My current event was about a Choctaw Indian college freshman who was a walk on for the University of Oklahoma's football team. The kids name is Jordan Eagle Road and he's from Talihina, Oklahoma. His hometown is in the middle of Choctaw country in Oklahoma. Him playing for Oklahoma serves as an inspiration for his people back home and for all American Indians.
He is one of the few full-blooded American Indians that are on Division 1 football teams in college. He was a QB in high school, but is being converted into a WR in college. Many college coaches shy away from recruiting American Indians based off the stereotype that they will leave early. Coaches attribute that to the culture shock that some might get by going from a reservation-like setting to a large urban type setting. This is just a stereotype, so it isn't always true.
Jordan has been a large inspiration to the youth of his Choctaw people. The kids see how much success that Jordan is having and this makes them aspire to do the same. Eagle Road decided to go to Oklahoma because it would be the place where he could make the greatest impact on his people and American Indians as a whole. He could have went to smaller schools with a full scholarship, but that wouldn't have made as big of an impact. He knows his main job is to help the Sooners win, but also realizes that he will be a role model for others.
The historical significance of this current event is that there is such a small number of American Indians that are playing in D-1 Athletics. Native Americans make up only 0.8% of Division 1 athletes. Most are just overlooked because of their ethnicity. More Native Ameicans need to have a chance to be recruited and hopefully a story like this opens recruiters eyes to this section of people. Native Americans originated many sports such as, lacrosse, canoeing, kayaking and much more. This story also is significant because of the history of Indians in Oklahoma. During the Trail of Tears, native americans were sent here, so Jordan being on the Oklahoma Sooners is even more important.
Website: http://nativetimes.com/sports/mainstream/6001-walk-on-is-source-of-pride-for-choctaw-people
Question to classmates: Why do you think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics?
I think that American Indian Athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because of the same reasoning that you said in your historical significance; ethnicity. Native American's are not respected or treated equal like most Americans that live in the United States. There culture is not respected by the Division 1 athletes and they are often made fun of in result, just like most other Indians that walk down the streets in U.S. I also think that people do not expect someone with long braids and their native clothing can play a sport up to U.S. standards. People will judge the Native Americans based on appearance but that also happens to everyone. I also think that the Native Americans have a bad reputation among everyone which make them look bad when it comes to the college athletics too.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Native American Indians are looked past when it comes to recruiting in Division 1, because of the stereo-types that almost everyone has. Even though when you first meet them you might not treat them differently but you keep thoughts in the back of your head. People need to put themselves in other peoples shoes and think of a time they might have not been treated as everyone else. The appearance of the American Indian stands out with the long braids but should not get in the way of a coaches decision on recruiting a player. Their culture and appearance do not change how they play or the dedication they are willing to put in. Although there isn't a large amount of 100% American Indians in the U.S. it does not change the fact that discrimination is still happening on a Division 1 level,and should have ended a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI think that the American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because of the stereotypes that started years ago and the little change that we have for them now. Usually the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about an Indian is their devotion for nature and how spiritual they are towards it. Movies and books have promoted this image of them over the years and many coaches probably feel that an Indian playing athletics is a waste of time if their more concerned with nature. Till this day, they’re still misunderstood with the large amount of stereotypes aimed at them. In addition, the idea that most Native Americans live on reserves probably assumes that a large amount of them are poor. Coaches might feel that if they can’t support themselves outside of their team, why should they join the team at all? The discrimination towards them over the years has hardly changed and I believe this is one of many reasons why American Indian athletes are overlooked for playing in Division 1 College athletics.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native American athletes are typically looked past in Division 1 sports because in the history of college and professional sports there have not been many stand out / legendary athletes coming from that origin. This is not to say that Native American athletes cannot achieve great things in the American sports system, but recruiters and scouts are probably less likely to look for talent from areas of the country from which talent has not been produced in the past. I do not think that there is any racism in the rarity of Native Americans in division 1 sports, I believe that they are simply overlooked. I also believe that if talented players of Native American descent begin to have stand out roles on division 1 sports teams, the way scouts look at upcoming Native American athletes will drastically change as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing division one college sports because Native Americans only consist of a very small percentage of America's population. I think this then cause’s college's to overlook Native American athletes because it may be such a rarity to witness a Native American athlete playing at such a high level. I think that if there were more Native American players in America, colleges wouldn’t overlook them, because as a whole, they would prove that they can also excel in sports just as well as other ethnicities. I feel as though since college’s haven’t really given Native American’s an opportunity to prove themselves that although they have a different culture they can still succeed in sports , they will continue to be overlooked until given the chance. I agree with Katie that Native Americans aren’t treated equally and that is a reason why they are overlooked due to the fact that they are viewed as having a bad reputation. Also, Troy makes a very good point that college coaches may judge Native Americans based on what they look like rather then how well they play the sport and just because they have a different culture doesn’t mean they wont have the same dedication as other teammates. In addition, I feel as though Rachel stated a very realistic stereotype, that Native Americans devote their time spiritually to nature. I think that this would cause coaches to overlook them because they may assume they are more concerned with other things rather then sports. Lastly, I think Jeff made an extremely valid argument that in the history of sports, there may not have been any legendary Native American players causing scouts to overlook an ethnicity that hasn’t accomplished being known for excelling in sports. I believe this would then cause coaches to focus less on athletes who are Native American and focus more on athletes that comes from a culture with legendary athletes thus causing college scouts to overlook American Indian athletes.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because they are already judged by the coaches and the people watching. They're judged because of their culture. People tend to think that the way people look, the color of their skin for example, describes the way they play a sport or do something. Agreeing with Rachel's idea of "their devotion for nature and how spiritual they are towards it" really explains another reason why the athletes are overlooked because the coaches will assume they care more about their nature than the sport so their head won't totally be in the game. Therefore, Native American athletes are overlooked by the coaches and college scouts.
