referendum
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- Nov 13, 2005
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Somewhere else on the forum someone said something about a lot of good white athletes coming from parts of the US without many non-whites, so I thought I'd do a little research of backgrounds of NBA white US born players. Among the 15 or so starters I find that8 of them come from the following thinly populated mostly white states, and seven from bigger states with lots of non-whites as well. The eight starters from mostly white areas: Iowans La Frentz, Hinrich, Collison, West Virginian Williams, Oregon Mike Dunleavy, Idaho Ridenour, Pryzbilla Minnestota, Michigan Kaman (I'm including him as I think he is from a remote part of the state, not around Detroit). From the bigger states the only white starter from the east coast Troy Murphy of New Jersey, Korver from California, Miller from Indiana, Mihm from Wisconsin (born in Milwaukee), Harpring from Ohio, and Ostertag from Texas. Some near starters, Mike Miller from South Dakota, Keith Van Horn and Austin Croshere and Luke Walton all from southern California. Taking all players in consideration its clear that the the upper west (say from Minnesota west thru to Oregon produces the most per capita white players in the NBA then anywhere else, 11 outof the 44 total that I found.Southern California came thru with 8, nothern California two. Its the big states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, that we find interesting results. In essence Oregon and Iowa, two thinly populated states have more white NBA players, seven, than Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois which contribute all of four. the lone New Yorker, Brent Barry, of the increidible Barry clan, was likely not raised in the state either.
Of course I should have looked at which high schools all these players went too, as obviously some of them didn't grow up in the places they were born. Still, I think the conclusions are very interesting for caste sports theorists. Looks to me that just like in Slovenia, and Lithuania and Croatia, small countries which per capita produce an amazing amount of basketball players, places in the US which just don't have enough black players to go around, one finds that white players will emerge and excell. Put another way, if Kirk Hinrich or Luke Ridenour or Nick Collison or Mike Miller grew up in suburban Chicago or somewhere on the east coast would they have reached the NBA?
Of course I should have looked at which high schools all these players went too, as obviously some of them didn't grow up in the places they were born. Still, I think the conclusions are very interesting for caste sports theorists. Looks to me that just like in Slovenia, and Lithuania and Croatia, small countries which per capita produce an amazing amount of basketball players, places in the US which just don't have enough black players to go around, one finds that white players will emerge and excell. Put another way, if Kirk Hinrich or Luke Ridenour or Nick Collison or Mike Miller grew up in suburban Chicago or somewhere on the east coast would they have reached the NBA?
