Why do black people have weak ankles?

Question

Somebody asked this question (said his Uncle had told him this) in the last couple of days and I happened to stumble across it and pretty much every person jumped down this guys throat, calling him an idiotic racist.
I just want to say that I am not an idiot, nor a racist and I have stumbled across this theory before too. Actually have heard it out of the mouths of black people, sometimes players themselves. I have even come across some literature on the subject before, that cited studies etc. Whether that makes it true or not is another matter and I could care less but I just thought it was overboard how some people hopped all over this poster.
It is obvious that blacks and whites have different body make-ups so it is not so beyond the realm of possibilities? White people have no back-sides. Should I be offended by that as a white person? I don't think so. White people can't dance usually. Doesn't offend me. Hair is different etc, etc.........

Anyways, some of you need to lighten up. Like I said, I have seen studies and literature on the subject so I don't think it was such a terrible question.
Anyways, I am going to go back through some books I have here and try to find some of this to support that I am not just making it up.

Jenni- I have the same problem LOL

Dan, as I said, I don't really care either, the only reason I bring it up is because someone was scolded for asking when I have seen the theory have merit.
Basketball etc. is different from hockey, it is vertical force on the calfs and ankles, while hockey requires horizontal force.
Reminds me of the saying and the movie by the same name "White Men Can't Jump"- THAT has truth to it as well but yet we aren't all up in arms about it.

Moose- It stemmed from the weak ankles leading to less balck hockey players. that is the hockey tie-in from the guys question.

OK- I found some literature. A book called "Black Sportsmen" by Ernest Ellis Cashmore.

Cashmore is a leading writer in both leisure studies and the sociology of race. In this fascinating work he uses his expertise to explore the problems and contradictions faced by black sportsmen.

More to come................

AMDD- I have no idea what you just said.

Also, I am not trying to be funny, I have read this in places. I'll find some stuff here soon.

For his article, "An assessment of black is best', Kane assembled copious data and marshalled the support of medical scientists, coaches and sportsmen. The result is an argument organized in 3 categories, all of which connect the idea that sporting superiority is racially linked. This in itself of course, is highly problematic since the concept of race is regarded by contemporary social scientists as, at best, misleading, at worst, viciously destructive to understanding. The argument therefore ..................

Kane's first category of race linked physical and physiological characteristics........he dilineates them as follows: longer leg lengths, narrower hips, wider calf bones, and greater arm circumference among black atletes than white athletes, a greater amount of tendon to muscle among blacks, giving rise to the condition commonly termed double jointedness, a relatively dense bone structure, a basically elongated body structure among blacks, enabling them to function....

as more effective heat dissipators than white athletes.........................................his evidence for the above assertions was collected from a collection of athletes who had already achieved a level of success, in other words, from athletes that had already "made it." The attempt was not to take the total from the total black population but the minority of sportsmen with proven excellence. The absence of black swimmers was explained by Kane as bone and muscle density, distribution of fat and small lung capacity. Cold climates were found to affect blacks adversely due to their body fat defeciencies, weak ankles would account for less hockey players, etc. In short, genetic factors...........

Spud, Emery recently said in an interview that he started out playing defence but suffered a couple of ankle injuries to which he added " You know us brothers and our weak ankles.."

So, all I am saying here is that there have been scientific claims of this, like I said, I could care less if they are true or not BUT to chastised someone for asking about it is a little off base. I can see why you would automatically assume racism but to me, that is what fuels the racist fire.

Counterpet- No, my uncles are pretty strong. Brainiac.

Lubers- All points well taken. You are probably right in hindsight, it probably was the askers intent.
I also fully agree that that it has little to do with it. I think we don't see more black hockey players because it is a cultural thing, not because of "weak ankles" but I had just remembered reading studies that made the claim.
What really hit home for me though, is the fact that you are more than likely right that I have gone to all this trouble to defend what is probably a racist putz BUT I guess I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Good answer. Am I ever feeling like that was a wasted effort now. Thanks alot.

Lubers- Like I said though, it is not vertical force on the ankles. Surely you have seen the studies pertaining to.....the term is escaping me-it is the theory that black athletes are better because dating back to the slaves, only the strongest survived, thus making their generations stronger in many aspects........brain freeze, can't remember the term. I personally don't see why it seems so taboo to discuss such things. IMO, it can be done without being racist. The color aspect doesn't even cross my mind. To me it is the same as discussing why Canadians play hockey so well, why doesn't Switzerland play hockey etc.......

Answer 1

I kind of jumped on the guy, but there is a huge difference between your question and the question that was asked previously. IMO, the first question was asked for "shock" value and was posed by someone who is in fact a racist (or someone who wants to come off as appearing to be racist.) Your question on the other hand approaches the same subject but provides some issues to discuss.

