Why is it different races have different attributes? why are black people so good at athletics?

Question

Why are the japanese so short? etc...........

Answer 1

All down to evolution.
If you check the DNA of anyone you find that they all can be traced back to (I think) about seven common anscestors. As these people developed and moved in different directions from the area in which they originally lived (roughly where the African/Asian continents came together)and they needed to adapt to survive.
Those living in hotter climates either died out or succeeded by developing darker skins. Size, colour etc was as a result of natural selection.
Most races have different biological makeups as a result of this and the results are seen in sports. Those of "african" origin became heavily muscled with larger bone structures, however others did not need to develop in this way and being smaller helped them to survive in the region in which they lived.
You will see this in sport with african origin athletes being good at many physical contact sports and where muscle speed is needed. Muscles in different races do not have the same structure which makes some faster and others more agile. So you dont see many swimmers from African races as they tend to be too heavy etc. You also dont see many heavily muscled races in say tennis - its what your body is good for that determines the sport in which you become excellent.

Answer 2

More correctly, you might say why are so many professional athletes black? No gentic explanation is necessary. Because that's where the money is. Our enlightened, egalitarian culture still won't let a black person be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company (unless they watch him like a hawk). With limited opportunities for advancement, black people will take the opportunities they can get, whether it's sports or hip-hop of drug-dealing. Stereotypes develop out of necessity because peole don't get a fair chance.

As for short Asians, that may be a result of diet. When children of Asian immigrants growup in America, they are often as tall as anyone else.

Answer 3

Wrong, wrong, wrong...
African descended peoples' body are acclimated to warmer climates, this means larger nostrils to get more oxygen from the warmer, thinner air, darker skin to block against the over-production of vitamin D, and less body fat since fat in an insulator. Conversely, peoples who's bodies are acclimated to colder weather, often have lighter skin, smaller nostrils, more body hair, and a higher percentage of body fat. This last trait specifically works against those who need to develop the high power to weight ratio so beneficial in most sports. For the average person, this makes no difference. This TINY benefit only manifests at the highest echelons of athletics; at this level, the SLIGHTEST advantage can often mean victory. If you have ever watched the Olympics, you may notice that, by and large, the "winner" wins by a matter of tenths of a second.
As far as the Japanese are concerned, it is believed that the low protein diet is mostly to blame for their shorter stature. In fact, the current generation, having been exposed to a more western style diet, are taller then their parents.
So to answer your question, differences come from a combination of acclimation to environment over generations (genetics) and cultural factors.

Answer 4

It certainly has something to do with genetics - stocky west african origin make excellent power/sprint athletes. East Africans (Kenya/Ethiopia) have more long distance runners. It has to do with body shape being adapted to the environment.

All that is overlaid by social and political considerations. Boxing, athletics, soccer (outside USA) all have traditionally drawn from poorer (often black) communities. Other sports such as tennis & golf are traditionally rich, middle class sports.

Answer 5

It may not be that black people are so good at athletics as white people are such bad at athlete, Japanese people may not be short but Americans too tall, etc. LOL.

I don't think genetics has anything to do with athleticism or you would see more athletics children in the sports. I think it has to do with practice and coaching.

Answer 6

It is all just a stereotype. There are plenty of white people who would be excellent athletes but do not pursue that endeavour; and there are plenty of black people who would be great scientists but do not pursue that endeavour either. All Asians are not short! How about Yao Ming, the Chinese center for the Houston Rockets? He is taller than most blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Native Americans.

Answer 7

This is simply to stir the pot !
It could be that often being in the category of untermensch either in their native country or as immigrants and many not being too bright, that this is the only way they can excel and get on the road to financial security, therefore they have more drive to succeed in 'sport' than their caucasian peers! In other words they apply themselves harder - not a bad thing!
We all have different talents regardless of race.
I have to state that there is only one race the HUMAN race!
We are all related every single person on the planet is our brother or sister, 'cept for the few who are close family like mum and dad!

Answer 8

This question is about human evolution, but to understand this, the first thing you have to do is completely forget the notion of race, it has no biological basis - it is a nineteenth century concept, which modern molecular genetics has completely destroyed.

If you look at the long-term evolution of human populations from their origin to the present day, then two forces have shaped the way populations have evolved. One of these is natural selection. In part this explains why for example populations living closer to the equator have darker skin, as melanin helps protects the skin from the sun. But this is not the entire answer as for example Native Americans from Alaska also have dark skin despite living far from the equator. The second long-term evolutionary factor which helps explain human diversity, is sexual selection which means preference for certain characteristics. This preference varies between populations, so that a character preferred in one population (e.g. being tall), may not be subject to any sexual selection in another population.

If you look at the Japanese, the long-term effects of natural and sexual selection combined with the fact that they are an island population with a unique language are all factors that serve to isolate them from other populations and lead them to develop physical (& cultural) traits which are different from all other humans. Relatively short stature may be one of these, although of course, not all Japanese people are short.

Returning to 'black' people. Here we are discussing people of African heritage. Ignoring those who moved out of Africa for reasons of migration (forced or otherwise), studies of native African peoples reveals as much differentiation of populations within the continent as between some African populations and peoples from other continents. Again, differing natural and sexual selection, combined with different languages and cultural practices (e.g hunter-gatherer vs farmer) has created a number of populations with unique characteristics.

Regarding athletics, you will have noticed that long-distance runners all tend to come from East African countries and it is no doubt that the combination of evolutionary processes have given rise to populations that have adaptations that make them suitable for this sport. Many (but not all) of the peoples from this region have slender frames and a cultural history of hunting, which might have selected for people with stamina in the chase.

In the case of sprinting, the high achievers have tended to be African-Europeans/Americans and people from the Caribbean. For these people, their heritage was mainly in West Africa - light years away from the big game hunters of the East and of different physical and cultural characteristics. It is possible that there are physical attributes among these African peoples which make them particularly successful in sprinting and allied events and given time, it is possible that some native Africans from this part of the continent will also become world class given the proper access to modern training facilities.

I urge you to read: The rise and fall of the third chimpanzee/guns germs and steel/The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - all by Jared Diamond. These books will more than answer any questions about human evolution, truly dispel the myth of race as a classification of humans and are genuinely fascinating.

Answer 9

it basically comes down to evolution, black people tended to live in areas where hunting is the primary source of food where as white people tended farm earlier due to there natural enviroment, there fore the black people have survived by running and so genitically the strongest survived,

no idea why japanese people are short

Answer 10

It is to do with the achilles tendon make up. Black people also make good boxers because of this, but they don't make good swimmers because of heavy bone density . It's all in genetic make up.