In certain sports today we have seen a growing trend of domination by certain races. Although there are exceptions in every case, it is evident that African Americans for example, dominate basketball. There may be some biological characteristics that give certain races advantages in athletics, but we want to argue that it is a product of social structure. It is a known fact that rewards and opportunities are much more accessible to those of upper and upper/middle classes. (Kozol, pg. 93) Clubs and other groups are organized for these privileged people and their children. For example we have institutions called country clubs. This is a piece of land where, for the right price one can go to swim, golf play tennis, or just shoot the breeze at the bar with fellow members. People who are not as fortunate as this privileged class are denied because they can not meet the financial requirements. From this social structuring, we see a huge difference between the patterns of life between the two groups.

Inner city kids (mostly black and Latino) will never have the opportunity to go to a country club and take golf lessons like suburban (mostly white and Asian) kids will. We think this social stratification gap is a major reason why inner city youth are not able to develop skills in sports that require expensive equipment and facilities. We see the well off kids excel at golf, tennis, swimming, water polo, and volleyball, while the inner city kids excel in most notably basketball and soccer. All you need for these sports are a ball, playing field, and a goal. It is true that inner city kids sometimes have some exposure to these "country club" sports, however there is not enough of an interest by the kids or adults to make progress in those sport programs. More often than not, urban areas lack the facilities and the money to provide these sports programs for the kids. These kids are left with few choices to fill up their free time. Kids either play a sport like basketball, work, or get into trouble. We think that if there were more of an interest and opportunity for these "country club" sport programs for inner city kids, they would have a greater opportunity to excel and use this as a ticket to continue their education. Even if they are not able to use a sport to get out of their neighborhood, at least they would be spending their free time in a healthy way and not getting into trouble with gangs, drugs, or criminal activities. We have seen a few examples of how minority kids with the right effort and constant persistence of a dream and encouragement by parents can succeed in "country club" sports.

Tiger Woods is one of the most recent minority examples. Tiger was one of the first men to break the color line in professional golf. He did this with great poise and an impressive sense of professionalism for such a young man. Looking at Tiger on the streets, one would stereotypically label him as a basketball player due to his African roots. Tiger became a phenemenonal golfer due to hard work and his natural talent. He is proof that your racial makeup does not determine one's athletic ability. Take Michael Jordan for example; of course he is the greatest basketball player of all time, but people always comment how good he is at golf. He is a very competitive golfer when he participates in Pro-Am tournaments. His golf game did not develop until he became a millionaire from playing basketball. Once he became a part of the upper class, he then could gain membership to country clubs and partake in the sport of golf. Now that he had the opportunity, he could show people how good he is at golf, even though he is black. Most people would attribute Jordan's golf skills to his background in basketball and of athletics in general. Who is to say that any other black person with the opportunity could not demonstrate the same golf ability? Because of this Michael Jordan example, we argue that other minorities could do well in "country club" sports. We know Tiger grew up with different circumstances than inner city kids did coming from a suburban area in Cypress CA, but he is a good minority role model to break through in professional golf. From the news we know that Tiger was pushed by his father to excel in golf, but he still had to face being the only one of color out on the greens for many years. His family was there for him and encouraged him to continue participating in the sport. The important thing we need to focus on now since Tiger Woods has become such a superstar, is what good will he do for other minority kids trying to break into country club sports.

Another young rising star in the tennis world that fits well with our topic is Venus Williams. Her younger sister Serena is also closely following in her footsteps. Williams comes from an inner city area, Compton CA. (The Venus Williams Show,www.geocities.com,5-30) Training with Serena from a young age under the coaching of their father, these girls are breaking into professional tennis while just in their teens. Her father has called Venus the "ghetto Cinderella". Now she is living her dream by competing as a professional. This is her chance to help her family and herself get out of the inner city and improve her social class. Venus was fortunate enough to have her sister and her father to help her keep practicing. This allowed her to always have competition and the helpful motivation that is sometimes needed during training. Most inner city kids are not as fortunate. We see how this family is the perfect example, they are black and come from a poor inner city but with the right motivation, both Venus and Serena are now top competitors in the world. In the past, all tennis players in the U.S. have been from well off families (just about all white, with the exception of Arthur Ashe) that can afford the membership to the club, the private lessons and expensive equipment. As we wondered with Tiger, what are these girls going to do with their stardom? Will they give back to the community and encourage other inner city kids to take a serious interest in their sport? The Williams' girls have already started to use their stardom to do some good. They have supported anti-drug campaigns like D.A.R.E and this is what they had to say about the girls; "Serena and Venus are a true inspiration to all youngsters in this nation. They both came straight-out of the inner city of Compton, California. They have poise, charisma, and display exemplary character both on and off the tennis court." (www.dare.com,5-30) However as we will see just supporting D.A.R.E. is not enough and ineffective.

Tiger, Serena, and Venus all are fantastic athletes and role models that have broken into sports which have been dominated by white people for years. All three give back to the youth in a variety of ways. However we think if they directed their efforts in other ways or programs, they could help even more inner city kids. Take Magic Johnson for example. He came from a poor family and became a millionaire by becoming one of professional basketball's all time greatest. Now to give back to poor communities like the one he came from, he starts up businesses in the inner city with his own business, Magic Johnson Enterprises. (lecture, 6- 2) One project of Johnson's is starting a movie theatre complex. This provides entertainment and jobs for the community. It also puts all the money back into the community, instead of having people go out of town and pay to see a movie. In addition to the theatres, he is also partners with Starbucks and T.G.I. Fridays and he also brings them to the inner city, because when the movie is over people need a close place to eat and hang out. (lecture, 6-2) Magic's entertainment complexes benefit everyone. We are not suggesting that these athletes mentioned should start opening up businesses in inner cities, but we think if they used their name and implemented programs where kids could learn these "country club" sports which the athletes participate in, it would be very beneficial for the youth. The athletes could sponsor clinics or tournaments to encourage participation by inner city youth. The kids could then see Tiger and the Williams' girls on television and then go out and practice to be just like them with other kids that have the same interest. Hopefully programs sponsored by athletes like the ones mentioned would promote more interest in the "country club" sports. If kids gain this interest, with a little talent, they could open up many opportunities. Even if they are not good enough to get a scholarship or become a professional, at least they are having fun doing something healthy and enjoyable. This is just one example of how athletes can help make life better for the inner city youth.

Existing programs are not doing enough to put inner city youth on the right track towards success. The programs have the right motives, but they are not producing results. From both of our experiences we know how athletics help keep kids out of trouble and focused not only on sports but academics too. Today we see racial domination in sports. We want to turn kids on to sports not necessarily glamorized by their race or peers, to help make sports an integrated community. Kids of color are untapped resources in "country club" sports. We have seen how they can be successful with examples set by Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams, and Arthur Ashe. We need to direct our efforts to linking inner city youth with role models as have been mentioned to break this gap. It all has to start with revising existing programs and re-investing money to benefit the cultivation of inner city youth.

DARE Public Service Announcements.

Kozol, Jonathan. "Savage Inequalities in America's Schools" Crown Publishers, Inc. 1994

Lecture. Student presentations. 6-2-99

The Venus Williams Show. http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Pressbox/5067/show.htm, 5-30-99