort un sport noir
topic Sport
African Americans
race
Civil Rights movement
url http://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/5469
work_keys_str_mv AT nicolasmartinbreteau unsportnoir