ReplyDeleteI think recruters tend to ignore Native Americans because of their different lifestyle. They live alot differently from us because they aren't as civilized or as industrialized as the rest of the world. They have different values and most people put the stereotype on them that they aren't interested in sports and aren't as into as we are. This is probably true for some of them, but there are Native Americans out there than can live both lives; the life of their tribe and the real world of going to collage, doing sports, going into the work force, and becoming successful in our eyes. If recruters overlooked this stereotype then there is a good chance they will find Native American athletes that will be useful to their team.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indians are overlooked when it comes to athletics because of the surroundings that they grew up in and their ethnicity. American Indians come from places where not enough well known and good players have come from. This makes people and recruiting organizations look past other kids like Jordan. Coaches just assume that there isn't enough talent to make an impact so they don't bother in trying. As for ethnicity, most of American Indians today are not treated with the same deal of respect in the United States like others are. They are judged by their heritage and their culture and don't get to have the same chances as others. This shows that those other stereotypical schools that they have made a mistake in not tying to lure Jordan into their school as well as shows how there are some like Oklahoma whom look everywhere. Still Oklahoma isn't enough and people continue to pass on American Indians. I find it ridiculous that such a thing is actually in effect and people need to treat people equally no matter where they have came from.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because as you said, the coaches view on American Indian athletes. I think their opinion is based off what they believe in, and what they think would be best for their team. As stated by many people there are a lot of stereotypes. If a coach thinks that the American Indian players would leave early then they obviously wouldn't want them on their team. As you said though, it is just a stereotype.
ReplyDeleteI believe American Indians are looked past for many of the reasons said above involving ethnicity but also because there are so few of them. Indians make up less than 1 % of the population due to the imperialism in the 17th century that wiped many of them out. Only .8% of college athletics are made up of them because there aren’t very many Native Americans to begin with. Also, as many have stated above, ethnicity and racism does play a role in recruiting Native Americans as well. Many scouts think too much about how they are in for a culture shock among moving to college and that they won’t last. This is a misconception though; it just depends on the person (whether they can adapt or not), not the race as a whole. Native Americans get free scholarships to all colleges, but him accepting this athletic scholarship will be an inspiration for many more to go, if he does well he might be able to break this stereotype.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indians are looked past when recruiting is taking place because of all the stereotypes that surround them. One big stereotype is the idea of Culture Shock. This means that they think a Indian coming of a reservation will not be able to deal with all the changes. For example all the big buildings, lots of people, and tons of activity. They believe that the second they get there they will just take off because they cannot take it. Also I believe they are over looked because of the completely different way they live. All of there values are different but that should not mean anything if they want to play in athletics. A lot of sports people play now are originally from Indians. So why wouldn't you recruit them for the sports?
ReplyDeleteThe Native Americans are looked past i think because of the reason that you said, because they dont want the Native americans feel like they are being made fun of because of some of the mascots or the names of the teams. but i find that only .8% of Native Americans play Division 1 sports is kind odd because like Adam said in the story that Native Americans have played sports all the time! So why dont they recruit Native Americans that could be just as good as the other 92.2% of the other people that play Division 1 college sports.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native Americans are looked past at when playing college athletics for two reason. The first reason is that many of the Native Americans go to high school on the reservation. At the school, there most likely is not a great athletics program. Because of this, there is a very small chance of being scouted to a major university to play a sport. I dont think is the fact of Native Americans being looked past for sports, its that they are not being looked at at all. The second reason i think is because of stereotypes. To this day many people dont think Native Americans have the same right as the other people of this county. For that reason, Native Americans may be discouraged about playing college athletics.
