The skin race
\"Do white people get more media coverage in track?\"
This was one of the topics discussed amongst athletes at Drake Relays 2007.The question, Is the media pushing for certain races over others? \"DO CERTAIN RACES (nationalities) GET MORE PUBLICITY DEPEDING ON THEIR RACE (event)?
Indoors 2007, Nick Symmonds, won the men’s 800. This was an awesome defeat for him for several reasons, but one of the biggest was the simple fact that he came from a Division III School. The next month he was the cover page of the renowned magazine TRACK AND FIELD NEWS. He also had various other interviews in other magazines following his victory.
Many claimed he received the coverage not because he won, but because he is a white person running in a predominately black event. Individuals also claimed the time he ran to win indoors didn\'t necessarily grant him all the media coverage he received.
My question is did he receive more media coverage because he came from a small school or because he is a white? Would he receive the same media coverage if he were another nationality? What if he was black and came from a small school? Were there hidden endows in the title \"score one for the little guys?\"
The same instance goes for Jermey Wariner. Obviously Jeremy is on a completely different level, he is not only just a U.S. Champion but added to his résumé are World and Olympic Champion so he when has hype around his name it’s definitely justified...but does he get more hype/publicity because the color of his skin?
Now in both of these instances, I\'ve shown examples where the race it’s self (event) was a predominately black race with a white winner. So what does it look like in an event that is predominately white with a black winner? For instance the men\'s or women’s pole-vault...if there was a black winner would they get all if not more hype because they would be the only black athlete in their event?
Perfect examples athletes getting media coverage based on their race are tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Tennis is not the same sport but the same principle applies. Did Venus and Serena get more publicity because of the color of their skin? I believe they did with regards to another point. At first everyone wanted to see the sisters (no pun intended) play! How could a black person be good at tennis? Black people who never even watched tennis before tuned in to see them play.
Now let me emphasis my second point that increased media coverage based solely on skin color is temporary and the effects are short. After the hype has died down you either have to keep having outstanding performances or keep yourself in the spotlight.
A comparable example would be a celebrity hooking up with another celebrity right before the movie premiere. Yes it creates a lot buzz for the new movie but once the movie plays in theaters if its a bad movie it’s going to flop regardless off all the hype built up before the showing.
In conclusion after much thought I don\'t think race (skin color) is the determining factor of why some people get more publicity than others. Be it looks, the way they interview or their personality. I think some people just stand out to the media more than others.
At the 2004 Olympics, Shawn Crawford received more T.V. time than any other track athlete by sheer personality and shock. He did everything from run against animals to actually running a race with a baseball cap backwards! He knew how to make the cameras laugh and by the end of the Olympics he was a household name. Marion Jones was known for her incredible T.V. interviews. Now Flo Jo, was known for her clothes and Gail Devers for her nails. All these athletes are black but somehow managed to steal the spotlight away from the whole meet.
Another thing to consider is your name. Why do you think so many Musicians/Actors switch their name? Once, I was able to grab 5 seconds extra of T.V. time on ESPN because the interviewer was gushing about how cool my name is. He said it three times!!!!
So it’s all about catching the audience and Medias attention. Because in reality, athletes are a form of entertainment and if you don’t entertain people they will tune you out.
Thanks for reading,
LOLO JONES