Racial segregation by playing position in elite Australian basketball

Over the past decade basketball has emerged in Australia as a sporting phenomenon. The rapid growth and development of basketball has encouraged the recruitment of many American players and coaches. Consequently, the visibility of Black Americans in Australian basketball has increased dramatically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and degree to which stereotyping, as customary in the United States, is also evidenced by American participation in elite Australian basketball. Using the notion of centrality, the centre and point guard positions were identified as being the most critical in terms of leadership and outcome control. Forwards and shooting guards were identified as non-central positions. Analysis by means of a chi-square, testing the effects of league x 'race' x position, revealed no significance. Further chi-square analyses revealed a significant difference in 'race' x position as well as 'race' x centrality. Results suggested that Blacks were assigned disproportionately to less central positions, and Whites were over-represented at playing positions that emphasized leadership, co-ordination, and outcome control. It appears that evidence of stereotyping is not limited to the United States, but may have a broader international dimension