Skip to content

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race Paperback - 1997

by John Hoberman

DARWIN'S ATHLETES focuses on society's fixation with black athletic achievement. Hoberman argues that this obsession has come to play a troubling role in African American life and our country's race relations. Rich, flamboyant superstars lend credence to age-old prejudices, recycled "scientific" theories denigrating black intelligence, and stereotypes of black violence. This portrayal of black identity encourages a disdain for academic achievement already too widespread among black males. Darwin's Athletes is a powerful indictment of modern sport's racial spectacle.


Summary

DARWIN'S ATHLETES focuses on society's fixation with black athletic achievement. Hoberman argues that this obsession has come to play a troubling role in African American life and our country's race relations. Rich, flamboyant superstars lend credence to age-old prejudices, recycled "scientific" theories denigrating black intelligence, and stereotypes of black violence. This portrayal of black identity encourages a disdain for academic achievement already too widespread among black males. Darwin's Athletes is a powerful indictment of modern sport's racial spectacle.

From the rear cover

Darwin's Athletes zeroes in on our society's fixation on black athletic achievement. John Hoberman compellingly argues that this obsession - one shared by both blacks and whites in the media, in corporate America, and even by athletes themselves - has come to play a disastrous role in African-American life and a troubling role in our country's race relations. The sports fixation originates in the painful century-long exclusion of blacks from every other path to high achievement. The scarcity of other kinds of "race heroes" has conferred messianic status on the most popular black athletes, fostering a delusion of integration while contributing to deep social divisions. Ironically, Hoberman argues, the decline of European empires and the rise of the black athlete helped to preserve rather than undermine the inferior status of nonwhites.

Details

  • Title Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
  • Author John Hoberman
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: repri
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Mariner Books, Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
  • Date 1997-11-03
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780395822920 / 0395822920
  • Weight 1.35 lbs (0.61 kg)
  • Dimensions 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 in (22.86 x 14.99 x 2.79 cm)
  • Themes
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 96036170
  • Dewey Decimal Code 796.089

Media reviews

"You should buy Darwin's Athletes . . . It's provocative, disturbing, important." The New York Times

Citations

  • Library Journal, 02/15/1997, Page 151
  • Publishers Weekly, 01/21/1997, Page 0
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John M.

  • Used
  • Very Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
3
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$3.26
A$16.65 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
A$3.26
A$16.65 shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.20
A$15.31 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
HarperCollins Publishers. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$9.20
A$15.31 shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.20
A$15.31 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
HarperCollins Publishers. Used - Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
A$9.20
A$15.31 shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
  • Very Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.72
A$7.66 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Mariner, 1997. Very Good. Hoberman, John. Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race. NY: Mariner, 1997. 341pp. Indexed. Bibliography. 8vo. Paperback. Book condition: Very good with lightly rubbed and bumped edges..
Item Price
A$10.72
A$7.66 shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

Darwin's Athletes : How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by John Hoberman

  • Used
  • Very Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$12.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1997. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$12.98
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$13.08
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
A$13.08
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Edition
49196th
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$19.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Mariner Books, 1997-11-03. 49196th. paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
A$19.98
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John M.

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Oakland, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$40.31
A$7.66 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Mariner Books, 1997. PB/Gd. condition/341 pages - How sport has damaged black america and preserved the myth of race is discussed in this text. (K1925HI1). Soft Cover. Good.
Item Price
A$40.31
A$7.66 shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Edition
49196th
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$48.61
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Mariner Books, 1997-11-03. 49196th. paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
A$48.61
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race

by Hoberman, John

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780395822920 / 0395822920
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Newport Coast, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$60.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Item Price
A$60.00
FREE shipping to USA