he is "athletic"

[Guest]

i don't agree with castefootball about everything but i have noticed how the word "athletic" is used now.

it used to be that any good athlete who was world class, regardless of race, could be described as athletic. but now, the only people who are "athletic" are freakishly athletic blacks. even blacks who are merely world class but not noticeably better than their peers cannot be said to be athletic anymore. and certainly, nobody who is not black, even if they are freakish athletes, can be described as athletic in this day and age. in general, only blacks, and exceptional blacks at that, are athletic today.

conversely, it now seems to be hip to describe world class athletes who are below their peers in ability as unathletic. who knew that so many guys in the NFL and NBA were unathletic! of course the rule here is that you almost never describe a black player as unathletic, even if he is relative to his peers. this is standard procedure in basketball, where only the most honest and astute fans and writers notice out loud when a black player is slow, can't jump high, or is soft.

adding to the insult is the fact that athletes of all races are bigger, stronger, faster, and better than ever, and yet, to hear people talk, they have gotten less athletic, not more. already we are hearing whispers that "only black guys can play (fill in the sport)".

 

[white lightning]

Great post Jody.I often wonder why more so called athletic white athletes don't get drafted into the NBA?I have seen too many white basketball players who can dunk like Jordan,Kobe,Lebron,T-Mac,etc,that don't even get a chance to make it in the league.The only white athletes for the most part that make it are the shooters or the big,slow lumbering white guys.Where are the white guys I see in high school & college that love to dunk on anyone just as much as the black guys.What aren't they drafted?

 

[KG2422]

Who says jumping is what makes someone "athletic"? Throwing the shot put is "athletic" in the classic sense.

 

[White_Savage]

KG: Another valid point.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

this topic was discussed several years ago in an SI article on "whatever happened to the white athlete" or some such title.

in it, various stereotypes were discussed by various coaches and former star white players. two things from the article really stuck out enough for me to remember:

1-the word "athletic" is now meant almost exclusively to describe short-burst sprinting speed and leaping ability. every other aspect of athletic endeavor is described differently.
2-the article pointed out that michael jordan is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he was really only a great basketball player. it made an interesting argument comparing jordan to Danny Ainge the former Celtic great and perennial NBA all star. whereas jordan couldn't get out of A-level pro baseball and is a less than impressive golfer, Ainge was a major-league baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays before concentrating on hoops, and he is a scratch golfer. the article posed the question that shouldn't Ainge be considered in the same company? if you were to ask that to any of your co-workers you'd be laughed out of the office...despite the fact that in his collegiate days it was well known that Ainge could touch the top of the square on the backboard.

things that make you go hmmm...

 

[Guest]

i don't think jordan is considered the best athlete of all time by knowledgeable fans.

for instance, bo jackson, deion sanders, and john elway were better all-around athletes and could play in more than 1 major league sport.

this is like the carl lewis era (a guy who i respect by the way) when he was the best "athlete" yet he could not even throw a baseball from the pitcher's mound to home plate.

this is also an argument that comes up when people bash steve nash because "he's not athletic at all" yet he can play more than 1 major sport at the highest level - nobody in the NBA could also play professional soccer in europe. he can also penetrate a defense nearly at will, but black point guards who can't penetrate at all, like derek fisher, are "more athletic".Edited by: jody

 

[surfsider]

Ainge was also a Parade high school all-american in football also.
When one says athletic I'm sure, that for many, the image that comes to mind is a chiseled black man. This is somewhat understandable in that this the only image that the media presents as "athletic". This is part and parcel of the cultural obsession with image and by what passes for "style" these days over substance. By the standards being put forward by advertisers, ESPN etal...a fellow like Ainge doesn't rate. By todays standards Rick Barry and Jerry West would be considered plodders. This mind-set has so infected the way people view sports that creepy Bobby Bowden can laugh at the thought of white RB's and folks that would be outraged by such a response in any other context nod in knowing unison.

 

[Bart]

-the article pointed out that michael jordan is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he was really only a great basketball player. it made an interesting argument comparing jordan to Danny Ainge the former Celtic great and perennial NBA all star. whereas jordan couldn't get out of A-level pro baseball and is a less than impressive golfer, Ainge was a major-league baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays before concentrating on hoops, and he is a scratch golfer.
...

An old but interesting article about Jordan's lack of baseball skills. So, why is he the world's greatest athlete? It's ridiculous to say he is. Danny Ainge is just one example of a much better athlete.


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/jordan_ retires/archive/940314/


He called the first base umpire "the ref." In the field, he played a single into a double and an out into a single. Though he moves well on the base paths, his best time to first base, 4.35 seconds, is slower than average....But they are right about one thing: He will never, ever hit. "It's called bat speed," says one American League scout, "and he ain't got it." Edited by: Bart