ABSTRACT
That African American athletes, particularly males, dominate or are far over-represented numerically in certain sporting events—or conversely, that European Americans are under-represented in some events—is obvious to even the casual observer. One of the major potential confounding factors when studying differences between groups is to define the groups. The very concept and definition of race is disputed in many quarters. Some authors believe the concept of race is useful in generalizing and communicating about genetically different groups of humankind, while others view it as invalid, transient, and undefinable. Proportionality, the relationships of body segments and dimensions, have been compared relative to race. It is now generally accepted that African Americans as a group tend to have proportionally longer limbs, shorter trunks, and narrower pelvic girdles than do Caucasians relative to overall height. Motor skill tests and speed studies are plentiful with respect to racial comparisons in children.
