Racial differences in sports performance

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to present data on racial differences in sport performance and (b) to comment briefly on theories, hypotheses and studies, whether they be biological, psychological or sociological in nature, that have attempted to explain the observed differences. Available data are mainly drawn from studies focusing on American professional sports. The results indicate that Afro-American athletes largely dominate the sport scene in a few sports and across a wide range of performance indicators. Although it is impossible at this time to conclude with satisfaction on the causes of racial differences, sociological explanations seem best to explain the observed performance differentials.