Why are blacks better sprinters than whites?

Yes it has
Think about it . Black people at the time were TRAINED to be slaves . This didn't just happen for just one or two generations . It happened for many many more

Let's dispel a couple of myths here:

Diet - can't be a factor because, in the world of high level athletics, diets are all uniquely tailored to the athlete's needs. Is it really plausible that black athletes know about a secret sprinting diet that they're collectively hiding from white athletes? No. Furthermore, Black athletes from many different countries have been successful sprinters.

Slavery - there are 8 Nigerian athletes who have broken the 10 second barrier, and others from Ghana, Zimbabwe and Namibia (compared to one white athletes). If sprinting ability was down to 'selective breeding' of slaves, then it wouldn't be present in West African countries - it would only occur in the descendants of slaves. The genetic advantage appears to be possessed by those of West African descent, and is therefore present in both West African nations and in black populations descended from slaves.

Geography question: Is West Africa particularly elevated? I was under the impression it wasn't, and that those people talking about altitude are actually confusing West African sprinters with East African distance runners. As sprinting is primarily anaerobic, the benefits to aerobic capacity that result from living and training at altitude surely shouldn't have that much of an effect?

So if I make a derogatory statement about white people on this forum and then claim I'm joking and people need to lighten up, that's fine, is it?

Use your common sense and choose your audience accordingly, you wouldn't tell jokes about black people in downtown Harlem would you?

I'm not some left-wing hippy, my sense of humour is very dark but there's a time and a place for it and a serious discussion amongst strangers is not it.

Please, don't base a whole argument on a BBC article.

Studies have shown black people to have a higher proportion of type 2 (fast twitch) muscle fibres than caucasians.

Probably because they would be less civil over that matter. While wielding weapons. Racism shouldn't be judged by what area code you're in.

You say there is a time and a place but you're on a internet forum?
If there ever was an opportunity for someone to tell a racist joke without repercussion it would be now.

Stop taking it so seriously or learn to ignore the ignorant people.

Regarding slavery, Nigerian sprinters may have broken the 10 sec barrier, but African-Americans (descendants of slaves) in the USA and Jamaican (used to be slaves) are the best sprinters in the world.

So it could be down to an improvement in already good genes.

What do you call a bunch of white guys sitting on a bench? The 100meter finals.

Black sprinters generally train at higher altitudes in their country (such as south Africa). So they find it easier in the UK and USA with lower altitudes and we find it harder in their countries with higher altitudes.


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LOL but tbh I don't believe Black people are physically superior to other races, I think it's down to the difference in environments. I think people do way more exercise in Africa compared to western countries due to the lack of transport and wide spaces etc.. If it were the other way around i think we wouldn't be the best when it comes to sports

It's not blacks in general, it's a few particular tribes from West Africa. Top white sprinters will happily trounce other tribes and East Africans in particular (who happen to be good long distance runners), but there is a small sub-group of West Africans who are especially good runners.

(It was also these people who ended up being taken to the Americas by the slave trade and make up the majority of good sprinters from these countries)

Many different black tribes originating from different parts of Africa are in fact scarcely related to each other, often having more heritage in common with different ethnicities like Europeans and Asians than other Africans. Blacks are not a single ethnicity, despite all having dark skin. (The dark skin is more due to the climate of the regions they have inhabited for millennia rather than ethnicity)

LOL but tbh I don't believe Black people are physically superior to other races, I think it's down to the difference in environments. I think people do way more exercise in Africa compared to western countries due to the lack of transport and wide spaces etc.. If it were the other way around i think we wouldn't be the best when it comes to sports

I don't think there's any provable statistical significance there - given that the USA and Jamaica have a far bigger tradition in sprinting and programs to bring through talented sprinters (along with more money for coaches, training facilities and high tech kit), there are enough other factors there for me to doubt that an average black American has any genetic advantage over an average Ghanaian. It's possible, but it seems unlikely - the difference is drastically less noticeable than the fact that only one white man has ever run 100m under 10 seconds compared to scores of black men.

LOL. I ran out of reps but that made my day



Lighten up, it's clearly a joke

Is this a joke? Have you ever been to 'Africa' (a huge continent with several different countries)? Lack or transport and wide spaces...? I think you're either imagining a desert, or you've been watching too mich Comic Relief

I think you quoted the wrong post, as your response and my post don't seem to bear much relationship to one another. It looks like Royale's post you're interested in.

Is this a joke? Have you ever been to 'Africa' (a huge continent with several different countries)? Lack or transport and wide spaces...? I think you're either imagining a desert, or you've been watching too mich Comic Relief. Environment is not the key factor at all.

A joke at the expense of black people. Racism is racism.