ReplyDeleteI think there are multiple reasons why Native American players are often overlooked in recruitment in D1 teams. First of all, it could be because there are not many of them that have the opportunity to become good at sports and then therefore get noticed. If they live on a reservation, the school they attend there may not have as many athletic opportunities as other schools, making it hard for a student to get good and then noticed. For the Native Americans who do have opportunituies to become good at a sport, it could also be a number of reasons. For one they may not be equally represented or emphasized as other non-Native American players. When recruiters come around, certain students may get displayed more than the Native Americans. Since there are so little Native Americans in the country and even fewer involved in sports, maybe sometimes people just tend to ignore or forget about them. You don't really here of full Native Americans playing sports on D1 teams, so there might be this thought that if they are not already on these teams, they probably aren't that good. It also could be because there is this stereotype against them. People might be afraid to bring there different culture in, and may not be care about having diversity but rather getting what they think is the best. Even though the best may be a Native American player, they could shy away from them, because they do not believe they could possibly be the best.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native American athletes are over looked because in history the Native Americans had to be taught how to do things the "correct way" and we still think they do not know as much as we do. Also it is because in the past there have not been many Native Americans in sports history. Since there is such a small percentage of full blood Native Americans left in the United States people are not use to seeing them or being around them because they are different than us and most people in general cannot over look peoples differences. Coaches also get nervous that they would not fit into the team because there has not really been enough players that are full blood Native Americans athletes to prove that they are good athletes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the rest of the class, in the Native American's are more than often overlooked when being recruited to Division 1 Sports. Division 1 Sports have an image to uphold, in that they need to have the best of the best. Native American's for years have never been the best and due to this, scouts overlook them. This is all the result of ethnicity which Katie and many other students pointed out. Nicole said an important point that there isn't enought full-blooded Native Americans to prove that this part of culture is good at a particular sport. It is easier to say that White-Caucasion's or African Americans are good at something because there is more of them in today's society to contribute to an accurate percentage. Adam told us that only 0.8% Native American's make up Division 1 athletes, this number is so low because they are overlooked and are not the top priorty of the college scouts. I agree with Maddie, that this percentage is so low because a lot of Native Americans haven't had the same opportunities as other Division 1 athletes so scouts are more likely to believe they have less expierence. I would also like to point out Adam and Tyler's response to the cultural shock and how they may not be recruited because coaches feel that the Native American's will not fit in and end up leaving the school/campus since they are only used to life on the rez. The pressure involved with fitting in with the crowd or team could definatley be an argued point when saying that Native Americans are often overlooked when looking for D1 athletes.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Native Americans are being overlooked at when it comes to playing sports in a Division 1 school because they are still not looked at as great Americans. They dont want them to have a culture shock because they are not used to being in such a demanding enviorments. The D1 schools have a image and an idea that they need to have the top of the kids to play in there school. If the Native Americans are known for not having a good reputation at the schools to be the best at the sport and to stay and not to leave then they will not have many that will make it to the D1 level that they should be playing at.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native Americans are looked past in Division one schools because they are Native Americans. Going back to what Katie said, i think that Native Americans do not get as much as respect as the rest of the people that D1 schools recruit. Now going back to Adam said, I think that people believe that Native Americans will not take it as seriously and then leave because of the culture shock. The are over looked compared to different races, because there are not as many of them in sports now a days, since they only make up .08 percent of D1 sports teams. People also go back to the old stereotypical Native American, and think that they might not fit in. I think that Native Americans should not get overlooked by D1 schools because of what people think.
ReplyDeletei definatly believe that Native Americans are looked past in Division 1 schools, however native americans only make up 3% of our country and i agree with kirsten that Native Americans are overlooked because there is such a low percentage of them in this country and i also agree with the rest of the class that stereotyping has a role in this situation, people overlook native americans and believe that they will not be able to hold their ground in their league, but this is wrong, everyone has the potential to be the best at something and a persons race should not have any say in this.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it native Americans are looked past because they are native Americans. The history that we have gone through remains in the mind of the American population. Another reason is the stereotypes that we have about the natives. We think that all natives drink a lot and do drugs and that they are lazy. These stereotypes must stop the recruitment process to the 1st division leagues for native Americans. The poverty in the reservations must play a role as well. The native families might not be able to afford to pay for the equipment and such. The whole process is one sided and if you are a native american you probably will be looked passed and your true potential will never be expressed on the field.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main reason why there aren't so many Native Americans in Division 1 athletic teams is due to the fact that many aren't financially able to join athletic teams. Many Native Americans originate from the poorly built reservation camps made by the government, and many suffer through impoverished conditions in the reservations. Because of these conditions Native Americans don't have the same opportunity as other Americans to join colleges and athletic teams. Another possible reason is that the Native American population in the USA makes only 3% of the overall population. Thus the Native Americans make only a small part of our community, so it isn't really a shock that there aren't many Native Americans in Division-1 teams.
