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| Best-selling novelist, Rhoden, could be a potential interviewee |
So the current front-runner for my Junior theme topic is, "Why is the NBA 85% African-American?" Yes, this is subject to change, as other options come about and others fade, but I think this is a very interesting topic for a variety of reasons.
First off I love basketball, especially the NBA. For this reason it won't be hard to stay interested and focused on my research. I love watching it, but I also like learning about earlier eras and how the game has changed. Secondly, I believe that this "why" question doesn't have a right answer. While some may immediately conclude that this phenomenon is a testament to physical superiority, I believe that there are also cultural, economic, and historical factors that apply to this open-ended question. Or perhaps I could try to prove in my paper as to why black people are better athletes, tracing it back hundreds of years to slavery. I could compare the NBA now to what it was in the 1950's- or perhaps even earlier when black people weren't even in the league.
This could also be a terrific interviewing opportunity. I could talk to former basketball players, maybe even former Bulls players, about their experiences in the NBA and any racial hurdles they had to face. I could talk to players who didn't make it far playing basketball and draw a claim in my paper as to why. Or I could take a different path completely and could interview writers like, William C. Rhoden, who have already tackled the debate of the black athlete to get an expert's outlook.
This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more posts strikingly similar to this one. Baer, out.
This is a fascinating topic, Casey, and I think you'll find some really interesting stuff about this. I almost wrote a blog post about this idea, but it was too complex and controversial to tackle in such a limited space, so I'm happy someone is writing extensively about it. Like you said, there is no way African American superior physical prowess is the one and only reason for the high amount of black athletes today. Some things that you may find out (or already have) could include socioeconomic background, the prominent demographic in lower-income areas, and how popular basketball is in these areas and why that is...possibly price? You don't see a bunch of poor kids playing hockey, yet it's possible you can imagine poor kids playing basketball; all you need is a hoop and a ball. You might be able to learn about an entire subculture feeding into the NBA, and I'm excited to see what you find.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see where this goes, too. How about a single sentence from Rhoden or some other source to analyze and pique your readers' curiosity?
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