Why are white guys so good at throwing?

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And I suppose the follow up question is, if white guys are so bad at sports, so totally bad that they cannot even play sports at all, which is what the mainstream sports media says in 2007, why do white men dominate throwing in the two biggest sports in the US?

Football and baseball depend on good throwing. It's essential in baseball as the game cannot even be played without pitching. And it's an integral part of football, which, while technically speaking can be played without throwing, it cannot, practically speaking, be played without throwing.

It could hardly be said that europeans throw because they are not good enough to do any other job in football or baseball. In football and baseball, the thrower has a desireable job, a well paying job, a job critical to team success, and ultimately to credit and fame. Unlike kicking and punting in football and catching in baseball, where you can make a case that africans do not even bother, there is no case that europeans pitch and play quarterback because that's all they can do. Certainly africans would like to dominate the high profile, high paying jobs of pitching and quarterbacking if they could.

Yet "White men can throw" does not exist as a stereotype in US culture. Instead america continues with a strict stereotype policy. "White men can't jump." And now, more recently, and more disturbingly, a new, additional stereotype: "White men are too slow to play sports at all."
 

Poacher

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Someone here at CF labeled the white advantage in throwing as "spatial cognition." I always thought that was a good description.
 

jaxvid

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This article is in the JB Cash archives.

WHITE ATHLETIC ADVANTAGE: SPACIAL COGNITION

If one reviews the various professional sports and those positions where white athletes dominate it is possible to find a common link that I propose is due to a unique genetic quality of the white race which I have named: SPACIAL COGNITION. (Note that SPACIAL is used in place of SPATIAL as "spatial cognition" has other widely used meanings.)

The hypothesis is as follows. Native Europeans and their descendants have evolved a highly specialized skill that is apparent in their athletic abilities as well as in other aspects of life. This skill, which I have labeled SPACIAL COGNITION, can be defined as follows: the ability to correctly calculate and predict, to a high degree, the movement of objects through space and time.

To test this theory we can look at several professional sports. Let's begin with football (American). A highly developed ability in SPACIAL COGNITION would lead one to expect that white athletes would excel in the two areas where the object (a football) is sent moving through space and time. This would be in throwing and kicking the football.

Do whites seem to have an advantage in throwing the football? Of course! And not just an advantage but a domination in that regard. Nearly all quarterbacks in the NFL are white in a league where virtually all other positions are majority black.

Furthermore those few black QBs that do succeed are generally of the type that are considered running quarterbacks, such as Michael Vick, Duante Culpepper, and Donovan McNabb. Typically their chief ability in throwing the football is considered to be their "cannon arms." Thus they are known for the strength of their throwing arms rather than accuracy.

On the other hand white QBs are famous for their ability to exercise "touch" on their throws. Men like Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, etc., are known for dropping passes 40 yards downfield into the hands of streaking receivers with two defenders close by. I could name many other white QBs with this skill, hundreds in fact, from Joe Montana to Johnny Unitas, from Bart Starr to Dan Marino. The list is endless.

What about the other football SPACIAL COGNITION skill: kicking. This is even more white dominated. Kicking, which is the ability to strike the football with the foot so as to direct it a great distance through the air, taking into account wind and weather, and placing it at a certain height and direction so that it passes through the goalposts, is an activity exclusively mastered by white players. In the NFL place-kickers are as white as cornerbacks are black.

How about another sport such as basketball. In basketball the movement of the object (the ball) through space and time is the very essence of the game. But the most difficult of tasks in the sport involving the highest level of SPACIAL COGNITION is in free throw and three-point shooting accuracy. How do white athletes do in this regard? Incredibly well, considering their minority status. The NBA for example is 80% black with each team averaging only one or two white players in the regular rotation. And what is the result? White players typically have as their specialty the ability to shoot three-point baskets and are often the most accurate in free throws

In the 2004-'05 season, Peja Stojakovic and Steve Nash finished one-two in free throw shooting percentage. So far this year the top five free throw shooters in the league are white. For three-point percentage, last year three of the top five were white and to this date in the current season six out of the top ten are white. This is typical, as white players have for years been over-represented in these categories as a percentage of their population in the league.

What about the sport of baseball? This is a slam-dunk for white advantage in the crucial area of SPACIAL COGNITION. The primary area where this skill is manifested is in pitching. Baseball pitching is perhaps the most critical sports activity where SPACIAL COGNITION is important.

A pitcher must stand 60 feet and 6 inches from home plate and then throw the baseball, usually at a high velocity, at a target about 12 inches wide and about 3 feet high. Over and over again. That white players dominate here is not even debatable. In the long history of baseball virtually all of the top pitchers are white. Except for a small handful of non-whites that pop up once in a while, whites are still unmatched in this crucial ability.