With that said, I cannot see how weak ankles would effect a hockey player more so than a running back in football or a basketball player. Hockey skates offer the most ankle support of any of the four major sports. I really just don't see where the connection is. If black athletes had such problems with their ankles, I would think that the issue would have proliferated itself in the other sports as well.

I believe that the biggest reason you do not see more black hockey players is that they have not been exposed to the game at an early enough age for a variety of reasons. Ed Snider is currently running the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation in the Philly area. They are bringing hockey to inner city schools during school hours. You can google for more details, but it has been in place for just 3-4 years now and has already produced some quality minority hockey players. None are headed to the NHL any time soon but the program is getting the kids interested and has grown each year.


To answer your direct question: No, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that black athletes are limited in their hockey abilities due to weak ankles. I just don't buy that given the fact that black athletes have not shown ankle deficiencies in any other sports.

EDIT: I do not remember the correct term either, but I have heard that slaves were bred selectively based on their physical attributes. I don't feel that it should be taboo to discuss an issue such as this, it is a very legitimate question. I also agree that the primary reason for the lack of black hockey players is cultural. Either hockey wasn't a viable option or hasn't been considered when it was viable.

I had a weak ankle as a kid. In my ankle bender 4 year old hockey picture both of my ankles tilt in the same direction (to the right) instead of in towards each other. If you looked at the picture, you would wonder how the hell I was still standing up. I wore an ankle brace inside of my skate until I was about 10 years old and took skating lessons because of it. It was something that I physically, and my lower middle class family financially, were able to overcome.

I could take a survey or do a study and twist the results to fit anything I want it to fit. Most people of moderate intelligence can do the same. As both an official and a league commissioner, I created statistics and the corresponding argument that showed that the players in our league adapted quickly to the "new standard" USA Hockey adopted last season. What is more realistic is that the players adapted, the officials laxed the required standard and the players got smarter about what they could get away with. Regardless, I made my argument fit and defended it to fit the numbers I produced.

Answer 2

PC has ruined this continent sadly. It's to the point where everyone is so touchy about every little thing. They react as if women, blacks, asians whatever are too weak to handle being offended and go overboard. In turn, for being so protected and guarded, those that are being babied get offended more easily than they should. Blah who needs it all?

Anyway, I don't believe it has anything to do with ankle strength, it's just that they're not generally coming from hockey backgrounds. Hockey is an 'elitist' type of sport as it requires a heck of a lot of money to play, in the past the money has always been in the white neighbourhoods and thus the hockey players were mostly white. When they teach their kids to play the game and love the game, their kids have also been white. The poorer kids would play sports like baseball, soccer, basketball which are far more affordable and so forth. Over time the balance of the economy changes and other people slowly get introduced to other sports and they are more at home in those sports because of it.

There are definitely differences in builds and body shapes between various races for very obvious reasons. Most notably in North America would be selective breeding. It's not popular but it's a fact that slaves were breed to be stronger as workers. The stronger and more muscled slaves were the ones that the owners wanted breeding and genetics would dominate over centuries of breeding this way to weed out most of the weaker members of the group, and producing a larger string of larger and stronger members. People can't handle when Jimmy the Greek spoke the truth about that because of the whole PC garbage but sometimes the truth isn't always flowers and roses.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

I had heard this expression a few hundred times in my lifetime but since I had played hockey with black kids I didn't repeat it. I saw those kids play. And some of them skated better than I did.

As for AMDD suggestion, I didn't think that sickle cell had that effect but then I stopped studying Biology & Chemistry in grade 13 so I'll take your word for it.

I actually have seen plenty of people who have weak ankles. Color never mattered to me. I just knew why they couldn't skate.

Answer 5

Apparently there si some joke that references this, but the condition you and jenni are referring to is sickle cell anemia. It isn't directly related, and I'll spare you the anatomy story, but it can have an impact on ossification, making bones weaker. The weak ankle schpiel is a twist on something that could be based in fact, that often times lends itself to the wrong kind of comments.

Answer 6

Jeez Bob,you got to know that you are stirring up a hornets nest with this one. I will tell you about a guy that plays on my team though. Ryan is from Arkansas and tapes his ankles before he puts his skates on.When I asked him about it he said that he has had problems with ankle strength his whole life. He elaborated that every guy that he ever played with had issues with the same thing. This is not a scientific study,but merely an observation of the guys I have played hockey with.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

You my friend are a complete idiot as science has proven that black people have denser bones which is why Caucasian are more prone to osteoporosis. It's called facts now get used to it.

Answer 9

Hi. I'm LITY. Why do Steve Moore's have weak necks?

Answer 10

Who cares if they do, their ankles don't seem to be bad when they are playing basketball or football.