In my years of observing runners from a Jamaican point of view,
I have to say that they seem to be two Black running Dynasties:
In the middle to long distances: Kenyans & Ethiopians
In the sprints: Jamaicans
Even today it appears to me that when I watch the top-level sprinters it seems either they are Born in JA or have JA parents / grandparents.
Just an observation.
They needed foot massagers they just werent given them. The current makeup of African AMericans is not the same as that group that initally came over (not to distance ourselves from them) and that theory of they took the strongerst and left the weaker ones in Africa is so rediculous if you knew anything about the slave trade, read a little (i know u might not think it's ur culture but in some small way it is and you'll be a better person forit)
All of your arguments about the social and cultural aspects that drive individuals to different events are valid, but you really ought to acknowledge the science, too. It's not racist to say that different groups of people from around the world have different bone, muscular and cardiovascular structures in accordance with their ancesteral heritage and the environments and survival requirements of those heritages.
If, in a hypothetical situation, you had equal opportunity, motivation, etc., as I proposed in my training group argument, you still would have results trends based on these physical factors. Sure there would be exceptions. Yes you would have white kids who could become 10-flat 100 runners or 28-foot long jumpers. Yes, you'd have African-American (West African descent) kids who could become 3:50 milers and 27:40 10k runners ... BUT the TRENDS would still favor those groups best physically suited.
Right now almost ALL of the top 100 meter times in history are from blacks of West African descent. A lesser, but still great majority of 3k, 5k and 10k top times (for men, especially) are from East and North Africans.
Give everyone equal opportunity and motivation, then those results would be less skewed ... but they would still be skewed.
A perfect example of what i'm trying to say would be my friend who is a 10:30 sprinter. His mom is white and his dad is mixed ( AFrican aMErican /white) but because he is mixed he is automatically termed black and that is used to explain his speed?. THe gene pool of AFrican Americans is so mixed that theorising is useless. I really dont think they'd be that different and I don tthink the evidence is very scientific because it begins with a flawed presumtions. I guess this is one of the situations where we'll have to agree to disagree but i do see why u believe what u do.
A thought to ponder, until 300yrs ago the world was comprised of many closed societal groups. With the advent of man being able to move more easily thoughout the world
these once closed areas now were open (Japan, Africa,
South America,ETC). Information was now being exchange
from group to group. Today, an idea can be transmitted
in a nanosecond throughout the world, then a letter with
that same thought took months to travel. The concept of
a global village, no boundries , except by those who
wish to stop the flow of information or a perpetuation
of the status quo in their group, should see each person
as Mankind, not the reflection of his small closed group.
Well, what I'm really trying to diseminate is a major (not complete, mind you) explanation of why things are the way they are. There are other reasons. More important, I guess, is what you do with that info and how you percieve it. I'm certainly not for putting limits on anyone and I'm as global-village and Unity-in-diversity as anyone. Heck, we ALL came from Africa originally ...
Science can help perpetuate racism or break it down, depending how people use it. I find Entine's research fascinating and useful, but that does NOT mean I would say to a African-American 15-year-old girl that wants to run the 5k, "Don't do it, you'll never be any good."
You know, this is kind of crude, but maybe it's like saying, yeah, a cheetah is usually going to be faster than a tiger. They both represent the evolution of the cat family, but they are different, even as much as they are alike in many fundamental ways. Bad explanation? I don't know...
cheetahs and tigers are evolved into different species, humans arent, that evolution took thousands of years human were always interacting and our gene pool is really mixed.
Man, some of the responses to this thread have gone in directions of their own!
In the last half of VIPAM's response lies the answer to why more black American women aren't distance runners. Role models, encouragement from those whose opinions we value, proper guidance and opportunity describe how we get involved in most anything of substance. It certainly helps to have somebody there to say, "Hey, why not try this," or, "I think you could be a good runner. Meet me after school," as examples.
The same question could be asked about other, what I'll call, 'underrepresented' minorities.
It makes all the difference in the world if there are mentors out there looking for kids to turn onto running. To borrow a phrase from the real estate world, what can really turn a kids head are: role models, role models, role models.