# Do African-Americans have extra energy in their muscles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 12, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906 "2015-07-12T01:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/181 "2015-07-16T19:58:21Z")
What magic gene makes white people such fast ice skaters? Different leg muscles I guess… ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/182 "2015-07-16T20:04:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Is there anyone actually on that side? Not really sure. But if there isn’t where is there such strong hedging about genetics playing\* any\* role? Especially when the Kenyan example of marathon runners is so strong? I get that you can’t say x is responsible for 8.764% of the outcome of y. I don’t think many people with any science education are making that argument. iiandyiiii actually has one of the best points and that is if one feels the odds are stacked against them why even try? That might be very harmful to society in general. It’s a bit like the debate on free will and the value of believing in free will even if such a thing may not exist. I know this is off topic but I think it expands a bit on the above point and that is even if I disagree with President Obama on many policy issues, the fact that a man that identifies as black and looks black was elected president is extraordinarily important because it dispels certain ideals. So I do see the value in promoting the idea that everyone has tremendous potential to succeed because that self belief has extraordinary value. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/183 "2015-07-16T20:43:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > . . . Because he’s using it in support of an argument, when it really doesn’t support his argument? He’s basically saying, “I’m not an Olympic-class swimmer, therefore I don’t have the genes to be an Olympic-class swimmer.” I’d hope that most people on this board would not let such poor logic pass unremarked. . . . Since it only applies to him, who cares? Again, maybe he was born with only one arm. His genetics would certainly preclude him being a championship swimmer. (Many birth defects are developmental and not genetic, but bear with the hypothetical.) If he’d generalized – if he’d said that he isn’t a champion swimmer because of genetics, therefore genetics is the sole determiner of who becomes a champion swimmer – then that would be an actual argument relevant to the thread and would be worth rebutting. But all he said was that he, individually, isn’t a champion swimmer, because of his genetics. What possible reason does anyone have, here, to leap to the conclusion that he’s lying? It doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t rebut any specific argument. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/184 "2015-07-16T20:50:19Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > But all he said was that he, individually, isn’t a champion swimmer, because of his genetics. What possible reason does anyone have, here, to leap to the conclusion that he’s lying? It doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t rebut any specific argument. Nobody said that he was lying. Nobody thinks that he is lying. Where do you get that? I said that his belief may be mistaken. Note: (1) may be—has not been demonstrated either way, and (2) mistaken—not lying. The whole point was to question the false assumptions upon which the shaky logic was constructed. It’s certainly not an attack on the poster, who seems to be a good guy, and about whose swimming abilities I know nothing and care less. Anyway, it’s not furthering the discussion, so I’m happy to drop it. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/185 "2015-07-17T01:55:56Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > What magic gene makes white people such fast ice skaters? Different leg muscles I guess… Living in a place with ice might make a difference…and Asians are also excellent speed skaters. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906/186 "2015-07-17T01:59:24Z")
This so-called cultural argument for why whites arent represented much in certain sports is pretty dumb. Just look at the money to be made. Maybe 1% of white kids couldnt benefit from being a professional athlete. The last strong group of white sprinters were these women [Doping in East Germany - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_in_East_Germany) and it took lots of pharma to make them so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-african-americans-have-extra-energy-in-their-muscles/724906.md?page=9)