When non-whites are used as pitchers they are rarely "finesse" pitchers, the name given to pitchers that have good "control," which is just another way of saying good SPACIAL COGNITION. Usually non-white pitchers just rear back and throw using brute strength to compensate for their reduced SPACIAL COGNITION ability.

The white propensity for superior SPACIAL COGNITION skills manifests itself in many other sports. In golf, out of the top couple hundred players in the world, virtually all of them are white. The lone exceptions, Tiger Woods, who is approximately one-fourth black and half Asian, and Vijay Singh, of Asian ancestry, make the case that perhaps Asians may have good SPACIAL COGNITION skills also. And true to that assertion Asians are sometimes good baseball pitchers. SPACIAL COGNITION is crucial in golf as the game provides the largest amount of distance calculation in sports.

Tennis, which is a more time (speed) dependent activity, is also highly dominated by whites. The women's game is dominated by Slavs. The few black players such as the Williams sisters, are, once again, good not so much due to their pure skill at the game but more so because of brute strength.

In other activities the SPACIAL COGNITION skills of whites illustrate the reason for their dominance in those areas. Pistol, rifle, and bow shooting, and even more recreational activities such as bowling and darts, all showcase the superior white skill at SPACIAL COGNITION.

And as expected the SPACIAL COGNITION skill of whites is apparent in other areas of life. White people it seems are so enamored of their great skill in this area that it practically defines our existence. We have forever hurled this or that a certain distance with accuracy being a key. At first it was rocks catapulted over the walls of fortresses. Then it was bullets, cannon balls, field artillery, howitzers, mortars, torpedoes, surface to air missiles, inter-continental-ballistic missiles, rockets to the moon, probes to the planets and beyond.

The white propensity for SPACIAL COGNITION drove not one man but two, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, to come up with a special kind of mathematics just so as to be able to properly understand it: calculus.

Isaac Newton, who may have been the most intelligent man that ever lived, turned the study of objects, motion, and time into a science. That science has redefined the world around us and is the primary reason we have left the savage ways of primitive life behind.

The explanation for black dominance in a given athletic category is universally credited to a matter of genetics. But whenever white athletes are dominant in a certain aspect of a sport it is attributed merely to their hard work or else to non-interest on the part of blacks.

In a previous article ("Sailing Off Course, Part I"), I ridiculed Steve Sailer's hypothesis that a trait he has named "real-time responsiveness" was the reason blacks seemed to perform better in a few sports. Although I am still skeptical, it was at the very least an attempt to explain an anomaly that seemed to contradict the law of averages.

For that same reason the anomalies as cited in this article can be explained as a genetic advantage possessed by whites. This is my theory of SPACIAL COGNITION which I have no doubt will be borne out by further research on the matter.
 
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I think it boils down to what our ancestors did as warriors, hunters, and even ancient athletes.

Blacks are naturally good at throwing distance from all the genetic inheritance gained from generations of spear throwers. That and a general slight advantage in fast-twitch fibers makes them good distance throwers. I guess when you have that many huge, ferocious animals you develop your running ability quickly. Their proficiency in jumping may be attributable, to some degree, to their dancing rites where they hop long periods of time. Big hands and feet don't hurt either.

Whites had a very throwing- and aiming-oriented warrior culture, and have had throwing games for at least 3 millenia. With use of the wheel and horses, the legs genetically atrophied a little, but not too much.

Asians had warrior cultures that involved sword play and hand-to-hand combat. They actually have pretty good jumping and kicking ability, but their generally short statures and even shorter legs make them less of a threat in running sports.

Native Americans and Mestizos usually have decent all-around athleticism (see Jim Thorpe, Latin American baseball players, and luchadores), but generally have small frames with high levels of bodyfat. They're warrior rites were pretty well rounded as well. Plus some Meso-American cultures had a pretty big sports scene.

Polynesians had a warrior culture of power and might, with some agility thrown in. They are compatible with the Sumos of Japan in some of their athletic focuses. Bigger, to them, was better.
Edited by: FieldThrower
 

White Shogun

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FieldThrower said:
Blacks are naturally good at throwing distance from all the genetic inheritance gained from generations of spear throwers. That and a general slight advantage in fast-twitch fibers makes them good distance throwers.

Blacks are so good at chucking spears, in fact, that they hold exactly none of the world records in the javelin.

Nor do they hold any records in the discus or the shot put.

The rest of your post is as full of holes as your theory of spear throwing. I've never seen a post so full of stereotypes as yours, and around here, that's saying something!
smiley36.gif
 
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So what cultures implement into warrior training has nothing to do with genetic inheritance? Environment may be a factor, but there are many groups in the same environment with entirely different athletic strengths and weaknesses.

I don't see how the idea is full of holes. I may not have given a complete breakdown of every group's strengths and weaknesses, but it seems to me that each group's main focus was similar to what I mentioned. I don't pretend to be an expert on warriors and athletes across the world, and I'll admit to stereotyping a bit.

