In Black and White

In this compact volume, Kenneth L. Shropshire confronts prominent racial myths head-on, offering both a descriptive history of and prescriptive solutions for the most pressing problems currently affecting sports. Interestingly, Shropshire reveals how sports were once much less segregated than they later became - after white players and owners felt threatened by the presence and abilities of black competitors. In the insular world of sport, characterized by a feeder system through which former players often move up to become coaches, managers, executives, and owners, blacks are eminently qualified. For example, after decades of active involvement with their sport, they often bring to the table experiences more relevant to the black players who make up the majority of professional athletes. Given the centrality of sport in American life, it is imperative that the industry be a leader, not a laggard, in the arena of racial equality. Informed by Frederick Douglass's belief that "power concedes nothing without a demand," In Black and White casts its net widely, dissecting claims of colorblindness and reverse racism as self-serving, rhetorical camouflage and scrutinizing professional and collegiate sports, sports agents, and owners alike. No mere polemic, however, the volume looks optimistically forward, outlining strategies of interest to all those who have a stake, professional or otherwise, in sports and racial equality.