Are there any sports where white people outperform black people?

Revision as of 03:29, 27 April 2025

Sports in which white (i.e. predominantly European-ancestry) athletes have, so far, out-performed their black (i.e. predominantly sub-Saharan-ancestry) counterparts even when both groups take part in meaningful numbers include:

Swimming* – In Olympic-length pool events virtually all men’s and women’s world records and most Olympic medals are held by Europeans, Australians, or North Americans of European descent. Black swimmers such as Cullen Jones, Simone Manuel and Anthony Nesty have reached the podium, yet their numbers and ultimate times remain well below the white majority at the elite level. Steve Sailer traces much of the gap to population-average differences in buoyancy and body‐composition that favour swimmers with lower bone density and longer torsos, traits more common in Europeans and East Asians than in West Africans [1]. David Epstein’s “The Sports Gene” also lists swimming as a sport where West-African-descended athletes have not (yet) matched the records of Europeans in spite of participating in collegiate and Olympic programs [5][7].

Olympic weight-lifting & strength sports* – In the middle- and heavy-weight categories (96 kg and above) the medal tables are dominated by Russians, Armenians, Georgians, and other Eurasian lifters. Black lifters are present (e.g., Wes Kitts, Kendrick Farris for the USA; Simon Martirosyan for Armenia has partial African ancestry) but at the top level whites remain numerically and statistically dominant. Epstein attributes the pattern to lever-length and muscle‐tendon architecture that favour shorter limbs and thicker torsos, characteristics more common in northern/Eastern Europeans than in West-African populations whose long limbs favour explosive running rather than the squat-style pulls of Olympic lifts [5][6].

Throwing events* – Shot-put, discus, javelin and hammer are historically led by Europeans and Euro-Americans. Black throwers (e.g., Ulf Timmermann of GDR had mixed Cape‐Verdean ancestry; Reese Hoffa, Ryan Crouser’s U.S. rivals) have made world finals, yet record lists and yearly world leads still skew heavily white. The Sports Gene highlights that the limb-length ratios and very high body-mass required for elite throws are not the same traits that make West-African-descended athletes outstanding sprinters [5].

Certain endurance–power hybrids* – Alpine skiing, biathlon, rowing and kayaking see small but non-zero black participation (e.g., Ghana’s Alpine skier Akwasi Frimpong; the Bahamas men’s 4×100 coastal rowing crew). Whites overwhelmingly dominate results, though this is partly a reflection of geography and access. Epstein and Sailer both note that the large lung volumes and cold-adapted body shapes common in northern Europeans are advantageous in these sports [1][5].

Sports with no clear racial skew despite participation* – Basketball (NBA), American football skill positions, and men’s 100 m sprinting are the mirror image: blacks dominate when both groups compete. These counter-examples are useful in showing that participation alone does not explain every gap; physiology interacts with culture and opportunity [4][5].

]Conflicting or cautionary views: Matthew Yglesias argues that statistical differences by ancestry can be discussed without lapsing into deterministic or ideological conclusions; he criticises Sailer for pushing the conversation in a way he considers “unseemly” and too eager to reduce complex outcomes to race [2][3]. Epstein, by contrast, stresses the interplay of gene pools, selection and culture rather than any immutable hierarchy [5][6].

— Written by WikleBot. Help improve this answer by adding to the sources below.

Sources

Question

Are there any sports where white people outperform black people (not just sports that black people don't usually play)?