Why are blacks not able to swim as well as whites?

Question

Blacks run better, and everyone accepts this and says this without crying "Racist!"- so don't pull that card with me. I can not think of one single great black swimmer- they're always white. What about whites makes them good swimmers, and what puts blacks at a disadvantage? I've read their bones are denser, but I'm not sure.

Answer 1

OK..lets answer this one once and for all Al Campanas Jr.
It was him who got in trouble for remarks, wasnt it???
We are excellent swimmers, and have bouyancy...
If you want to be good/great in any sport, you have to start at a young age and have the proper equipment and facilities available. Not many blacks have excess to pools yr round. Weather has a lot to do with it, as in having your own pool in your back yard as a youth. I was fortunate enough to have grown up in Hawaii...My families home in Georgia we happened to have a pool...I consider myself an excellent swimmer because of that...OPPORTUNITY...My mom was a great swimmer (not Olympic) but in college and as a lifeguard. We all were thrown in a pool at birth. Not a basketball court...FACILITY...And now not to sound like a reverse racist but, because we play a lot of basetball, football, and other contact sports as children we are scouted for those sports...Most never think about youth swim teams...Thus more white children are scouted at young ages and groomed...And thats that...Open more pools (in door)
like other neighborhoods, not just ones jammed with a thounsand people on a hot afternoon, offer more intructions on the basics and the talent will come through. Its like tennis...give the person the facility, opportunity at a young age and there would be more William sisters...

Answer 2

There are quite a few answers to that. Alot of the answers already submitted have some truth to it.
(Now, this is coming from a teenaged black/hispanic-mixed girl who has interest in competitive swimming.)

First, Swimming is an expensive sport. If you don't know how to swim, like me, you'd have to pay for swim classes, a personal trainer for both swimming AND general fitness, and some times you might need a membership to someplace like the YMCA or any other place that has an indor swimming pool that one could use year-round. Also, you'd need top-of-the-line gear and workout equipment.

Second, there is a thing with body structure. Now, I, being a girl, don't really have that problem since almost all females are built to flow and be flexible so females don't have much problem moving through water, whether they be white or black. But black males usually aren't as nimble as white males. Black males rely on force when it comes to swimming, so they usually get tired after a short period of time.

Third, (And yes, I know nobody wants to hear this) It can be a racial thing on BOTH parts. Some blacks think they're to masculine to swim, and some whites think blacks aren't good enough. (Note that I said SOME) So blacks don't take the time to see if they COULD do it. Even those who don't think it's a manly sport (I guess they notice the swimwear? Heheh...) could actually be quite talented with swimming.

So, actually, It's an all-round issue. There are more points I could explain, but chores await me...^^; It's not just any one issue. It's many little issues that pile up.

Answer 3

It isnt that they arent good at swimming its just swimming is a very expensive sport and sometimes not being racists. Collen Jones from the USA is now the 50 freestyle world record holder hes black it just has prodamanetly been a whiite sport. there are a lot of fast black swimmers another example the south african 4 x100 freestyle relay was the world recorder holder until the olympics in 2004 that whole relay team was black. it is just really the cost of the sport that makes it less a sport black people do.

Answer 4

by way of fact the people who say this are idiots. hiya, there are fairly some white people who won't have the capacity to swim the two. what's even worse is that a number of the two the whites and the blacks will spend an afternoon on the sea coast with their households and anybody's having a sturdy time and their young infants are floating around on tubes and then unexpectedly they get caught contained in the rip tide and that they start to be at as quickly as taken out to sea and there is no lifeguard and not one of the adults recognize a thank you to swim? What then? i do no longer recognize how many cases contained in the previous that i've got analyze this very component truly happening. actual fantastic. remark to Acidrain: So people are retarded huh? Is the occasion of your writing an occasion of what the faculties in Brazil instruct their pupils approximately puncuation? if so, it is not say very plenty approximately BrazilI.

Answer 5

I don't know about the bones thing, but I do know that there are much fewer black swimmers where I'm from than white. There are good black swimmers from other countries where african american is the culture most of the population has.
There really is no disadvantage, either, other than there are so much fewer of them.

Answer 6

Who cares whether swimmers are black or white or any other colour? They're all from the human race.

In my opinion, inborn physical attributes are not quite as importance as the effort you put in to improve your performance in the sport. So long as you work hard at swimming, you'll do well, no matter what your colour.

I don't see why quite a number of Americans must continually divide things along racial lines. It sounds really awful to non-Americans.

Answer 7

Anthony Ervin 2000 Sydney Olympics won a gold medal in the 50m freestyle (he tied Gary Hall Jr) 1 silver 4X100 freestyle relay. 2001 World FINA Championships 1st place- 50m and 1st place-100m freestyle. He also won multiple NCAA championships with University of California Berkly.

He then retired from swimming 2004, but is thinking of competing in the 2008 Olympics. He's still involved with Swimming

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/2005-05-08-ervin-notes_x.htm

Another black swimmer making a name in swimming is Cullen Jones. He swam as part of the 1st place 4x100 USA Freetyle. He will be a contender in the 50m freestlye.

http://www.usoc.org/132_48530.htm

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/swimming/news/story?id=2811813&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

You see the culture of sports plays a big roal in deciding what sport people choose based on their parents and role models. Just ask your self why so many of todays boxers are mainly from Russia/ Eastern Europe or Hispanic.

Finally name the gold medal winner 400m or the 110m hurdles How about the women's 100m.

Answer 8

Cullen Jones is a good sprinter..............not all african americans cant swim as well as whites and dont believe that they're bones are denser!!!!!!!!!they're the same as white people structurally............i actually think that all the african americans were good at all the other sports like basketball baseball and football that they didnt even try swimming

Answer 9

there was one in the men's relay team. Who was the first one every to receive a medal in swimming. And silver in the 50m.
I believe also their was a kenya who became the first kenya ever to make world championships this year.
I wander this question once myself. I have read that in the slave days swim meant they could escape.
I have also heard of not liking there hair wet mostly with girls and women

There also girl born in Ethiopia Who double amputee, adopted by a white American family who found she had a gift in swimming and could represent American in the Paralympics in 5 years time. She learn swimming by watch her adopted family swim.
If your parents never learn to swim then they can't teach you to swim so they have to rely on someone else to teach their children
To compete at Olympic level you also have to be committed to going to the pool at least 4 days a week before sunrise to train for hour or 2.

Answer 10

The question should be why are there so few blacks in swimming - also diving, figure skating, and hockey. Given the opportunity, I'm sure they would be just as good in these sports as any other race of humans. So what's keeping them out?