How Announcers Talk Differently About White and Black Basketball Players
- 10 years ago
As college basketball season ensues with March Madness, an article written by Jonathan Chait turns an eye on the different kinds of attention given by sports announcers to Caucasian college basketball players compared with their African American peers. The white players that succeed are talked about by announcers with clarifications about their ability to play.
As college basketball season ensues with March Madness, an article written by Jonathan Chait turns an eye on the different kinds of attention given by sports announcers to Caucasian college basketball players compared with their African American peers.
According to Chait, the superlatives announcers use to describe successful white players are often quite different.
For example, when announcers talk about a University of Michigan player named Nik Stauskas, they reportedly always mention that he is not just a shooter, which is a stereotype of white players.
Chait’s article is quoted as saying: “White people simply have certain preconceptions, and preconceptions make you see the things you expect to see and miss the things you don't.”
Another example in the report compares two similar players a couple of years apart, also both from the University of Michigan, one white and one black player.
The back story of the white player getting into shape to play for the team is brought up frequently as a remarkable achievement, while the story of the black player who also built muscle and is an engineering major is left out by the sports announcers.
Another article from Sports on Earth also points out how white players are more easily praised or criticized than black players in college basketball.
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As college basketball season ensues with March Madness, an article written by Jonathan Chait turns an eye on the different kinds of attention given by sports announcers to Caucasian college basketball players compared with their African American peers.
According to Chait, the superlatives announcers use to describe successful white players are often quite different.
For example, when announcers talk about a University of Michigan player named Nik Stauskas, they reportedly always mention that he is not just a shooter, which is a stereotype of white players.
Chait’s article is quoted as saying: “White people simply have certain preconceptions, and preconceptions make you see the things you expect to see and miss the things you don't.”
Another example in the report compares two similar players a couple of years apart, also both from the University of Michigan, one white and one black player.
The back story of the white player getting into shape to play for the team is brought up frequently as a remarkable achievement, while the story of the black player who also built muscle and is an engineering major is left out by the sports announcers.
Another article from Sports on Earth also points out how white players are more easily praised or criticized than black players in college basketball.
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