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2.14: Biology vs Geography

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    212640
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    Biology vs Geography

    Geographers will readily admit that biology probably does explain a small part of the racial biases evident in sport, but mapping the origin of world-class athletes in various sports strongly supports an alternate theory. In places where a passion for a particular sport motivates large numbers of people to hone a specific skill, exceptional athletes in that sport almost inevitably emerge. Once “stars” are identified from a region, aspiring youngsters (and their parents) from those regions quickly identify local role models, prompting legions of youth to attempt to emulate their local heroes. When a local star athlete (or rock star, or movie star) emerges from a region, it provides critical information about necessary strategies for success. As the number of entrants into a talent pool increases, competition creates pressure to excel, creates additional knowledge about viable success pathways, and invites again more entrants. The pattern has a tendency to create a local virtuous circle; a type of positive feedback loop. Processes such as this are of great interest to geographers studying a wide variety of subjects.

    Jamaica 4 by 4 relay team

    Figure Berlin, Germany. The Jamaican 4x100 meter relay team won gold in the world championship demonstrating the power of the cultural obsession with sprinting in Jamaica.

    Jamaica and Sprinting

    Evidently, a virtuous circle has emerged in Jamaica where numerous world-class sprinters competing in track and field events have emerged. A lot of people have offered explanations how a tiny country like Jamaica could come to dominate sprinting events. Of course, some would suggest genetics. One study pointed to the effects of the high concentration of aluminum oxides in Jamaican soils. However, a study of high-profile US and Jamaican athletes found that neither group had an unusual genetic profile. The popular statistician/journalist Malcolm Gladwell makes a far more compelling spatially based argument. He notes that since running has the lowest entry barrier of any sport, it is attractive to people in the world’s poorest countries. What sets Jamaica apart is the national passion for the sport. One of the first great runners from Jamaica, Arthur Wint, became a national hero in the 1940s, and his popularity encouraged tens of thousands of young Jamaicans to copy him. The United States, with a population more than 100 times greater than Jamaica’s, dominated sprinting for much of the 20th century, but in recent years, exceptionally speedy American youngsters (especially boys) increasingly have other, more lucrative, pathways to success. Fast boys in the US are more likely to play football than to run track. American girls rarely dream about playing in the NFL, and the monetary rewards for competing in Olympic sports are so small that in the US, the logical thing to do is to focus on getting good grades.

    Athletic people everywhere are drawn to sports because they enjoy playing them, but the lure of fame, and especially fortune, create additional incentives to excel. An analysis of the origins of pro football and basketball players strongly suggests that sports are viewed as a viable path to economic security in places where opportunities to move up the socio-economic ladder are limited and/or poorly understood. Maps of per capita production of NFL and NBA players demonstrate significant over-representation of players from poor and working-class locations. Factory towns in the Midwest, inner-city locations and impoverished rural areas in the Deep South produce a disproportionate number of professional football and basketball players.

    men playing football .png

    Figure Agoura CA. Many of the exceptionally athletic boys in the US often play youth football, baseball or basketball because there is a chance to play in college or professionally, however unlikely


    2.14: Biology vs Geography is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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