A Black and White Game: Racial Stereotypes in Baseball

The current study experimentally tested stereotypes and credibility of messages associated with athletes. Participants were asked to rate photos of Black and White baseball players based on stereotypes identified in previous literature. They were then given an anonymous paragraph from a newspaper that featured either a stereotype consistent or inconsistent message and asked to rate the author's credibility. Black players were rated significantly higher in physical strength and natural ability, which is consistent with previous literature. However, inconsistent with previous literature, White players were not rated significantly higher in intelligence and leadership. Despite these results, when measuring credibility, this study found White-consistent stereotypes to be credible, whereas Black-consistent ones were not. These results are interpreted in light of Devine's model of stereotype processing and in-group, out-group bias.