Black Superiority: A Historical Observation of Theories Linking Race and Sporting Success between 1960 and 2006

Ever since the integration of black skinned people into certain sports with white skinned people there has been an increasing percentage of the former within these sports and amongst the elite. Research into this phenomenon can be seen as early as the 19th century and has developed significantly since. Since then the possibilities of physical, physiological, environmental, cultural and genetic factors having an effect have been explored. The author examines certain claims based on these between 1960 and 2006 for a scientific assessment of the link between race and elite athletic ability.