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As I watch the NCAA Track and Field Championships it struck me that there are precious few Hispanic competitors at the elite level or in competition in general. Where and why is the system failing Hispanics while Black and Anglo competitors flourish?
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Originally Posted by kyle19125
Where and why is the system failing Hispanics while Black and Anglo competitors flourish?
Kyle, I think this is a leading question and equally leading assumption.. you're already attributing the demographics of track & field to 'system failures'. Do you have specific examples of Latino competitors who have been systemically overlooked?
If so, we could probably get some insight from their experiences instead of just outsider speculating..
And incidentally, I think this is an interesting topic, but have a feeling this thread will be locked before too long
Plenty play soccer
In baseball, Latinos make up the largest minority group and many Latinos have become stars in the league. In 2008, 27 percent of MLB players were of Latino heritage.
They are also pretty successful in motorsport and boxing.
But generally, I think that sports are not viewed as something to seriously pursue. They are great, very enthusiastic fans, though.
Kyle, I think this is a leading question and equally leading assumption.. you're already attributing the demographics of track & field to 'system failures'. Do you have specific examples of Latino competitors who have been systemically overlooked?
If so, we could probably get some insight from their experiences instead of just outsider speculating..
And incidentally, I think this is an interesting topic, but have a feeling this thread will be locked before too long
I don't see it as a systemic failure to the scant few existing Hispanic athletes, rather a failure on the part of organizations like USA Track & Field (USTAF), USA Swimming and USTA (US Tennis) to provide the tools and interests to Hispanic communities the way USTA has with considerable success in predominately Black communities.
Track, Tennis and Swimming are low overhead cost sports to participate in and clinics, camps and sports leagues provide ways for youth to avoid hanging out on the street and becoming involved in gangs or street crimes and as an avenue to college scholarships or even representing the US for medals in international competition.
I also blame it partially on sports media like ESPN who does very little to promote certain sports beyond the Olympic games when a handful of Americans are bringing home a truckload of medals in swimming and track. Suddenly they're popular for five minutes and then back to nothing again.
Plenty play soccer
In baseball, Latinos make up the largest minority group and many Latinos have become stars in the league. In 2008, 27 percent of MLB players were of Latino heritage.
They are also pretty successful in motorsport and boxing.
But generally, I think that sports are not viewed as something to seriously pursue. They are great, very enthusiastic fans, though.
In contrast to American Caucasian youth where many find basketball, football, soccer, hockey and baseball sports to pursue from childhood to potential stardom in pro sports. I think there is a real missed opportunity culturally and financially for those sports in question, and further the American Hispanic community to participate in individual Olympic sports like Track and Swimming which are character/discipline building sports with significant payoffs for life in general.
Maybe for them character/discipline building is family, work and helping their elderly parents.
Different people have different priorities.
Sports are expensive and time consuming. Only a very small percentage became stars.
Going to school and helping or starting a business is more satisfying.
As I watch the NCAA Track and Field Championships it struck me that there are precious few Hispanic competitors at the elite level or in competition in general. Where and why is the system failing Hispanics while Black and Anglo competitors flourish?
There is no "system" that is "failing Hispanics". There just isnt any interest to pursue that particular sport. As elnina perfectly pointed out in post #3 they pursue other sports like baseball, boxing and soccer. I friends here in Los Angeles who compete and play olympic level tabletop tennis but they are all Chinese. There is no tabletop tennis association that failed local white, black and latinos in our community by not getting them involved. They play. They play in the local leagues, they just arent as serious about as others so they arent in the championships. Its all about interest.
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It's the same reason that you find very few (if any) Asians on any NFL football team, and not many in the NBA. Much of it has to do with the traditional sports in various countries, and not wanting to learn and train for a new sport. Latinos grow up with soccer, and/or baseball, and there is very little Ice Hockey or Curling in Latin American countries. I recently had the opportunity to try lawn bowling here in Seattle and found it to be great fun. I had never even heard of it before, but it's apparently very popular in the UK, Canada and some other countries.
I think that in a world where kids are increasingly specializing in one sport that track and field events were almost a traditional off season sport for American football players. With athletic boards limiting the amount of football practice time and athletes needing time to recover from taking hits many migrate to the track for their off season training. And once there many become track and field specialist are dropping football which got them to the track to cross train in the first place.
With professional money increasingly exceeding NFL levels , and professional status as the Olympics dropped the amateur's code we are seeing fewer world class track athletes return to football, with its injury potential, as a profession/college scholarship fund. So the most famous footballer/world's fastest man in my life time , Bob Hayes continuing as a pretty good football player instead of remaining on the track isn't happening anymore.
Hispanics have played golf at the highest level for some time. Perhaps track and field is less appealing to them as it is me.
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