Introduction

The research on African American athletes generally focuses on negative and socially controversial themes, such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, and exploitation. Moreover, there is no shortage of studies that contrast African American and Caucasian athletes on a number of variables that support prevailing elitist stereotypes and which denigrate African American athletes. Research and analysis based on a one-dimensional conception of African American sports experiences seriously distort the reality of those experiences. It is crucial to develop a more comprehensive cultural approach when investigating African American involvement in competitive sports. A major premise that permeates many of the current investigations about race in sport is the assumption that, collectively, African Americans view sport from the same perspective. Sport participation is very much a part of African American male socialization. However, sport has taken on particular importance in America's poorer African American neighborhoods.