A NON RACIST Observation - The Super Athlete

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

I agree that hard work can supersede athletic ability, but the thing is, when a sport grows to mainstream popularity the way MMA has, it generates a large group of people who are all willing to work as hard as they possibly can, at maximum potential, in order to compete at the highest level. So if all of the up-and-comers are working equally hard, then natural athletic ability will still rise to the top. Yes, if you take a jon jones who doesn't train hard against a chris leben who trains his ass off, then the less athletic fighter might be able to win, but when you have both training equally as hard, the bigger/stronger/better conditioned ATHLETE is going to win the majority of the time.

Personally, I consider myself to be a student of physical fitness, as im sure many of the 10PJJers are, so what I'm curious about is why the "super athletes" who we see competing and make us sit back and go "damn that guy is fucking INSANE"... why are they usually black? Is it the super slave theory? Is it genetics from before slavery in the US? Is it just that some black people push themselves further than others? I'd love to hear from someone who has some research experience on this subject rather than people like me who are just throwing out questions looking for answers.

[Mathew Schuck]

In a couple hundred years there will be no race. At the rate we breed and ethnic groups that mix. There will be only one race. Small differences here and there but still more or less the same race.......

[NelsonLucca]

It really all depends. Wrestlers still make the easiest transition to MMA and most of them are not the super athlete. Using the NBA star as an example, there is a limit to where height becomes an issue. A guy like Kobe or Lebron at 6'8" might be a deadly mma star but taller than that, I doubt it. The 6'10" athletes usually have foot and leg problems their entire career and that doesn't fair well against muay thai and leg locks. I think money will become the biggest factor on super athletes in MMA. I don't see NBA stars coming to MMA any time soon and although we have NFL players in MMA, their not the super athletes. Theyre the left overs. Unless the money evens out, I don't see the NFL super athlete coming to MMA. And if he does, he'll only be 6'4"-6'5". I'd still pick Overeem or Velasquez.

[Harry Evans]

It's true that "not all black people are fast, all fast people are fast." It's also true that of the freakishly fast people out there, or strong, agile, etc., most are black. This is not racist, and not true in every case, but is GENERALLY true. I think it is clear therefore that MMA will GENERALLY trend this way. Don't worry, GSP will still be GSP. It's just that for every GSP, there will soon be 8 Jon Jones.

As for collegiate wrestling, you have to think about the numbers. Wrestling is most popular in the middle of the country. It starts in high school for most, if not earlier, and is often only offered in larger or nicer schools. So, we are talking about primarily white areas, in schools that will have a higher concentration of wealth (and sadly, therefore, white students) than average. However, I feel that wrestling seems to have jumped on the MMA train, riding it to greatness. As MMA grows, so does wrestling, especially in Middle America. And as this happens, the percentage of black high school- and collegiate- wrestlers will increase. When this happens, expect to see wrestling begin to become dominated by the same super athletes, who statistically will be MOSTLY black. Just look at the build and athleticism of top white wrestlers in MMA (Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, etc) vs. the few top black wrestlers (Jon Jones, Phil Davis, Rashad Evans).

Great post ... you racist!

[Derrick Johnson]

kosheck is half & half sooooooo.....i think he's a toss up lmao

[Randy Butler]

If im not mistaken Josh Koscheck is black. I believe society says that if your mixed with black, then you are black. I dont know how it is in other parts of the states but i know down here in the south he would be called black.

[Ryan_B]

@ AJ, it is very interesting but maybe Black people just have better attritubes than whites. I mean if your geographic origin is full of apex predators you need to be able to run really fast or be really strong and robust.

[AJ Camacho]

It's true that "not all black people are fast, all fast people are fast." It's also true that of the freakishly fast people out there, or strong, agile, etc., most are black. This is not racist, and not true in every case, but is GENERALLY true. I think it is clear therefore that MMA will GENERALLY trend this way. Don't worry, GSP will still be GSP. It's just that for every GSP, there will soon be 8 Jon Jones.

I could also say that generally speaking, tall thin people over 6 feet tall are generally faster than shorter fat people and be more correct. What purpose does a racial generality serve? Why use race as a factor at all? Especially when it is a factor that is probably not even close to being accurate.

Also, I guarantee you that black people on average are not faster than other races other than white people, especially when you take into account that they have one of the highest obesity rates in the country..

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comp...p?ind=91&cat=2
United States Percent 0.0% - 100.0%
White 60.2%
Black 68.4%
Hispanic 63.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander 41.2%
American Indian/Alaska Native 67.0%
Other 58.1%

So how can Black people be bred for super human strength yet be one of the heaviest races in the country? And that's not a rhetorical question, I'm being sincere. How do we account for this difference between statistical information and observation data?

[Xsimon]

I disagree and I'll leave it at that... but I've seen this topic comes up a million times (super athletic black guy) on different forums and its always the same tired old arguments..

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

I disagree and I'll leave it at that... but I've seen this topic comes up a million times (super athletic black guy) on different forums and its always the same tired old arguments..

You disagree with what? And how are these "tired old arguments"? We're intelligently discussing a subject of legitimate debate.