ReplyDeleteI think Native Americans are overlooked for D1 sports for many reasons. One reason is where they grow up. Reservations are filled with poverty, so school athletic programs are not a priority. This means that many Native Americans do not get the chance to play or if they do, D1 teams will not think the team is any good because they haven't been in a good program. Which is not always true, they just have not been given the opportunity. This leads to a stereotype that Native Americans are not good enough to play on D1 teams.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native Americans are being looked past because of a combination of things, for one, their ethnicity, two their stereotype. Native Americans have the stereotype that they will quit early as prior mentioned. Therefore, team coaches look past them when recruiting players, they find that they won't stick with the sport because of the stereotype, so they don't bother. They might have believed that the difference in location, Native American reserve and the public, would cause a nervous reaction to the Native Americans which would cause them to be overwhelmed with the people that they leave the team and not play again, therefore a loss of a player and a waste of recruiting time of that player. With their ethnicity on the other hand, the coaches and players may not think of the Native Americans as equal to the others on the team. The Native American culture is way different than the other players and the way the Native Americans dress and show off the culture may drive a bad image to the team and the team mates may see them differently and pick on them, adding to their bad image and then the team may play bad, and then the coach may end up kicking the Native American off the Division 1 team or he himself may leave the team. Therefore, ethnicity and their stereotypes may have an affect on their playing and hence a possibility on why they're look past when being recruited onto a D1 team.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athlete are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because, of all the stereotypes they receive. As Adam said, American Indian athletes are stereotyped negatively so recruiters aren’t focused on making sure they recruit American Indians. I think that since “full-blooded” Native Americans are such a small portion of the American population, they are overlooked when being drafted. I also think that since so many sports were created by Native Americans that they should try harder to play sports for college, building a better sport reputation so they won’t be “looked past” when it comes to recruiting. I also agree with Janelle, that since most reservations are poor and poverty stricken sports, and sports programs aren’t a main priority. I think that since most great athletes usually start playing sports when there young, not having those opportunities can be an athletic set back. This set back can shape the American Indian reputation, therefore, potentially causing them to be looked past when it comes to recruiting.
ReplyDeleteI think that Native Americans are looked past because people see them as such different people. When you look at professional sports or Division 1 sports, almost every player is white or African American. So when people are recruiting, they don't feel the need to look at the Native American players and are used to just looking at the White or African American players. They also could be looked past because they are put in their own stereotype. People think that just because they are Native American, that they aren't as good at sports as the other players. It may not be the right thing to do, but people who recruit do not usually look at the Native Americans when finding players for their team.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Native Americans are necessarily looked over. I don't know the statistics on how many Native American players versus white players are looked past, but I think that relative to the low population of Native Americans in America, they are looked over with the same ratio or rate as white people are. I think that perhaps white Americans and all minorities are looked over as compared to African Americans who carry a stigma about superior skills, but the rest of the population seems to have a similarly fair chance.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruiting and playing Division 1 college athletics because of their ethnicity. People see them as different people just based on their ethnicity. When people are recruiting for Division 1 sports, most of the athletes are either White or African American so Native Americans are kind of skipped when looking at players while White or African American players are picked.Also, people assume things based on stereotyping because people could believe that because they are of Native American heritage they aren't the same as them in sports level.
ReplyDeleteI think that American Indian athletes are looked past when it comes to recruting because of stereotypes put on them. Division one teams have a image to uphold and Native Americans most of the time do not fit that cookie cutter image. Another stereotype may be that the Native Americans would have culture shock and mess up in their school or sport life. Another reason that Native Americans may not be recruited to D1 schools is because of lack of great athletic programs at their school. A lot of times scouts go to well known D1 high schools to scout out their future players, and looking over a reservation school with a okay sport team is really easy. Making up only 1 percent of the population and going to schools where sports aren't even close to well funded its easy to believe their is no way someone could become a good player. Even though a Native American could be the best coaches and scouts easily look over them because of stereotypes and preconceived notions.
ReplyDelete(I am sorry this is late, I am not sure if you accept late work but I figure it is better to get it done anyway.)