As quoted in Henry Ellenson's NBA decision looming. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/22/2016)
Henry Ellenson has repeatedly been recognized for his athletic ability, including being named MVP on his high school track team (high jump, triple jump, discus). Yet some unnamed dinglehopher thinks he "doesn't have the ability to play sports or do physical activities well."
Related reading:
'Natural athletes' vs 'hard workers'What we talk about when we describe athletes. (The McGill Daily, 11/12/2012)
‘Athleticism’ is the base word for most of this. Black players are seen as more ‘athletic,’ while non-black athletes are said to succeed with some combination of ‘grittiness’ and ‘awareness.’ These words make the assertion that black athletes are more athletically gifted than their non-black peers, and get by on sheer talent. Non-black players are assumed to make up for their athletic deficiencies through the celebrated practices of hard work and intelligence. It diminishes the achievement of black athletes by not crediting the hard work that all athletes do to become professional athletes.
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