Background/Purpose Research has indicated that ethnicity plays a role in shaping identity, that some sports are deemed more compatible for people of a particular ethnicity, and that identity and stereotypes may influence physical activity behavior. This study extends previous research through exploration of ethnicity stereotypes associated with physical activities and the effects of these stereotypes on interest and participation.
Method Data were collected from 13 college students (7 European-American, 6 African-American, 1 Latino; 7 female, 6 male) through semi-structured interviews. Topics included ethnicity stereotypes associated with particular activities, ‘typical' participants in those activities, and characteristics of activities associated with a particular ethnicity.
Analysis/Results Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were initially analyzed using open, line-by-line coding and organized into themes and concepts through axial coding. Results indicated that participants perceived basketball and sprinting as predominantly African-Americana activities, while skiing, canoeing, and distance running were identified as predominantly European-American activities. When describing shared characteristics of activities associated with a particular ethnicity, speed and power were associated with African-Americans, while endurance and the outdoors were associated with European-Americans. Analyses also indicated that African-American participants were more comfortable discussing the implications of race and ethnicity for participation than were European-Americans.
Conclusions Differential participation rates by ethnicity in certain activities may be both reflective of stereotypes about the activity and reinforce these stereotypes. This cycle may further inhibit participation by individuals who perceived a given activity as being most suitable for persons of another ethnicity.