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Racial Dispute Over New York Marathon
Is the New York marathon winner American enough?
Yes, there is an online sports dispute on Mebs win, the question being, should Keflezighi’s triumph count as an American victory?
His family immigrated to the United States when he was twelve. Which means that, yes, he is a citizen. But that doesn’t stop the argument that because he was born in Eritrea he is not really American.
Is there still racism in this country? Does a bear shat in the woods? David Wiggins who is a professor at George Mason University, who teaches African-Americans and sports, has this to say about it.
“Race is still extremely important when you think about athletics. There is this notion about innate physiological gifts that certain races presumably possess. Quite frankly, I think it feeds into deep-seated stereotypes. The more blatant forms of racial discrimination and illegal forms have been eliminated, but more subtle forms of discrimination still exist.”
“On the other hand, he is an excellent representative of how we import everything we need!” was one comment on the New York Times online site. Yep, “we” went to Eritrea and saw this boy when he was twelve and immediately brought him and his family to this country, knowing that twenty-two years later he would win the (Deion wanted you all to know this so he walked across the laptop: “ .l;////////////// RRRR11/3/09`”) marathon.
Right on, Deion!
John Hoberman, professor at the University of Texas at Austin thinks that because the distance runners from Kenya and Ethiopia are so gifted there is now the myth that somehow their have a special gene that the rest of us don’t have.
So, why are there people out there debating what a “true” American is? What does it mean?
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3 November 2009
at 12:43 p.m.
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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…
Point now moot:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33603449/
“What I Got Wrong About Keflezighi”
Published: Tuesday, 3 Nov 2009 11:54 AM ET By:
Darren Rovell
CNBC Sports Business Reporter
Yesterday, I wrote an article about New York City Marathon men's winner Meb Keflezighi. Let me be clear: Meb Keflezighi is an American and any suggestion otherwise is wrong.
The debate currently on the blogosphere is over whether or not Keflezighi should count as the first American man winner of the race even though he was not American-born.
I said that Keflezighi's win, the first by an American since 1982, wasn't as big as it was being made out to be because there was a difference between being an American-born product and being an American citizen. Frankly I didn't account for the fact that virtually all of Keflezighi's running experience came as a US citizen. I never said he didn't deserve to be called American.
All I was saying was that we should celebrate an American marathon champion who has completely been brought up through the American system.
This is where, I must admit, my critics made their best point. It turns out, Keflezighi moved to the United States in time to develop at every level in America. So Meb is in fact an American trained athlete and an American citizen and he should be celebrated as the American winner of the NYC Marathon. That makes a difference and makes him different from the “ringer” I accused him of being. Meb didn't deserve that comparison and I apologize for that.
3 November 2009
at 2:31 p.m.
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honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
what i'm not quite understanding is why should it matter? aren't alot of the winners of major marathons from different countries? i didn't know it was a prerequisite to be an american.
3 November 2009
at 3:15 p.m.
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Irish (Irish Swearingen) says…
Mel. It matters because this is the first American to win the New York marathon in a long time. The Ethiopians owned the race. Some people thought it was because they have a special gene that enables these people to run faster than anyone else.
So now this mans citizenship is being questioned.
You are quite right that you don't have to be an American to run this race.
You tell me why all the press.
Marion, a lot of other people are discussing this and there are quite a few comments about it out there.
3 November 2009
at 3:17 p.m.
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honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
oooh, okay. i understand a bit better now.
its kind of like when kristi yamaguchi won the gold in skating… i heard a few people say “but she isn't REALLY american…” how stupid. this woman and her parents are born over here and she's not american? i'm apalled at folks' ignorance.
3 November 2009
at 3:40 p.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
“Is there still racism in this country?”
This seems to be more of a national pride issue than racism. The same criticisms would have arisen had a white runner born in Norway but raised in the States won.
4 November 2009
at 12:28 p.m.
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denak (Anonymous) says…
This may have less to do with race and more with a legality.
A child becomes a naturalized American citizen when his or her parent becomes an American citizen. Are Keflezighi’s parents naturalized parents? If not, then he isn't American. He, himself, will have to go through the process of naturalization in order to become an American citizen. However, if his parents became citizens when he was still a minor, he is an American, legally.
If he is legally an American, and considers himself and American and declares alligence to America, then he *is* an American.
Dena
4 November 2009
at 5:41 p.m.
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Irish (Irish Swearingen) says…
The year 1998 was a landmark one for Keflezighi as he graduated from UCLA, became a U.S. citizen, and became the first winner of the annual Carl Lewis Award, given to the country's top male track and field athlete.
Read more
: http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2462…