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You and I can say anything we want. The same goes for Obama. It's his decision to call himself black, but it does not change the fact that he is biracial. The more I think about it, he does look, talk and walk black.
Not true. Many whites have a very dense, heavy bone structure, while many African descendants have very small, slim bone structure.
This is why you will find numerous slim-built Afro-Caribbean people who swim extremely well.
Again, African peoples, for example, tend to come from warmer climates, where many of the nations have pretty beaches and other bodies of water. However, often these beaches are salty and it's hotter in the day, so people are less likely to spend hours swimming laps for a competition. Furthermore, to many of us who have nice beaches, pools smell nasty and are full of chemicals. Different environments and cultural preferences make a big difference. So while plenty can swim, there isn't as much interest in sports that involve pools..
ITA with this, especially the last paragraph.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Dark Enlightenment
Many people of all races understand the meaning of the term "bone density", and concepts like averages, trends and outliers... but some do not.
Many also won't admit that "black" people are not genetically unique and there is no genetically pure "black" person of whom to average.
You can average by nation, but in regards to people of African descent, all people of Africa do not have "dense" bones on average and in various countries around the world, including the USA and Caribbean nations in particular, people deemed "black" have a varied genetic makeup and averages prove nothing in regards to "race" since most importantly, there is only one human race and the fact that in the USA and Caribbean in particular all people in these countries have a mixture of national backgrounds to some degree.
And the bone density thing is always interesting to me in regards to swimming. If we are going on bone density being a reason for the lack of black swimmers, then why aren't there more Asian swimmers since they have a lower bone denisity than Europeans/whites? We actually have an Asian American population that is growing, yet very few Asian American swimmers (I cannot remember any other than Nathan Adrian as mentioned earlier) who compete at the Olympic level.
I have no idea if bone density is a factor, but there are quite a few good Asian swimmers, far more than there are runners. Japan has won swimming medals and has qualifiers in the semis or finals of most races.
They are watching the NBA, where 75% of players are black. Not much diversity there.
OTOH, you're seeing an increase of international players in the NBA in recent years. Such as Germans, Eastern Europeans, Africans, even South Americans. So that's giving a different style of playing to the game.
For example, the Golden State Warriors this past year had an Australian (Bogut), Brazilians (Varajao and Barbosa), and an Nigerian (Ezeli).
You are entirely wrong about blacks not have access to swimming pools. I lived in Chicago and there are swimming pools everywhere in the city that black youth can use for free. Not only YMCAs but facilities all around the city. I know because I am a swimmer and I used the facilities and know where they are. Its the white country kids that don't have access to swimming pools.
The truth is its not about not having access to swimming facilities but there are racial differences that make whites better swimmers. Blacks are not attuned to intricate movements that require a ot of finesse and what is required for swimming. Swimming is a very difficult sport to learn because you even have to breathe differently than normal and whole body coordination with breathing is a thing that takes a long time and effort to learn. Ice skating is another sport that takes intricate moves with finesse and you rarely see a black ice skater. Whites are good at things that are difficult to learn and take a lot of finesse etc. But that isn't claiming that blacks aren't good at sports. Blacks are good at sports activities that require a sudden burst of energy with a lot of strength behind it, like football. Basketball used to be a sport that required a lot of intricate moves etc. but that has all changed over the years and the sport has become more physical than it once was. There used to be rules like palming the ball and if a player dribbled above the waist when his feet were in motion it was traveling. And many other rules that required real finesse to play the sport. All those roles are gone now and part of the reason is because when blacks began entering the sport the sport changed to accommodate their characteristics. One might argue that boxing takes a lot of intricate moves and finesse but boxing today is a slugging match between opponents. Watch the fights back in the 30s and boxers used all kinds of combinations and things you don't see today. Anyway the argument that blacks aren't swimmers because they don't have access to swimming pools is all wrong.
Uh huh...like the world's best gymnast, Simone Biles, the other African-American and the mixed Puerto Rican gymnast.
Like the Haitian (African descended) swimmers and two African-American swimmers.
Generally speaking, Black people have longer legs, relative to their height, which effectively gives them the physical advantages of a taller person, while at the same time reducing the amount of body weight their legs need to move. The result is that black people are typically able to move more quickly on land than caucasian people of a comparable height.
In contrast, in the pool, longer arms are advantageous because arms are hugely important for propulsion. Because caucasians have longer arms, relative to their height they have an advantage.
I played waterpolo in college. I have longer legs, shorter arms, I am 5'7" and have been told I have the perfect body for swimming, not much for waterpolo because I don't have much upper body strength. strength and power are important for lifting the body up from the water, and for quick and powerful bursts of swimming. My shoulder and arms are not strong enough, but I increased my endurance and speed. I also stopped eating junk food.
Race or Ethnicity Do Matter in Athletics. For example, In weightlifting’s early days, the years before World War I, the Germans and Austrians ruled the emerging world of heavy athletics.
Generally speaking, Black people have longer legs, relative to their height, which effectively gives them the physical advantages of a taller person, while at the same time reducing the amount of body weight their legs need to move. The result is that black people are typically able to move more quickly on land than caucasian people of a comparable height.
In contrast, in the pool, longer arms are advantageous because arms are hugely important for propulsion. Because caucasians have longer arms, relative to their height they have an advantage.
I played waterpolo in college. I have longer legs, shorter arms, I am 5'7" and have been told I have the perfect body for swimming, not much for waterpolo because I don't have much upper body strength. strength and power are important for lifting the body up from the water, and for quick and powerful bursts of swimming. My shoulder and arms are not strong enough, but I increased my endurance and speed. I also stopped eating junk food.
Race or Ethnicity Do Matter in Athletics. For example, In weightlifting’s early days, the years before World War I, the Germans and Austrians ruled the emerging world of heavy athletics.
Where did you read all of this? There are rarely any "pure" blacks or "pure" whites living anywhere. Most black folks just like many whites in America are a mixture of some sort. I'm curious as to what scientific evidence supports your claim...
Where did you read all of this? There are rarely any "pure" blacks or "pure" whites living anywhere. Most black folks just like many whites in America are a mixture of some sort. I'm curious as to what scientific evidence supports your claim...
There is no claim. I said, generally speaking. Why does everything have to be taken so literally?
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