White men can't jump.... and black men can't swim?

Question

Is it true that black people are not as good at swimming as white people because they have heavier bones? I was told that morphologically speaking black Africans are not the right shape or build to be good swimmers.... is this true?

Interesting how running is dominated by black people and swimming by whites.

PS. This is a sincere question, please no racist rants.

Answer 1

I've heard that too. And come to think of it, none of my black friends can swim. I tend to lean to what cakes says. Maybe due to the lack of access to the facilities it has build some sort of fear for them.

However my experience has taught me that there's always an exception to the rule!

Answer 2

If you look at the running part it is mostly Kenyans who win long distance. There is a very good reason behind this, most of them train at high altitude some of them go to 10000-12000ft on Kilimanjaro so they get use to oxygen starvation when they then run at sea level there body gets mass amounts of oxygen.

Answer 3

It's a fact that Blacks do better at running and jumping sports. Just as it is true with regards to Whites and swimming.

Answer 4

Could it be because whites have had more access to swimming pools and beaches, and are more likely to go on holiday to the sea than blacks?

But then, on the other hand, most of the coloured fisherman at Hawston cannot swim.  

I see no racist thing in this, Emjay. If we are always going to pull out the racist card whenever someone asks such questions, we will never be able to understand each other!

Answer 5

no

regards x kitti x

Answer 6

If they would have paid attention in gym class and learned how to swim, so many of them wouldn't have died in new orleans during hurricane katrina

Answer 7

Ok? I am a black lady & i was good at track, netball & swimming! So i don't know.

Answer 8

I can honestly say that from 600 black students at the SAPS college in Pretoria only 9 successfully completed their swimming training in the first semester 1990 ! Then again ,I nearly came last in the 12000m running . Some things you are good at ,in other things you suck ! That's life ! You can't be good in everything .

Answer 9

It sounds racist. It all depends on how people train.

Answer 10

I have heard this too. Adds up in terms olympic medals awarded.

Answer 11

"White men can't jump.... and black men can't swim?"

Bullshit, I´ve been able to dunk a basketball since I was 13 and I´m white. I have also seen plenty of black people that can swim splendidly.

So keep your petty "ideas" to yourself

Answer 12

You are wrong MJ, White men can jump but not as high as black men, just like White men can run but our African brothers can just run faster and longer and further.

Africa for Africans.

Answer 13

i don't know. mostly swimmers i'v seen are "white" and mostly runners are "black". and both good at what they do. never seen a "white man" win a race (which kind of involves jumping) and never seen a "black man" win a swimming comp.

and yeh no racist rants foo's

that'd just be low

Answer 14

I personally think its a load of rubbish.

It doesnt count on peoples colour or where they come from etc. Its where they inherit things from. Plus the environmental changes that comes into account like training to get better at it.

Thats what i think anyway :)

Answer 15

I have had black people tell me this is true and I despair!

I swim well and i'm black, I also run like the wind too.  I guess if that theory was correct, wouldn't we be slower runners as the heavier bone density would weigh us down? I can't think of one heavy thing that moves fast (save for Thrust SSC, but you get my meaning!)

It racist tosh, and belongs in the same category that all black men are well endowed.

Answer 16

Lol Boney I cannot say,but I do know a few black people that are very good at swimming.x*x

Answer 17

I cant swim..but i knew a black guy in my school who could really swim! but then he was the only one..

Answer 18

Have you ever seen a newspaper headline that states " Man swims away from crime scene."

Answer 19

Black people have dominated the longer distance running for a long time but they don't seem quite so good at the shorter distances. As for jumping i am not sure where you got that info from follow these links. It has puzzled me for years why there are so few top black swimmers.

and one for Sazza

http://www.dervalorourke.com/

http://www.iht.com/articles/1999/08/25/f...

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9pF...

Answer 20

I think it has more to do with economics and environment than race or nationality. Here in Canada, we can swim in our rivers - well we could when I was growing up anyway - so swimming was available to one and all regardless of income. When I was in South Africa I was warned against swimming in the rivers (when I could find one with water in it lol) because of the propensity of disease and parasites. That left pools which were mostly on private property or the ocean and I was a long way from an ocean. Running - you can do that anywhere - no charge.

Alas, while both were available to me here in Canada, I cannot do either - no talent there at all. So maybe the talent part of it is genetic or a gift from God, Allah or whatever you believe in.