Neil deGrasse Tyson: People Stereotype Me as Sports Broadcaster Because I’m Black

Host of Fox’s “Cosmos” Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared on ESPN’s podcast “Fivethirtyeight,” and got into speaking about sports, when host Nate Silver asked him if people are surprised when they hear that he likes sports so much.

According to Tyson, people already think he is in sports because there is a stereotype in society that if a black man has a large, athletic build that he must be an athlete, therefore he gets stereotyped as a sports broadcaster because of his build and easily recognizable face.

“I’m not a small person, and we’re so trained, in our society, if you see a black person with some body size, ‘Oh he must’ve been an athlete.’ There are people who don’t remember that I do science, but they recognize me in some way. ‘Haven’t I seen you on TV?’ I say, ‘Maybe, I don’t know.’ ‘Aren’t you a sportscaster?’ So, the stereotype kicks in.”