“In football, whites play quarterback and blacks play running back; in baseball whites pitch and blacks play the outfield” (Gladwell). In the short story “The Sports Taboo” Gladwell talks about how the racism in sports can either bring athletes together or keep them separated. Throughout the story Gladwell tells a real story about how athletics had been when he was a child. I find the opening quote interesting because even though people may not know it; it really does happen. This quote is from the story and it pretty much explains how American sports are today. When are you ever going to see an all white NBA basketball team? Most likely never. Sports teams amateur or professional are always going to be integrated.

People can learn a lot about this short story. High school students or student athletes will enjoy reading this story also because when they play sports they can understand the way people see other races. This story does not only talk about child athletics but also adult athletics. Everyone may not find this story enjoyable because everybody does not like sports. Athletes would enjoy this story because it is about sports and the races in sports.