On The Supremacy of the Negro Athlete in White Athletic Competition*

The constant parade of exceptional Negro athletes across the pages of America's sport history has, since the days of Peter Jackson, been a subject of much controversy and speculation for the general public. Thus many explanations have been proposed in an effort to account for the outstanding performances given by these black athletes in active competition. Has their success been due to a physical superiority or can it be attributed to some mental phenomenon? We are inclined to think the latter by far the more plausible explanation and shall make an effort to discuss the subject from this viewpoint.

I. The Evolution of the Psyche of the Negro

The life of the Negro in America has been one of restricted freedom for a long while closely governed and guided by the greedy will of the majority group. Thus have the natural tendencies and instincts of this minority group been thwarted, distorted, and many times suppressed deeply into the unconscious. In the slave service of the white man for over one hundred years, the American Negro lived in humiliation and fear, ever striving to satisfy the desire of his master because it gave to him some assurance of well being and of