Minority Representation in Media I chose Jon Entine's Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It for my book on minority representation in media. This book addresses a topic that very few have been willing to discuss openly over the past fifty years. Why is the typical black athlete superior to the white athlete? And why do many believe that it is wrong to analyze, discuss or even question something that seems so obvious? This book offers the history of African American athletes in sports and examines the genetic revolution that followed. Taboo also addresses the circumstances that have made human biodiversity so difficult to approach. One theory as to why blacks have become more athletic than whites is through evolution and selective breeding. Slave owners wanted the largest and strongest slaves to work on the plantations; so a strong black man was paired with a strong black woman. Africans were originally brought to America as a physical specimen. They were expected to work the fields day after day. In January 1988 Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, a commentator on CBS's NFL show, made a remark about black athletes that cost him his job. Snyder stated, "Think about what African slaves were forced to endure in this country just to survive. Black athletes are their descendants" (Entine 72). The comment quickly surfaced through the media, and many people were outraged. Snyder was eventually fired from CBS. Although, according to some, his statements were not far from what could be the truth. So why were people so furious about these remarks? Saying that blacks and whites are simply different seems to ignite thoughts of racism. People are terrified to comment on this topic because of the repercussions that could occur. But without research and scientific studies there seems to be no way to reach a conclusion on a very controversial, but obvious topic, namely that blacks are better than whites at sports. Entine makes a very strong argument by stating that “No other group of Americans in such large numbers has had to pass such rigorous tests of survival as the Negroes” (73). The history of African slaves and the physicality that was required of them seems relevant only to the evolution of the modern black athlete. Comments about black athletes made by people affiliated with the media still stir controversy today.