"In Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It, award-winning journalist Jon Entine explores the genetic, cultural, and physiological roots of black athletic superiority. Drawing on the latest scientific research, Entine persuasively shows why biology and ancestry are significant components of the stunning ascension of black athletes. He reveals striking differences between athletes of West African heritage and those from East Africa, and shows why such differences could arise and be maintained over time. Entine shows how the favored explanation for black dominance - a dearth of opportunities elsewhere, channeling into specific sports, and hard work - fails to explain the dimensions of the monopoly. And he investigates whether or not there is any linkage between physical superiority and intellectual ability.". "Entine tells the gripping story of blacks in sports and the circumstances that have made addressing the facts so difficult and controversial. We meet pioneers like Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Arthur Ashe, Wilma Rudolph, and Jack Johnson, as well as modern-day superstars such as Michael Jordan, Pedro Martinez, Randy Moss, and the seemingly endless procession of champion Kenyan marathoners."--BOOK JACKET.