NY Times op-ed: "Jogging Has Always Excluded Black People"

And sprinting "excludes white people". Stupid article.

sick of the race bait wrote:

And sprinting "excludes white people". Stupid article.

Same. And basketball is “stubbornly black” lets give all races a chance. In fact we should make equal rules, all nba teams should have to work out a certain amount of white, Hispanics, and Asian to make it fair

Another "agenda" article lacking in facts and full of bias. No understanding of what the real world is and resorting to "shaming" for shock value.

Olympic 5k medalists are stubbornly East African. I suppose it's because whites are not given equal access to running.

I'd like to see data supporting that jogging poses more danger for blacks. One isolated incident isn't going to do it.

East Coast poor wrote:

I'd like to see data supporting that jogging poses more danger for blacks. One isolated incident isn't going to do it.

The op-ed notes a few other famous incidents, but outside of data, the perception, as reported, by others looking at this question over the years is: generally when you're poor/urban it's not safe to exercise outside of your home. The story below also notes a lack of role models in the sport, which is unfortunate, because the late "Ted Corbitt, was a black American, the grandson of slaves. Corbitt, who died in 2007, was an unassuming man who didn't court the spotlight, but Bill Rodgers has called him the "grandfather of our sport." He competed in the 1952 Olympic Marathon, helped found the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), assisted in designing the first New York City Marathon course in 1970 (then finished fifth at age 51), and held U.S. records in the 25-, 40-, and 50-mile runs."

lol track is the most most geographically and ethnically diverse sport there is. with equal prize money for men and women being standard 100% of the time. And in the US in particular it's full of immigrants and refugees. It's the most diverse sport out there. Look at people like Meb. He's incredibly popular. Or Lopez Lomong. Or idk, almost any sprinter going back to Jesse Ownens.

Danger to jogger, whilst jogging (some gaps bigger than others) from least to most:

White man

Asian/Hispanic man

Black man

Black woman

Asian/Hispanic woman

White woman

Click bait at its finest.

Recreational running is disproportionately white. Must be racism. Only possible conclusion. Not going to give any reasons why. Don't need to. All disparities are due to racism. Period.

All you white runners should be ashamed of yourselves for preventing black people from running. The reason black people don't run is because y'all are driving around in pickup trucks and gunning down any black person who dares to jog. The reason black neighborhoods aren't safe is because of the white people who don't live there.

Two thoughts:

1) yes, jogging and road running is very white in this country, and it could certainly benefit from more inclusion.

2) I'd be curious of the breakdown of the whiteness of NYT readership.

I would try to get all the black kids on the track team to run XC in the Fall after track was over and none of them would ever join. From a place with like zero crime.

They didn’t want to run. Whatever. Move on.

UT grad 2014 wrote:

Click bait at its finest.

But I'd expect it from the NY Times. What I didn't expect it was from Outside mag. Did you see their similar piece from last week, where the author wonders how she'll perform on tv after her black son is gunned down by a fcop?

She really pushed the envelope in that one when she wrote that.

She wrote:

It is time for white people in the running community to take each other to task in spaces and rooms where there are no black people or other people of color. If you, as a white person, ever find yourself in a place where everyone is white or mostly white—including at your workout—then there is a problem and you are perpetuating it.

Arbery was NOT JOGGING!!!

For the love of the god that does not exist, stop saying that he was a jogger!!

rg2 wrote:

sick of the race bait wrote:

And sprinting "excludes white people". Stupid article.

Same. And basketball is “stubbornly black” lets give all races a chance. In fact we should make equal rules, all nba teams should have to work out a certain amount of white, Hispanics, and Asian to make it fair

+100000000000000000

Spelling bees are stubbornly Asian too. Let's give those other races a chance. /s

Articles like this are the best example of bored writers with a victim complex and too much time on their hands

Bio Dome wrote:

Two thoughts:

1) yes, jogging and road running is very white in this country, and it could certainly benefit from more inclusion.

2) I'd be curious of the breakdown of the whiteness of NYT readership.

1) More inclusion? Dafuq?? Have you ever seen someone denied entry to an event because of their skin color? Yeah, that doesn't happen and if it did you know that RD would be publicly shamed, arrested, and probably imprisoned.

2) I'd say probably 99.5%.

I get that running is largely white. However, all the examples given seem to come from people outside the running community harassing runners and not runners themselves.

Also, the line about how the US is just now sending black marathoners to the Olympics is really a silly statement. As everyone here knows, but I am not sure how many NY Times readers know, the US does not "select" the runners who make the team. There are Trials open to anyone who meets set standards. We have sent plenty of black runners in every other event including black men. The oddity of the women's marathon is just that, an oddity. (The only 2 US white male sprinters of note that I can think of are Kevin Little and Jeremy Wariner---okay Matt Bolling).

From my limited experience in running, I have never sensed that a group of runners I have run with would not welcome black runners. We could probably do more to reach out to the community and not just looking for elite athletes (that is really a pretty bigoted viewpoint that all black people can run). Blacks are at much higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease so they could benefit greatly from being more active and running is relatively inexpensive on a per minute basis.

My letter just sent to the Times

I take issue with the recent editorial, Jogging has always excluded black people. The quip about the US just now sending now sending black female marathoners to the Olympics is meaningless, an oddity. The US Olympic track team is chosen from Trials with the fastest in each even being named. There was no decision made by anyone to exclude black female marathoners. It is strange we have not, but it is not excluding anyone based on race. The US has sent black athletes in every track and field event including black male marathoners.

Also, the examples given of harassment and killings are horrible, yet the perpetrators seem not to be runners, but non-runners. Some runners may well carry ill-will; however, I would not blame the act of running or runners for the exclusion. Every runner I know regardless of race or sex has been yelled at, many had items thrown at them. It may well be worse for blacks, but we runners can relate to those issues.

I have been in running communities in many cities across the US, I cannot recall one that was not welcoming of all. Perhaps we (the white majority) could do more to reach out actively, but my experience in the running communities has not been exclusive of anyone.