On Unconcious Racism in Sports Commentary

A few months ago, a friend told me that his Dad, an avid sports-fan of several decades, noticed an intriguing trend: when commentators praise a white athlete, it's typically for his "work ethic," while if it's a black athlete, it's for his "natural athleticism." These praises reinforce many racist stereotypes, viz. that black people lack work-ethic, and are better fitted for hard physical labor than white people, etc.

Now of course, to succeed in pro sports, you need both, e.g. Lebron James may be an absolute freak of an athlete, but he still had to work as hard as Jordan to make those talents bloom; Cal Ripken Jr. may hold the record for most consecutive games played, but he still needed a throwing arm stronger than 99.9% of the population just to make those games.  Many naturals wash out in the minors due to slacking; and it's a proverb that many college work-horses flounder in the pros due to lack of physicality.  Black or white, you will not make it in sports unless your hard work is married to intrinsic ability.

Hence, it's all the more fascinating that these two factors are segregated along racial lines in sports commentary!  This stereotyping is all the more insidious because it's probably unconscious.  What say you?