Black people faster runners than people of other races. Why?

Question

About 10 years ago during an Olympic Track and Field event in which (I believe) Jackie Joyner Kersy (sp?) was running, the comentator said that black people have a genetic something-something in their hip area that makes them able to run faster than people of other races. Can anyone make an intelligent comment on that? No racial epithets, please.

Answer 1

Short answer: I'm an anthropologist and I'm telling you that there is no extra ligament, no fast twitch muscle, nothing to hip structure. That's all made up. The answer is really easy: If the structure of society is going to keep you down in business and in politics, why bother even trying to get rich that way?

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Long answer: Folks frequently observe that blacks people are dominant in sports, at least in the United States. Why? Ed M and Hans B above are correct. The answer is actually social, not evolutionary.

If you look at the question evolutionarily, there really isn't any evidence lending itself to an explanation of this phenomenon. I mean, there's no scientifically valid evidence suggesting that black people are faster than people of other races (or being able to jump higher or hit harder) due to an evolutionary adaptation.

What information do we actually have? We have only the records of black people's performance in sports. At face value, this is only evidence that black people are good at sports, and not that they are faster in any kind of raw, unbiased way. I mean, if you took a random sample of black people and other races - not just athletes - then you'd probably find that people are all just about equally fast across racial categories. Your average white dude and your average black dude are in all likelihood about equal physically. (There hasn't been any sort of experiment like this to my knowledge, however.)

But it's undeniable that people of African descent are numerically over-represented in many sports, and that in many sports the records are held by black people. But this can be explained in any number of ways. In the United States at least, black people generally have fewer possible opportunities to attain wealth. The disparity in opportunities is a function of historical, structural inequalities, what we call structural racism.

In the past, wealthier, more powerful, and politically influential demographics have tended to believe that black people were more primitive, closer to nature, and less intelligent than other races. This is partially because of the influence of old-school beliefs about evolution. At any rate, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you were raised to (ignorantly) believe that black people were physically more powerful because of their primitiveness you might be less inclined to hire one as your company's accountant, but, yeah, you'd probably think he'd make a good football player.

And so, because of now disproven beliefs, black people have had more chances to succeed in sports (and entertainment) than in business, politics, or other paths to wealth. This restriction on black people's paths to fame and wealth in the US have been reflected culturally as well, in a glorification of the athlete and a greater propensity to try to enter those careers.

Answer 2

I think different races have biological difference. Some of those differences work to an advantage in some areas. Blacks may have a "tendency" to run faster, as a race, not an individual.

Other races may have biological difference that tend to favor other factors from ability to do math, to run long distances better or lift more weights etc.

Those race tendencies do NOT preclude any individual from excelling in any particular endeavor...but each has his/her own particular sets of talents and abilility which may or may not be in the tendency of their race.

So, just because blacks tend to run faster does not mean the fastest guy in the world could not be Asian.

Answer 3

Jeremy Wariner isn't black and he won the US 400meters. Several Germans and Russians have also been at or near the top in speed trials over the years.
Whether you're black or white, the reason you run faster depends on the genes you inherit- some races have a greater potential of posessing those traits. You coulds ask similiarly, why do whites tend to be better swimmers? It isn't a matter of what color or race you are, but what genes you have that determines your body type and build and how succesful you are likely to be at something.
Also, whites are more dominate in middle distance racing so the perception of speed over distance is somewhat relative.
Another point of consideration i've seen brought up as to why there may be a disproportionate amount of black athletes in track and playing running back and skill positions in football is because blacks in general tend to mature faster than their white counterparts. In the 8th grade, for example, when Coach Jones is assembling his team, the average black is farther advanced than the average white, and being so, will be faster and chosen to play at running back or run on the relay team- after that point, it will be hard to unseat him because he'll receive all the training and will continue to mature ahead of the white athlete, who may not catch up until nearly the end of his high school career. That is only a theory , but it is supported by data. Another theory on why blacks are usually good athletes is that in slavery days they were bred to produce stronger individuals and in many instances they were mixed race with white and anytime you cross two substantially different bloodlines the offspring will be especially virile. I'm not saying i buy into all that, its just been suggested by others

Answer 4

He may be right. I've noticed for a while now that black people have been leading the sports world. When you look at basketball, football, tennis, track&field and even golf it seems like black people are physically dominating, but i don't know the scientific reason behind that.

Answer 5

I don't think that there is any proof of that. I think that athletics is more cultural than biological. Take soccer for example. Soccer players are arguably the best athletes there are. If what you were saying were correct, you'd have a different proportion of blacks in soccer than there is. Same thing with hockey. Why haven't black athletes broken in to the hockey scene? Because its mostly a Scandinavian-North American-Russian sport. African countries have a history of running that goes beyond sport. Thats my OPINION though, I have no idea if there is infact scientific evidence to support your query

Answer 6

To start with, not all blacks run faster, just as not all anglos are blonde.

It may have to do with the way the pelvis is shaped and where the muscles can attach.

The main reason that blacks excell in athletics is because it is seen by many as a way out of poverty so they practice more than their anglo counterparts. Same deal for the hispanics in baseball.

Answer 7

Fast Twitch Muscles vs Slow Twitch Muscles. Africans have the fast twitch kind.

Answer 8

I was told by an x ray tech that they also have on the back of there heels there is an extra bone there it helps with running I think that is cool to have that

Answer 9

I've heard its because of the bone structure in the hips and legs.

Answer 10

I would assume it has to do with evolution and chasing and fleeing from those fast animals in Africa to survive. Kenyans own marathons so it is not as simple as "they have fast twitch and we have slow twitch muscles".....