Scheduled for Sociocultural Aspects of Physical Activity II Free Communications, Friday, April 4, 2003, 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM, Convention Center: 304


Perceptions of Success in Professional Baseball: A Photo-Elicitation Study

Lettie González, Kent State University, Kent, OH and E. Newton Jackson Jr., Florida A &M University, Tallahassee, FL

Racism and discrimination are power tools that are often institutionalized. The general perception exists that people can be categorized based on skin color and other physical characteristics. In sports, for example, the perception is that Blacks are over-represented in basketball because of physical characteristics. This study investigated what people perceive to be the attributes that contribute to success in professional baseball, as related to race/ethnicity, using photo-elicitation methods by means of a survey. The sample consisted of about 800 undergraduate students enrolled in an entry level, required course at four large public state universities across the United States. Data analysis indicates that white players are seen as successful in baseball due to socio-economic factors; Blacks are seen as successful due to physiological factors; and Latinos fall somewhere in between Blacks and Whites when looking at scores on individual factors, but mirror Blacks when looking at order of importance of factors. In all, the perceptions that stereotypical traits determine success in baseball remain.

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