Genetics are dynamic and what people *do* from generation to generation is an important factor in micro-evolution over time. That's why there are so many 2nd and 3rd generation athletes in pro sports leagues. It has more to do with inherited attributes than inherited name recognition.

BTW, I never said blacks were better at throwing distance than whites, but give them some credit as being comparable. They may be poor shots when it comes to aim, but some of them can chuck projectiles pretty far.

Michael Carter (NT for the 49ers in the 80s) was a world class shot putter, and set the HS record at 81'3".

When I threw in high school, it seemed the black guys would start chucking shots and disci really far early in their career, but fell off pretty quickly. I'd guess they were either overaged for their grade level, or went through puberty faster.

Edited by: FieldThrower
 

Colonel_Reb

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I thought it was spear-chunker instead of spear-chucker? Everyone says chuck out West, but down South it is chunk.
 
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Field Thrower: Black girls do on average reach puberty about 2 years ahead of white girls so the same is probably true for black boys. I have always thought this was the root of the Black athletic superiority myth in the team sports such as football and basketball. That during the youth league years the blacks had a physical maturity advantage since all participants are usually sorted by chronological age. Could be an explanation why all the white stars in the NBA are from Europe they had a chance to develop basic skills and when they reach maturity were as good as if not better than the blacks.Edited by: Tired old White
 

Poacher

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Pet theory of mine on this topic:

Whites have greater tactile sense in their fingertips allowing them to direct their throws more accurately.

Laugh if you will but I believe it.
 
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Its the puberty thing. Those two years on average distort the whole athletics scene and recruitment into college sports.
 

yanling

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black people's houses have a very distinct odor. Like the stale odor of sweat, recently fried food and failure.
 

white is right

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Caucasians have a lever advantage. Maybe shorter arms and stronger legs on average aid in throwing. I don't think there has ever been a black male world class javelin thrower. There have been black female throwers, but drugs help females much more then men in athletics so this could be the reason for that.
 
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Intelligence may have something to do with it. Whe I am playing pool, I have to visualize where I am going to hit the ball and where it will go.. Non-whites as you know have a lower average intelligence. The few points that they lack may mean the difference between being able to throw acuurately or not.
Also lots of practice helps.
 
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wile said:
Its the puberty thing. Those two years on average distort the whole athletics scene and recruitment into college sports.

You ain't kidding! I've been telling people that for years. Most black 17 and 18 year olds are as developed as a 21 - 22 year old white. That's part of the problem outside of the societal manipulation going on full steam for over 50 years.

Jim Thorpe is mentioned above. He was part Irish and French in addition to part Indian. I won't use "Native American" because most of the whites in the US are "Native Americans". They were born here and their people, my people, built the country.

A lot of blacks are "dumpers" when it comes to throwing, especially throwing a football. Watch their form, their release in slow mo and compare it to the form of most white QB's tossing a ball.
 

Cartouche

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Colonel Callan said:
wile said:
Its the puberty thing. Those two years on average distort the whole athletics scene and recruitment into college sports.



You ain't kidding! I've been telling people that for years. Most black 17 and 18 year olds are as developed as a 21 - 22 year old white. That's part of the problem outside of the societal manipulation going on full steam for over 50 years.

It may seem untrustworthy to uninformed people, but it is really true. There even exist special studies about the unvoluntarily discrimination of potential young talents in soccer - the time of birth of national teams' players is often concentrated to the first months, with which every recruitment season begins. In other words, the oldest boys are unjustly favoured over the younger boys, although it is only due to their higher biological development. Since the recruitment termines are one year apart, a country with such a system can lose one-third to one half potential talents every year. Hence it recommended to make the recruitment periods at least twice a year.
 
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White men are dominating pitching in the MLB playoffs, yet, no credit, no positive stereotype.

Also, white men are dominating throwing in the 07 NFL season, yet again, no credit, no positive stereotype. In fact a lot of credit is being shifted from white quarterbacks onto black teammates.Edited by: nevada
 
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I was totally screwed by my development while others physically developed much faster than me. At twenty I was still shedding teeth before my permanent ones came in, but now at 44 I'm built like an NFL safety (all natural btw). And it seems black men my age are looking for an insulin fix so life balances out I guess. As for white athletes a seperate system needs to be developed that allows for the two year lag in development.
 

voice

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wile said:
I was totally screwed by my development while others physically developed much faster than me. At twenty I was still shedding teeth before my permanent ones came in, but now at 44 I'm built like an NFL safety (all natural btw). And it seems black men my age are looking for an insulin fix so life balances out I guess. As for white athletes a seperate system needs to be developed that allows for the two year lag in development.

We need to educate college coaches on this, but they probably don't care anyway
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I think in part small program college football could be promoted to take up some of the slack, but I know this faces enormous predjudice from the NFL caste system. Bur with D-1 ball more like ghettofabulous everyday maybe enough attention could be refocused on real student athletes.
 
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