ery phase of authority and operation but also largely sustained by white audiences. Although blacks dominate the most popular team sports, they still make up only 9 percent of all people in the United States who make a living or try to make a living as athletes, less than their percentage in the general population. With five African Americans among their players, the Edmonton Oilers are leading infamously white-dominated professional hockey into a new era. The Oilers have the most African-American players on any professional hockey roster since the 1940s. "Any time you can have series of five players on one team it creates a focus for the audience," said Ken Martin, spokesperson for the NHL. "First off, they’re great players. But it’s a bonus that they happen to be minorities and have the great personalities necessary to be role models." The African-Americans of the team, which accounts for five of the 15 black players in the league, is expected to arouse interest in the sport among African Americans. "It’s a transition period right now, similar to what baseball went through," Martin said. Currently, there are only 27 minorities in the whole league. The costly nature of the sport has been the biggest barrier for African Americans to date. Expensive equipment and a lack of access to ice rinks can discourage those in low-income neighborhoods from participating. (http://www.diversityinc.com/insidearticle.cfm)It is easy enough to explain black dominance in some sports like boxing. It is the Western sport that has the longest history of black participation, so there is tradition. Moreover, it is a sport that has always attracted poor and marginalized men. Black men have persistently made up a disproportionate share of the poor and the marginalized. Also, instruction is within easy reach; most boxing gyms are located in poor neighborhoods, where a premium is placed on being able to fight well.Jose Torres, light heavyweight b...
